Birthed in the cool finessed and caressed the record we keep coming back to at the moment is Keyed Up - if you dig, bear with us on this, Jeff Parker, and we certainly do, you will get on down to Bobby Broom. Of course stylistically both players are very different, the former the Tortoise guitarist who is both avant and alt-rock influenced - check his masterly Forfolks for instance - but whose harmonic sense is not a million miles away from Broom if you strip everything away. Best known for his work over the years with Sonny Rollins we dug Broom's work on Newk's Road Shows Vol 3 and his own My Shining Hour. Here Broom who likes to swing overtly and does it in a very sophisticated way is here with a pianist, a rarity in his discography as a leader. That player is Justin Dillard - check his work with the mighty Kahil El'Zabar - chooses piano, keys and the Hammond to comp, no mean task when you are the foil to a master of the changes like Broom.
Booker Ervin's 'Scoochie' goes back to Jazz in the Garden at the Museum of Modern Art vibist Teddy Charles' burning combo with Mal Waldron no less on piano captured by Morty Craft's Warwick label that came out in early-1961. Another highlight of Keyed Up given its padding, cushioning, percussive feel and lit up inside top line Broom axe-line voicing
Full of classics Mulgrew Miller tune 'Second Thoughts' the Messengers played in the mid-1980s when the much missed Grew, Terence Blanchard and Jean Toussaint were with Bu is the pick for us and the way Dillard introduces 'Misty' is a thing of wonder but listen how Bobby comes in like that image the poet sang ''of the cool night air like Shalimar''. The tuning is interesting on some tracks and allows very savoury appeal given the way you need to adjust your ears. Road Shows muchacho Kobie Watkins' tramping groove on 'Blues on the Corner' [there are two takes, it's the second one we were turned on to most] is perfect and swings like a mutha when he takes it up a bit. Be good to yourselves and reserve quality listening time for Keyed Up. The sweet smell of success is all around.
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