The Bobby Broom Organ-Sation

Jamalot

Steele

This year’s reviews from yours truly are not as heavily populated with organ trios as in years past but this throwback album by Bobby Broom’s Organ-Sation may well compensate in spades. These are live performances from 2014-2019 of familiar pop songs and standards, in the tradition of his once bandleader Charles Earland’s, Front Burner and Third Degree Burn from over five decades ago. Joined here by Hammond B3 ace Ben Paterson, and drummer Kobie Watkins, half of these tracks revisit the trio’s 2014 tour, opening for Steely Dan. That material includes Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” the Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun,” the Beatles’ “Long and Winding Road,” and Derek and the Dominos’ “Layla,” all which Broom had previously recorded in the studio. The half were laid down at Joe and Wayne Segal’s Jazz Showcase in Chicago, more traditional tunes such as “Tennessee Waltz,’ “Jitterbug Waltz,” “Speak Low,” and “Tadd’s Delight.”

Broom holds as gleaming a resume as any in terms of collaborating with organists. Count Jimmy McGriff, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Melvin Rhyne, and Jimmy Smith in that litany. His jazz pedigree is equally impressive having played with Al Haig, Walter Bishop, Jr., Sonny Rollins, Kenny Burrell, Miles Davis, Makaya McCraven, and Dr. John. He often played and continues to play with saxophonists Ron Blake and Eric Alexander.

Preceding this trio was Broom’s Deep Blue Organ Trio, a Chiago collective that featured Chris Foreman, which worked into the 2010s. Broom took a hiatus from the configuration for a while, even turning down an invitation to tour again with Steely Dan. Encouraged by McCraven, then one of his regular drummers, he was reinspired and sought out Philadelphia native, NYC-based Paterson who then began to play with Broom alongside either Watkins or McCraven in live gigs in Chicago. This trio debuted on record with 2018’s Soul Fingers but has now been together for over a decade. If Broom’s name is familiar to readers of these pages, we did cover his quartet (non-organ) 2022 album Keyed Up featuring keyboardist Justin Dillard, in an album saluting great pianists.

The album title takes its name from the Steely Dan tour in 2014. If you’re an Instagram user, you can find Bobby Broom’s post with the original tour poster – The tour was called “Jamalot Ever After 2014,” and it lived up to its name: even after 10 years, I was still thinking about the songs we recorded on that run.

While opener “Superstition” may lack the famed funk of Wonder’s original, it more than compensates with deep, soulful grooves. Following his band introductions, the trio plunges into a highly imaginative gospel-inflected reading of “Layla,” the same arrangement of which was on a Broom cassette demo heard to enthusiastic delight by the song’s author, Eric Clapton at a TV taping session with Broom and Dr. John. Broom has long had a penchant to play songs that held meaning for him in his youth. His history includes Sly and the Family Stone’s “Stand!,” the Mamas and Papas “Monday, Monday,” and Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman” as examples. He says, “I wanted to do what jazz musicians have been doing since its beginning…”

The album sequencing mixes the 2014 and 2019 material. Broom’s melodicism shines on “The Tennessee Waltz” and he picks cleanly, using every fret on Fats Waller’s “The Jitterbug Waltz” with Paterson and Watson rather subtly framing his well-articulated lines. Upon his turn Paterson brings the B3 to a boil, blending soul with melody in his steaming solo. You’ll find funk and deep soul in “House of the Rising Sun” that you didn’t even know were there despite the countless times you’ve heard the tune, one of the strongest features for Paterson on the disc.  Watkins excels with the slowed down bebop in an extended take of Tadd Dameron’s “Tadd’s Delight,’ unleashing brimming turns from Broom and Paterson. The trio unearths topsoil rich soul from “Long and Winding Road,” while adhering to one of most infectious melodies Lennon and McCartney ever crafted (that’s saying something). The trio goes out with a nearly twelve-minute take on Kurt Weill’s “Speak Low,” pulling out all the chops, by turns swinging, burning, and simmering.

The timing for this release is perfect. It’s the ideal soundtrack for your backyard BBQ, chilling in the yard or fueling your vacation road trip. The classic sound of the organ trio remains very much alive six decades in!

• Jim Hynes

BUY NOW

Buy Us a Cup of Coffee!

Join the movement in supporting Making a Scene, the premier independent resource for both emerging musicians and the dedicated fans who champion them.

We showcase this vibrant community that celebrates the raw talent and creative spirit driving the music industry forward. From insightful articles and in-depth interviews to exclusive content and insider tips, Making a Scene empowers artists to thrive and fans to discover their next favorite sound.

Together, let’s amplify the voices of independent musicians and forge unforgettable connections through the power of music

You can donate directly through Paypal!

Subscribe to Our Newsletter