Bobby Broom

A jazz fusion guitarist in the vein of George Benson, Bobby Broom balances his hard bop chops with a predilection for smooth R&B. He first showcased his blend of serious jazz chops and grooves on a pair of albums he released on Arista in the early '80s -- Clean Sweep made inroads on the R&B charts -- but it took him nearly three decades of sessions until he made a serious impression on the jazz mainstream with 2009's Bobby Broom Plays for Monk. From that point forward, Broom maintained a sterling critical reputation -- he topped DownBeat's Critics' Poll for three years running in the early 2010s -- and a robust audience who embraced such albums as 2024's covers album Jamalot.