The album More Amor, a tribute to Wes Montgomery by the Chicago Jazz Orchestra and featuring Bobby Broom, reached number one on Jazz Week’s North American Jazz Radio chart this summer, and in total spent more than 18 weeks on the chart.
The recording has been hailed both nationally and internationally by music critics.
Broom, associate professor of guitar and jazz studies in the NIU School of Music is an accomplished performer and recording artist.
The brainchild of CJO musical director/conductor Jeff Lindberg and Broom, the recording began with a seed planted in 2004, after Broom’s successful Montgomery retrospective concert performance with the big band and strings. “I was thrilled when Jeff contacted me about finally getting to work on this recording,” says Broom. “Seeing this vision through was an important collaboration for both of us.”
For this recording, Broom and Lindberg enlisted three arrangers—Alex Brown, Tom Garling (applied artist in the NIU School of Music), and Charley Harrison—to create brand-new arrangements of some familiar and not-so-familiar Montgomery material, including “Four on Six,” “Somewhere,” and “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” Of particular significance for Broom is the fact that his longtime trio (bassist Dennis Carroll, drummer Kobie Watkins) make up the core rhythm section for the album. “For me, this project is a dream,” said Bobby. “Having the trio included was a no-brainer and provided a level of comfort and inspiration for me to create. For years I’ve longed to record in this setting, particularly with strings. But to do so in such majestic fashion, with this ultra-swinging big band, is beyond my wildest dreams.”
