Bobby Broom

In a career spanning three decades, preeminent guitarist Bobby Broom has embodied the truism that it’s the player not the tune that makes for a memorable performance in jazz. After years as an elite sideman with the likes of Sonny Rollins, Stanley Turrentine, and Dr. John, Broom reintroduced himself to the jazz world with Stand! (2001), a brilliant foray into the pop music he grew up hearing in the 1960s and 70s. In his subsequent releases he’s demonstrated a keen ear for rarely played material, a gift for composing evocative tunes, and impressive facility with the knotty rhythmic puzzles of Thelonious Monk, which is what makes his latest album My Shining Hour such an unexpected revelation. The luxuriantly melodic session features Broom’s working trio focusing on beloved American Songbook standards.