Tina Brooks
Encyclopedia
Harold Floyd "Tina" Brooks (June 7, 1932 – August 13, 1974) was an American
hard bop
tenor saxophonist and composer.
, and was the brother of David "Bubba" Brooks. The nickname "Tina", pronounced Teena, was a slight variation of "Teeny", a childhood moniker. His favourite tune was "My Devotion". He studied harmony and theory with Herbert Bourne. Initially, he studied the C-melody saxophone, which he began playing the shortly after he moved to New York with his family in 1944. Brooks' first professional work came in 1951 with rhythm and blues pianist Sonny Thompson
, and, in 1955, Brooks played with vibraphonist Lionel Hampton
. Brooks also received less formal guidance from trumpeter and composer 'Little' Benny Harris
, whom led the saxophonist to his first recording as a leader. It was Harris, in fact, the one who recommended him to legendary producer Alfred Lion
in 1958.
between 1958 and 1961, recording primarily as a sideman with Kenny Burrell
, Freddie Hubbard
, Jackie McLean
, Freddie Redd
, and Jimmy Smith
. Around the same period, Brooks was McLean's understudy in The Connection, a play by Jack Gelber
with music by Redd, and performed on an album of music from the play on the Felsted Label.
Brooks recorded five sessions of his own for Blue Note (including one jointly with McLean). The first session was recorded on 16 March 1958 at the Van Gelder Studio
in Hackensack, New Jersey, and featured promising young trumpeter Lee Morgan
alongside seasoned professionals such as Sonny Clark
, Doug Watkins
and Art Blakey
. Despite the calibre of the players and the quality of the output, Minor Move
was not released for more than two decades, long after Brooks had died. This started an unfortunate trend, as three of his four other sessions (Street Singer
, Back to the Tracks
and The Waiting Game
) did not appear during his lifetime. The exception was True Blue
, a session recorded 25 June 1960 with Freddie Hubbard
, Duke Jordan
, Sam Jones
and Art Taylor
. The release of True Blue coincided with release of Hubbard's Blue Note debut, Open Sesame
(also featuring Brooks), and was not actively promoted.
Brooks did not record after 1961. Plagued by heroin dependency, and gradually deteriorating health, Brooks died of liver failure aged just 42.
in 1985, through Mosaic Records
, released a boxset of Brooks' recordings as leader; the limited edition quickly sold out. The interest in Brooks' music has also led to releases of the unissued sessions through Blue Note Japan and on CD in Blue Note's Connosieur series.
In the liner notes for the CD release of Back to the Tracks, Cuscuna wrote "Far lesser talents have been far more celebrated" and that Brooks "was a unique, sensitive improviser who could weave beautiful and complex tapestries through his horn. His lyricism, unity of ideas and inner logic were astounding."
David Rosenthal
, in his work Hard Bop: Jazz and Black Music 1955-1965 dedicated a number of pages to Brooks. Of his composition "Street Singer", Rosenthal wrote it is "an authentic hard-bop classic" where "pathos, irony and rage come together in a performance at once anguished and sinister."
The official Blue Note website says of Brooks, "With a strong, smooth tone and an amazing flow of fresh ideas every time he soloed, tenor saxophonist Tina Brooks should have been a major jazz artist, but his legacy is confined to a series of dates that he did for Blue Note as a sideman and leader" and that he "was one of the most brilliant, if underrated, tenor saxophonists in modern jazz". This may sound over-the-top, but is supported by the timeless strength of his recorded sessions.
unless otherwise indicated.
As leader:
As co-leader:
As a sideman:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hard bop
Hard bop
Hard bop is a style of jazz that is an extension of bebop music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz which incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano...
tenor saxophonist and composer.
Early years
Harold Floyd Brooks was born in Fayetteville, North CarolinaFayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....
, and was the brother of David "Bubba" Brooks. The nickname "Tina", pronounced Teena, was a slight variation of "Teeny", a childhood moniker. His favourite tune was "My Devotion". He studied harmony and theory with Herbert Bourne. Initially, he studied the C-melody saxophone, which he began playing the shortly after he moved to New York with his family in 1944. Brooks' first professional work came in 1951 with rhythm and blues pianist Sonny Thompson
Sonny Thompson
Sonny Thompson was an American R&B bandleader and pianist, popular in the 1940s and 1950s.Born Alfonso Thompson in Centreville, Mississippi, he began recording in 1946, and in 1948 achieved two #1 R&B chart hits on the Miracle label – "Long Gone " and "Late Freight", both featuring saxophonist...
, and, in 1955, Brooks played with vibraphonist Lionel Hampton
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
. Brooks also received less formal guidance from trumpeter and composer 'Little' Benny Harris
Benny Harris
Benny Harris was an American bebop trumpeter and composer.A self-taught musician, in the mid-1930s Benny Harris was already playing with Thelonious Monk. In later years, he participated to some of the jam sessions that gave birth to the bebop jazz style...
, whom led the saxophonist to his first recording as a leader. It was Harris, in fact, the one who recommended him to legendary producer Alfred Lion
Alfred Lion
Alfred Lion was a Jewish German-born American record executive who co-founded Blue Note Records in 1939 Blue Note recorded many of the biggest names in jazz throughout the 1940s, 50s, and 60s.-Biography:...
in 1958.
Recordings
He is best known for his work for Blue Note RecordsBlue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
between 1958 and 1961, recording primarily as a sideman with Kenny Burrell
Kenny Burrell
Kenneth Earl "Kenny" Burrell is an American jazz guitarist. His playing is grounded in bebop and blues; he has performed and recorded with a wide range of jazz musicians.-Biography:...
, Freddie Hubbard
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
, Jackie McLean
Jackie McLean
John Lenwood McLean was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader and educator, born in New York City.-Biography:McLean's father, John Sr., played guitar in Tiny Bradshaw's orchestra...
, Freddie Redd
Freddie Redd
Freddie Redd is an American hard bop pianist and composer.His greatest success came in the late 1950s in the play and movie The Connection, in which he both played and acted in New York City, London, and Paris. He also played on the soundtrack album...
, and Jimmy Smith
Jimmy Smith (musician)
Jimmy Smith was a jazz musician whose performances on the Hammond B-3 electric organ helped to popularize this instrument...
. Around the same period, Brooks was McLean's understudy in The Connection, a play by Jack Gelber
Jack Gelber
Jack Gelber was an American playwright best known for his 1959 drama The Connection, depicting the life of drug-addicted jazz musicians. The first great success of the Living Theatre, the play was translated into five languages and produced in ten nations...
with music by Redd, and performed on an album of music from the play on the Felsted Label.
Brooks recorded five sessions of his own for Blue Note (including one jointly with McLean). The first session was recorded on 16 March 1958 at the Van Gelder Studio
Van Gelder Studio
The Van Gelder Studio is a recording studio located at 445 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. It was set up in 1959 by Rudy Van Gelder and has been used to record many albums released by major jazz labels such as Verve Records, Blue Note, Prestige and CTI Records.-Background:After having...
in Hackensack, New Jersey, and featured promising young trumpeter Lee Morgan
Lee Morgan
Edward Lee Morgan was an American hard bop trumpeter.-Biography:...
alongside seasoned professionals such as Sonny Clark
Sonny Clark
Conrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark was an American jazz pianist who mainly worked in the hard bop idiom.-Biography:...
, Doug Watkins
Doug Watkins
Douglas Watkins was an American hard bop jazz double bassist from Detroit.-Biography:An original member of the Jazz Messengers, he later played in Horace Silver's quintet and freelanced with Gene Ammons, Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Art Farmer, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Sonny Rollins,...
and Art Blakey
Art Blakey
Arthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
. Despite the calibre of the players and the quality of the output, Minor Move
Minor Move
Minor Move is an album by American hard bop tenor Tina Brooks. It features performances by Brooks, Lee Morgan, Sonny Clark, Doug Watkins and Art Blakey. It was recorded on March 16, 1958, and was Brooks' first album as a leader for Blue Note Records. The album, however, was shelved for years until...
was not released for more than two decades, long after Brooks had died. This started an unfortunate trend, as three of his four other sessions (Street Singer
Street Singer
Street Singer is a hard bop album jointly led by tenor Tina Brooks and alto Jackie McLean and taken from a session recorded on September 2, 1960, and released on the Blue Note label. It features performances by Brooks, McLean, Blue Mitchell, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers and Art Taylor...
, Back to the Tracks
Back to the Tracks
Back to the Tracks is an album by hard-bop tenor Tina Brooks recorded in 1960 and released posthumously. The tracks first appeared on a Mosaic 12" LP entitled The Complete Blue Note Recordings of The Tina Brooks Quintets. The album was originally intended as BLP 4052, but, for some reason, it was...
and The Waiting Game
The Waiting Game
"The Waiting Game" was the third UK single released from Squeeze's seventh album, Babylon and On. It was not released as a single in North America.-Track listing:7"# "The Waiting Game" # "The Prisoner " 12"...
) did not appear during his lifetime. The exception was True Blue
True Blue (Tina Brooks Album)
True Blue is an album by hard-bop tenor Tina Brooks recorded on June 25, 1960, and released on the Blue Note label. This was Brooks only date as leader to be released during his lifetime...
, a session recorded 25 June 1960 with Freddie Hubbard
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
, Duke Jordan
Duke Jordan
Irving Sidney "Duke" Jordan was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:An imaginative and gifted pianist, Jordan was a regular member of Charlie Parker's so-called "classic quintet" , featuring Miles Davis...
, Sam Jones
Sam Jones
-Music & Entertainment:* Samuel Jones , U.S. bassist, cellist, and composer* Samuel Jones , U.S. composer, conductor* Sam Jones , character in Doctor Who spin-off novels* Sam J...
and Art Taylor
Art Taylor
Arthur S. Taylor, Jr. was an American jazz drummer of the hard bop school.After playing in the bands of Howard McGhee, Coleman Hawkins, Buddy DeFranco, Bud Powell, and George Wallington from 1948 to 1957, he formed his own group, the Wailers...
. The release of True Blue coincided with release of Hubbard's Blue Note debut, Open Sesame
Open Sesame
Open Sesame is a children's television series composed solely of the skits and segments of the long-running American television series Sesame Street. While some countries air the American program in whole, and some create their own versions of the show, many more air this title of loosely...
(also featuring Brooks), and was not actively promoted.
Brooks did not record after 1961. Plagued by heroin dependency, and gradually deteriorating health, Brooks died of liver failure aged just 42.
Legacy
Michael CuscunaMichael Cuscuna
Michael Cuscuna is an American jazz record producer and writer. He is a leading discographer of Blue Note Records....
in 1985, through Mosaic Records
Mosaic Records
Mosaic Records is an American specialist jazz record label, founded in 1983 by Michael Cuscuna and Charlie Lourie to issue coherent limited edition box sets of jazz recordings by individual musicians, which had fallen out-of-print...
, released a boxset of Brooks' recordings as leader; the limited edition quickly sold out. The interest in Brooks' music has also led to releases of the unissued sessions through Blue Note Japan and on CD in Blue Note's Connosieur series.
In the liner notes for the CD release of Back to the Tracks, Cuscuna wrote "Far lesser talents have been far more celebrated" and that Brooks "was a unique, sensitive improviser who could weave beautiful and complex tapestries through his horn. His lyricism, unity of ideas and inner logic were astounding."
David Rosenthal
David H. Rosenthal
David H. Rosenthal was an American author, poet, editor, and translator. He wrote mostly on the history of Jazz music and was also an important translator of Portuguese and Catalan literature.-Selected books:* Eyes on the Street...
, in his work Hard Bop: Jazz and Black Music 1955-1965 dedicated a number of pages to Brooks. Of his composition "Street Singer", Rosenthal wrote it is "an authentic hard-bop classic" where "pathos, irony and rage come together in a performance at once anguished and sinister."
The official Blue Note website says of Brooks, "With a strong, smooth tone and an amazing flow of fresh ideas every time he soloed, tenor saxophonist Tina Brooks should have been a major jazz artist, but his legacy is confined to a series of dates that he did for Blue Note as a sideman and leader" and that he "was one of the most brilliant, if underrated, tenor saxophonists in modern jazz". This may sound over-the-top, but is supported by the timeless strength of his recorded sessions.
Discography
All on Blue NoteBlue note
In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than that of the major scale for expressive purposes. Typically the alteration is a semitone or less, but this varies among performers and genres. Country blues, in particular, features wide variations from the...
unless otherwise indicated.
As leader:
- Minor MoveMinor MoveMinor Move is an album by American hard bop tenor Tina Brooks. It features performances by Brooks, Lee Morgan, Sonny Clark, Doug Watkins and Art Blakey. It was recorded on March 16, 1958, and was Brooks' first album as a leader for Blue Note Records. The album, however, was shelved for years until...
(1958) - True BlueTrue Blue (Tina Brooks Album)True Blue is an album by hard-bop tenor Tina Brooks recorded on June 25, 1960, and released on the Blue Note label. This was Brooks only date as leader to be released during his lifetime...
(1960) - Back to the TracksBack to the TracksBack to the Tracks is an album by hard-bop tenor Tina Brooks recorded in 1960 and released posthumously. The tracks first appeared on a Mosaic 12" LP entitled The Complete Blue Note Recordings of The Tina Brooks Quintets. The album was originally intended as BLP 4052, but, for some reason, it was...
(1960) - The Waiting GameThe Waiting Game (album)The Waiting Game is the final recorded session of hard-bop tenor Tina Brooks, recorded on March 2, 1961 for Blue Note. It was shelved until 2002...
(1961)
As co-leader:
- Street SingerStreet SingerStreet Singer is a hard bop album jointly led by tenor Tina Brooks and alto Jackie McLean and taken from a session recorded on September 2, 1960, and released on the Blue Note label. It features performances by Brooks, McLean, Blue Mitchell, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers and Art Taylor...
(1960) - with Jackie McLeanJackie McLeanJohn Lenwood McLean was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader and educator, born in New York City.-Biography:McLean's father, John Sr., played guitar in Tiny Bradshaw's orchestra...
As a sideman:
- Sonny Thompson by Sonny Thompson and his Orchestra (1951) (King Records)
- The Sermon!The Sermon!The Sermon! is a 1958 album by jazz organist Jimmy Smith. It was produced by the Blue Note record label. Allmusic's Lindsay Planer described the album as "a prime example of Smith and company's myriad of talents".-Personnel:* Jimmy Smith - organ...
by Jimmy SmithJimmy Smith (musician)Jimmy Smith was a jazz musician whose performances on the Hammond B-3 electric organ helped to popularize this instrument...
(1958) - House PartyHouse Party (Jimmy Smith album)House Party is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1957 and 1958 and released on the Blue Note label...
by Jimmy SmithJimmy Smith (musician)Jimmy Smith was a jazz musician whose performances on the Hammond B-3 electric organ helped to popularize this instrument...
(1957–58) - Cool BluesCool Blues (album)Cool Blues is a live album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded at Small's Paradise in New York City in 1958 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1978...
by Jimmy SmithJimmy Smith (musician)Jimmy Smith was a jazz musician whose performances on the Hammond B-3 electric organ helped to popularize this instrument...
(1958) - Blue Lights Volume 1 by Kenny BurrellKenny BurrellKenneth Earl "Kenny" Burrell is an American jazz guitarist. His playing is grounded in bebop and blues; he has performed and recorded with a wide range of jazz musicians.-Biography:...
(1958) - Blue Lights Volume 2 by Kenny BurrellKenny BurrellKenneth Earl "Kenny" Burrell is an American jazz guitarist. His playing is grounded in bebop and blues; he has performed and recorded with a wide range of jazz musicians.-Biography:...
(1958) - On View at the Five Spot CafeOn View at the Five Spot CafeOn View at the Five Spot Cafe is a live album by American jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell with drummer Art Blakey. It was recorded live at the Five Spot Cafe in New York City on August 25, 1959, and released on the Blue Note label....
by Kenny BurrellKenny BurrellKenneth Earl "Kenny" Burrell is an American jazz guitarist. His playing is grounded in bebop and blues; he has performed and recorded with a wide range of jazz musicians.-Biography:...
(1959) - The Music from the ConnectionThe Music from the ConnectionThe Music from the Connection is a jazz album by trumpeter Howard McGhee recorded on June 13, 1960, and released on the Felsted label. It features performances by McGhee, Tina Brooks, Freddie Redd, Milt Hinton and Osie Johnson...
by Howard McGheeHoward McGheeHoward McGhee was one of the very first bebop jazz trumpeters, together with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Idrees Sulieman. He was known for lightning-fast fingers and very high notes...
(1960) (Felsted Records) - Open SesameOpen Sesame (Freddie Hubbard album)Open Sesame is the debut album by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard released on the Blue Note label in 1960 as BST 84040. It features performances by Hubbard, Tina Brooks, McCoy Tyner, Sam Jones and Clifford Jarvis...
by Freddie HubbardFreddie HubbardFrederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
(1960) - Jackie's BagJackie's BagJackie's Bag is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1959 and 1960 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Steve Huey awarded the album 4½ stars and stated "the music on Jackie's Bag finds McLean in a staunchly hard bop mode, with occasional hints...
by Jackie McLeanJackie McLeanJohn Lenwood McLean was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader and educator, born in New York City.-Biography:McLean's father, John Sr., played guitar in Tiny Bradshaw's orchestra...
(1960) - Shades of ReddShades of ReddShades of Redd is an album by American pianist Freddie Redd recorded in 1960 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G. Nastos awarded the album 5 stars and stated "In an all too small discography, Freddie Redd's Shades of Redd is without a doubt his crowning...
by Freddie ReddFreddie ReddFreddie Redd is an American hard bop pianist and composer.His greatest success came in the late 1950s in the play and movie The Connection, in which he both played and acted in New York City, London, and Paris. He also played on the soundtrack album...
(1960) - Redd's BluesRedd's BluesRedd's Blues is an album by American pianist Freddie Redd recorded in 1961 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1988.-Reception:...
by Freddie ReddFreddie ReddFreddie Redd is an American hard bop pianist and composer.His greatest success came in the late 1950s in the play and movie The Connection, in which he both played and acted in New York City, London, and Paris. He also played on the soundtrack album...
(1961)