Broomstick Guitar

[Rafael Nowning]

BBIt was a tenor guitar that my Dad brought home when I was eight years old. It wound up in the closet after I broke all of the strings. Then when I decided I wanted t take lessons he got me a nylon string and eventually a Univox solid-body electric.

I became aware early on that the musical language of jazz transcended any particular instrument and was shared by all. I wanted to play jazz music and to play be able to play ideas like a saxophonist, trumpet, pianist, or anyone who could really play.

BB: I would have to say Wes Montgomery because of all that he brought to the art of jazz guitar. There were and are so many amazing players, but Wes had it all: technique, harmonic sophistication, a blues sensibility and an unwavering sense of time and ability to swing. He developed and perfected the use of octave and chord soloing to a point that has gone unmatched since. And, he also left us with 4 or 5 jazz standards and that should also help to solidify his name among those of jazz geniuses and legends.

JGL: You were playing Jazz at the relatively young age of 15 and while still in high school you were asked by sax legend Sonny Rollins to go on the road. That must have been an awesome experience even if you did have to turn it down at the time. What do you think it was that Sonny saw in you as a player and a person?

JGL: Your Bio describes you at one point as having been a teenage prodigy. How did you achieve such musical abilities at so young an age? What kind of material were you working on during your early development as a Jazz Guitarist and what kinds of pressure did you have to deal with to maintain that status?

BB: Yes, it was when I had my jazz epiphany while hearing George Benson. I realized then that the guitar could actually be played in a way that was captivating and compelling to my imagination. At that point the decision was kind of made for me, I just kept practicing and following the course where it led.

Jazz, as any music, is a performing art. There are certain aspect of jazz knowledge and data that can be taught: history, theory, basic execution. But, there are also elements that cannot be easily transferred, from a performance standpoint, between teacher to student. Some of these might be talent, taste and sensitivity or proclivity to certain feelings that are essential to making jazz what it is. But not everyone is meant to be a high level jazz performer. We can still teach people to identify and appreciate elements that make great jazz and in so doing, perhaps we can preserve and advance the art.

BB: Yes, chord to scale and arpeggio relationships are the theoretical basis of my jazz music making. These are the tools of construction that we use. However, that is a very simplistic description because, as you know, there is so much more involved in playing jazz and improvising than just hammering out scales. Every musician uses this basic system as a springboard toward their own personal method of processing to yield a greater understanding and ability to make music.

JGL: Do you find the business side of being a Jazz musician something that should be taught in music schools or should the playing be left to the player and the business side of things be left to managers and agents?

BB: The Bobby Broom Trio was first formed in 1991 or so. I decided that I needed a regular band so that I could define myself and musically via the development of a group sound and by composing for that group. We began modestly by playing regularly on Sunday nights for the door at a small club in Chicago. Our music and reputation began to develop from there.The group really has helped me in all of the ways that I thought it would and it satisfies the drive that I have that is purely about musical expression through the jazz guitar medium.

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I listen to Bobby Brown play this guitar today. The tone astounded me. Never heard anything like it before. He played at Emory University, which has a wonderful sound room. I spoke with him afterwards and he told me the name of his guitar. I just read this short article about it. Can you tell me more about your guitars? Thank you very much.

After World War II, Roger decided to cast his fate to winds and in 1952 emigrated to the U.S. He got a job with Ted McCarty at Gibson, though no one seems certain what Rossmeisl did at Gibson, and McCarty himself recalled that Rossmeisl left after about a year to play Hawaiian music on a cruise ship.

The Palomino shown here has a neck date of January 26, 1969 (serial number 26784). This was a little further down the line than the King, but still had a solid spruce top. The binding is single-ply (as opposed to the triple binding on the King). The back and sides are lightly figured solid mahogany. The neck is maple. If you imagine a Strat neck adapted to an acoustic guitar, you have it close enough!

RJ: Kenny just called me up one day and asked me to join the Jazz Guitar Band. I was grateful to be asked and to have a chance to play with and learn from him and also from my friend Bobby Broom.

RJ: One of the first jazz records that I ever had was Live at the Five Spot. I listened to that over and over. Later I got into Introducing Kenny Burrell and the Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane.

RJ: I had played at the Jazz Showcase many times with Dizzy although at the old location on Rush Street. I was excited and a bit nervous. By this time I had a lot of experience so I felt ready to give it my all and make the best music that I could.

BB: When Kenny returned to Chicago for another week engagement at the Jazz Showcase in 1985, Curtis was the guitarist that Kenny chose to join us for the 3-guitar front line. I remember meeting with the three of us after the engagement, as a kind of debriefing. Kenny asked for each of our summation of the week. Then he asked if we thought there was anything that we thought he should take away from the experience. (Wow, what a thoughtful and kind human being he is.) I believe it was Curtis who suggested that he continue to work with younger players.

BB: Rodney can speak more on that than I. Bruce and he were very close. I did take a few lessons with him, but mostly because, at the time, I wanted what Rodney had. I only lasted for a few lessons though [laughs.]

RJ: Kenny referred to Bruce as legendary and a genius, which he was. Not sure how or where he had heard Bruce but he was an unknown giant of jazz guitar. He asked me if Bruce would write some liner notes about the recording and he did.

JGL: As one who might now consider yourself as an elder statesmen, if you had to play the role to the new generation of up and coming guitarists that Kenny Burrell did for the two of you, who might you be looking at if you were to form the 5-piece Jazz Guitar Band today?

RJ: My entire musical career is standing on the shoulders of Giants. Wes, Barney, Nathen, Grant, George, and Kenny. He is a role model to me for dignity, soulfulness, artistry and professionalism. He is a dear and beloved friend and one of my greatest musical treasures this lifetime.

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Of course, musical auto-accompaniment is not a new idea, but the type of 'virtual band member' provided by Groove Agent or Virtual Guitarist has taken the process to a new level by including a high-quality sample collection. Whatever your own personal take on auto-accompaniment in the creative process, with virtual guitarists, drummers and singers already available, bass players were the next obvious target. So is Broomstick Bass a valuable 'session musician in a box' or a bunch of 'cheesy keyboard-style' presets? Let's get the lowdown...

Second is the auto-accompaniment section. This consists of dozens of individual styles, each grouped into a general musical genre (see the 'Style File' box for details). As described more fully in a moment, each individual style actually consists of eight variations (bass riffs or patterns) and these are adjusted automatically to fit the chords arriving at the MIDI input.

The third element is the DSP section. This provides a collection of the more common processing options used with bass sounds and includes a three-band EQ, a pitch-shifter, compressor, chorus and overdrive. Finally, a Manual mode is included where Broomstick Bass can be used as a playable virtual instrument using any of the sampled instruments from the library.

The main screen of Broomstick Bass is divided into three areas. To the right, the user can select the required instrument and this displays an image of the selected instrument. This section also includes the master volume control, a switch for Poly/Mono mode and smaller knobs for adjusting Glide, Release and Release Noise. The Release simply changes how long a sample is sustained after a note is released, while for added realism, the Release Noise control attempts to add more (or less) of the finger noise created as a note is released.

The bottom section of the window contains a virtual keyboard. This can be used for triggering patterns or individual notes if an external MIDI keyboard is not available. The shaded area of the keyboard is the 'Control Octave' and this is used to select patterns in Auto mode or articulations in Manual mode. Both of these modes are described more fully below.

The first free 'Gift Pack', which can be downloaded from the Bornemark web site, includes two new instruments; a Hofner 500/1 bass (made famous by Paul McCartney) and a suitably aggressive Elektron SidStation patch.

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