Robert Broom Jr. (born January 18, 1961) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

guitarist, composer, and educator. He was born and raised in New York City, then moved to Chicago, which has been his home town since 1984. He performs and records with The Bobby Broom Trio and his organ group, The Bobby Broom Organi-Sation. While versed in the traditional jazz (bebop and post-bop) idioms, Broom draws from a variety of American music forms, such as funk, soul, R&B, and blues.

Career

Broom was born in Harlem (1961) and raised on New York City's Upper West Side (1970s). Broom began studying the guitar at age 12, taking lessons first in

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

. A year later, he began studies with jazz guitarist Jimmy Carter in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

, where he took weekly lessons for the next two years. He attended the High School of Music and Art (

Laguardia High School of Performing Arts Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, often referred to simply as LaGuardia, is a public high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Center in the Lincoln Square n ...

), where he played in the jazz ensemble and received an award for Outstanding Jazz Improvisation during his senior year. Broom began his career while still in high school, performing at New York clubs with

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

pianists,

Al Haig Alan Warren Haig (July 19, 1922 – November 16, 1982) was an American jazz pianist, best known as one of the pioneers of bebop. Biography Haig was born in Newark, New Jersey and raised in nearby Nutley. In 1940, he majored in piano at Obe ...

, and

Walter Bishop, Jr. Walter Bishop Jr. (October 4, 1927 – January 24, 1998) was an American jazz pianist. Early life Bishop was born in New York City on October 4, 1927.Greene, Philip; Kernfeld, Barr"Bishop, Walter Jr." ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' (2nd ed ...

In 1977 he played at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

in a concert with Sonny Rollins and

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few hard bop m ...

. He went to the

Berklee School of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

from 1978–79, then returned to New York to pursue his career while attending

Long Island University Long Island University (LIU) is a private university with two main campuses, LIU Post and LIU Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. It offers more than 500 academic programs at its main campuses, online, and at multiple non-residential. LIU ...

. He began working in New York as guitarist for

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

and

The Jazz Messengers The Jazz Messengers were a jazz combo that existed for over thirty-five years beginning in the early 1950s as a collective, and ending when long-time leader and founding drummer Art Blakey died in 1990. Blakey led or co-led the group from the o ...

Dave Grusin Robert David "Dave" Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record w ...

Hugh Masekela Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and for ...

, and Tom Browne and signed a contract with GRP. In the 1980s, he moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. He formed The Bobby Broom Trio in 1990, the Deep Blue Organ Trio with

Chris Foreman Christopher John Foreman (born 8 August 1956), nicknamed Chrissy Boy, is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and composer. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Foreman came to prominence in the late 1970s as the guitarist for the Engli ...

and Greg Rockingham in 1999, and The Bobby Broom Organi-Sation in 2014. Broom's childhood heroes include

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a dist ...

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, pla ...

, and

Pat Martino Pat Martino (born Patrick Carmen Azzara; August 25, 1944 – November 1, 2021) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. Biography Martino was born Patrick Carmen Azzara in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, to father Carmen "Mickey" ...

. He has worked with

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz Jazz drumming, drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in h ...

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note label from 1960, touched on jazz fusion ...

Kenny Garrett Kenny Garrett (born October 9, 1960) is an American post-bop jazz musician and composer who gained recognition in his youth as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and for his time with Miles Davis's band. His primary instruments are alto and ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

Dr. Lonnie Smith Lonnie Smith (July 3, 1942 – September 28, 2021), styled Dr. Lonnie Smith, was an American jazz Hammond B3 organist who was a member of the George Benson quartet in the 1960s. He recorded albums with saxophonist Lou Donaldson for Blue Note be ...

, Charles Earland,

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from ...

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige, Blue Note, Verve, CTI, Muse, and Concord. His collaborations with Jimmy Smith were notable, and produced the 1965 ...

Ron Blake Ron Blake (born September 7, 1965) is an American saxophonist, band leader, composer, and music educator. Born in the Virgin Islands, he attended Northwestern University, and now lives in New York City. Blake began studying guitar at 8 and tur ...

, Eric Alexander, Ron Carter, and

Ramsey Lewis Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five gold records and three Grammy Awards in his career. His album '' The ...

. In 2009 he recorded ''Bobby Broom Plays for Monk'' with its cover shot of the red wagon Monk used for the album ''

Monk's Music ''Monk's Music'' is a jazz album by the Thelonious Monk Septet, which for this recording included Coleman Hawkins and John Coltrane. It was recorded in New York City on June 26, 1957, and released in October the same year. Recording and music Th ...

''. Broom's first release of exclusively original compositions was ''

Upper West Side Story "Upper West Side Story" is the 12th episode of the third season of the American comedy-drama television series '' White Collar'', and the 42nd episode overall. It was first broadcast on USA Network in the United States on January 24, 2012. The ...

'' (2012). The album reached No. 1. on the ''College Music Journal'' jazz chart and was in the ''Jazz Week'' and ''Down Beat'' Top Albums of 2012. As an educator, Broom began his work in 1982 for

Jackie McLean John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their deat ...

, Director of African American Music at Studies for the Hartt School of Music at the

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and it ...

. Over the years Broom has also been a lecturer at the

American Conservatory of Music The American Conservatory of Music (ACM) was a major American school of music founded in Chicago in 1886 by John James Hattstaedt (1851–1931). The conservatory was incorporated as an Illinois non-profit corporation. It developed the Conservator ...

(1986–1990),

Chicago Musical College Chicago Musical College is a division of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. History Founding Dr. Florenz Ziegfeld Sr (1841–1923), founded the college in 1867 as the Chicago Academy of Music. The institution h ...

— Roosevelt University (1990–1994), The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz (1987),

DePaul University DePaul University is a private, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became the largest Ca ...

(2002–2008) and North Park University. He teaches Chicago high school students for the Ravinia Festival Organization's community outreach Jazz Scholar Program. In 2005 he attended Northwestern University for his master's degree in jazz pedagogy. ''Keyed Up'' was released in 2022 and picked up admiring reviews in the specialist jazz press.

Awards and honors

* ''DownBeat'' Critics' Poll 2012 * ''DownBeat'' Critics' Poll 2013 * ''DownBeat'' Critics' Poll 2014 * ''DownBeat'' Readers' Poll 2015Readers Poll - DownBeat Magazine
- 2015, Downbeat.com

Discography

As leader

* ''Clean Sweep'' (Arista GRP, 1981) * ''Livin' for the Beat'' (Arista, 1984) * ''No Hype Blues'' (Criss Cross, 1995) * ''Waitin' and Waitin'' (Criss Cross, 1997) * ''Modern Man'' (Delmark, 2001) * ''Stand!'' (Premonition, 2001) * ''Song and Dance'' (Origin, 2007) * ''The Way I Play: Live in Chicago'' (Origin, 2008) * '' Bobby Broom Plays for Monk'' (Origin, 2009) * ''Upper West Side Story'' (Origin, 2012) * ''My Shining Hour'' (Origin, 2014) * ''Soul Fingers'' (Clean Sweep/MRI, 2018) * ''Keyed Up'' (Steele Records, 2022) With Deep Blue Organ Trio * ''Deep Blue Bruise'' (Delmark, 2004) * ''Goin' to Town'' (Delmark, 2006) * ''Folk Music'' (Origin, 2007) * ''Wonderful!'' (Origin, 2011)

As sideman

With Tom Browne * ''Love Approach'' (Arista GRP, 1980) * ''Magic'' (Arista GRP, 1981) * ''Rockin' Radio'' (Arista, 1983) With

* ''Trippin' Live'' (Surefire/Wind-Up, 1997) * ''Anutha Zone'' (Point Blank/Virgin, 1998) * ''Duke Elegant'' (Blue Note, 1999) * ''Live at Montreux 1995'' (Eagle, 2005) With

Weldon Irvine Weldon Jonathan Irvine Jr. (October 27, 1943 – April 9, 2002), also known as Master Wel, was an American composer, playwright, poet, pianist, organist, and keyboardist. Biography Irvine, an African American, was born in Hampton, Virginia, on ...

* ''Weldon & the Kats'' (Nodlew Music, 1989) * ''The Sisters'' (Saucerman, 1998) * ''Young, Gifted and Broke'' (Shout! 2012) With Sonny Rollins * ''No Problem'' (Milestone, 1982) * ''Reel Life'' (Milestone, 1982) * ''Sonny, Please'' (Doxy, 2006) * ''Road Shows Vol. 1'' (Doxy/EmArcy, 2008) * ''Road Shows Vol. 3'' (Doxy/OKeh, 2014) * ''Road Shows Vol. 4'' (Doxy/OKeh, 2016) With Sadao Watanabe * ''Nice Shot!'' (Flying Disk, 1980) * ''Orange Express'' (CBS/Sony, 1981) * ''Good Time for Love'' (Elektra, 1986) With others * Eric Alexander, ''In Europe'' (Criss Cross, 1995) *

Poogie Bell Charles Bell Jr. (born February 11, 1961, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), better known by his stage name Poogie Bell, is an American jazz drummer, composer, band leader and producer. Bell is best known as a drummer, working extensively with bassists ...

, ''Exhibition Continues'' (Leopard, 2018) *

, ''Generation'' (Blue Note, 1987) * Kenny Burrell, ''Pieces of Blue and the Blues'' (Blue Note, 1988) *

Ronnie Cuber Ronald Edward Cuber (December 25, 1941 – October 7, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. He also played in Latin, pop, rock, and blues sessions. In addition to his primary instrument, baritone sax, he played tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet ...

, ''Cubism'' (Fresh Sound, 1992) * Charles Earland, ''Front Burner'' (Milestone, 1988) * Charles Earland, ''Third Degree Burn'' (Milestone, 1989) *

Charles Fambrough Charles Fambrough (August 25, 1950January 1, 2011) was an American jazz bassist, composer and record producer from Philadelphia. Fambrough was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers during the early 1980s. Suffering from kidney failure, conges ...

, ''Blues at Bradley's'' (CTI, 1993) *

, ''Live in Japan'' (JVC, 1980) * David Murray, ''The Tip'' (DIW, 1994) * David Murray, ''Jug-a-Lug'' (DIW, 1995) *

, ''Home Again'' (Elektra, 1982) *

Dave Valentin David Peter Valentin (April 29, 1952 – March 8, 2017) was an American Latin jazz flautist of Puerto Rican descent. Life and career Valentin was born to Puerto Rican parents in The Bronx in New York City. He attended The High School of Mu ...

, ''Pied Piper'' (Arista GRP, 1981) *

Pharez Whitted Pharez Whitted is an American jazz trumpeter and educator from Indianapolis. Biography Born in Indianapolis, Whitted grew up in a family of musicians that included his mother, Virtue Hampton Whitted, his aunt Dawn Hampton, and his uncle Slide ...

, ''Transient Journey'' (Owl, 2010) * Pharez Whitted, ''For the People'' (Origin, 2012) *

Bernard Wright Bernard Wright (November 16, 1963 – May 19, 2022) was an American funk and jazz keyboardist and singer who began his career as a session musician and later released four solo albums. Biography Wright was born in Jamaica, Queens, New York. ...

, '' 'Nard'' (Arista GRP, 1981)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Broom, Bobby 1961 births Living people Guitarists from Chicago Jazz musicians from Illinois Berklee College of Music alumni Long Island University alumni DePaul University faculty Roosevelt University faculty University of Hartford Hartt School faculty 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians African-American guitarists African-American jazz musicians American jazz educators American jazz guitarists American male guitarists Hard bop guitarists Jazz-funk guitarists Soul-jazz guitarists Arista Records artists Criss Cross Jazz artists GRP Records artists American male jazz musicians The Bobby Broom Organi-Sation members