JAZZ REVIEW | Chicago Jazz Orchestra feat. Bobby Broom "More Amor: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery" by Jeff Cebulski

Chicago Jazz Orchestra, featuring Bobby Broom

"More Amor: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery"

CJO Music, 2025

By Jeff Cebulski

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Bobby Broom, guitar

The 24-piece Chicago Jazz Orchestra

A 17-piece string orchestra

Whether his foray into pop-jazz—not necessarily his bidding—hurt or enhanced his legacy, Wes Montgomery remains a key, if not the greatest, modern jazz guitar influence. Many people not into straight-ahead jazz were introduced to Montgomery and his singular style via the orchestrated productions like California Dreaming, A Day In the Life, Down Here On The Ground, and Road Song, which made him a participant in, well, advanced elevator music arrangements that prized melody and ambiance more than jazz. For those listeners, it was the sound that mattered, and Montgomery had an attractive octive-driven, rounded note sound that few could match.

While Montgomery’s small combo works hold up, the orchestrated albums remain a great idea that never achieved its jazz potential. But, ironically enough, a new album corrects that tragedy. Wes is gone, but a Chicago acolyte, the heralded guitarist Bobby Broom, resurrects his influence in a joint effort with the formidable Chicago Jazz Orchestra on More Amor: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery, an album that achieves what the arrangers back in the day could not—a crystalizing mash up of orchestration and individual style that emphasizes the jazz while paying respect to the melodic core. That’s why those who may think that this recording is nothing more than a repeat of a long-passed era should put aside their Montgomery vinyl and get this one.

More Amor is a 20-year-old project, begun with a successful special concert in 2004 that led to an effort to produce a recording. Stymied by the pandemic, the parties finally gathered in 2023 (Montgomery’s centennial) and put to tape eight songs arranged by Charley Harrison, Tom Garling, and Alex Brown, with two previously recorded works enhanced by the CJO’s artistic director and conductor Jeff Lindberg.

The results, produced by Lindberg and Broom, are often stunning in its capture of musician/orchestra collaboration as well as conjuring our general memory of the great guitarist. For evidence, try the final cut, a swinging rendition of “Boss City,” where you’d swear that Wes has resurrected himself through Broom as the CJO, mixed deftly by Fred Breitberg, dances in Bossa tandem behind him, enhanced by a snaky trumpet solo from Victor Garcia, ably supported by bassist Dennis Carroll, pianist Dan Trudell, and drummer Kobie Watkins.

Ultimately, the music satisfies on every level. The Harrison-arranged opener, “Road Song,” introduces the proceedings well. The soul-jazz precursor involves every aspect of the ensemble, including the 17-piece string section that keeps with the beat. Broom is at his colloquial best, representing Montgomery’s thumb-picking technique throughout. The real test, perhaps, is what this gathering does with the possibly maudlin “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” The first portion rides the melody hard; two minutes or so in, Broom is let loose and the jazz takes over as the orchestra comps. With Carroll’s sturdy bass spine, Scott Burns turns in a lovely solo before the big band swing promenades. Test passed.

A cool choice was to visit a few of Montgomery’s famous combo tunes in more luxurious ways. “Four On Six” is aggressively treated, with the rhythm section featured as an energy source. Broom’s playing here is nimble and colorful. Garling’s arrangement of “West Coast Blues” respects the original’s melody and beat while opening up the band Basie-style; Rajiv Halim on alto and Broom swing accordingly before the horns deliver a wall-of-sound statement.

On More Amor, interested jazz fans get, really, a two-for-one deal: a wonderful performance by Bobby Broom and a terrific representation of one of the best jazz orchestras in the land. As I more than implied before, this is an album that does the rare thing: improving what it intends to tribute. Kudos to Bobby Broom and the CJO for making that happen.

To purchase the album and find more details, go to cjomusic.org and bobbybroom.com.

About Jeff Cebulski

Jeff Cebulski, who lives in Chicago, is a retired English educator (both secondary and collegiate) and longtime jazz aficionado. His career in jazz includes radio programs at two stations in southeast Wisconsin, an online show on Kennesaw State’s (GA) Owl Radio from 2007 until 2015, and review/feature writing for Chicago Jazz Magazine since 2016, including his column "Jazz With Mr. C". He has interviewed many jazz artists, including Joshua Redman, Charles Lloyd, Dave Holland, John Beasley, and Chris Brubeck, as well as several Chicago-based players. Jeff is a member of the Jazz Journalists Association. Contact Jeff at jeff@chicagojazz.com