Tina Brooks

Harold Floyd "Tina" Brooks (June 7, 1932 – August 13, 1974) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and composer best remembered for his work in the hard bop style.

Early years Harold Floyd Brooks was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, He studied harmony and theory with Herbert Bourne.

Recordings Brooks is best known for his recordings for the Blue Note label between 1958 and 1961, recording as a sideman with Kenny Burrell, Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, Freddie Redd, and Jimmy Smith.

Brooks did not record after 1961. Plagued by heroin dependency, and gradually deteriorating health, he died of liver failure at age 42.

David Rosenthal in his book Hard Bop: Jazz and Black Music 1955-1965 wrote about Brooks. Of his composition "Street Singer", Rosenthal wrote that 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."

Discography All on Blue Note Records, unless otherwise indicated.

As leader/co-leader Recording date Title Year released Notes 1958-03-16 Minor Move 1980 1960-06-25 True Blue 1960 1960-09-01 Street Singer with Jackie McLean 1980 Japan only 1960-09-01, 1960-10-20 Back to the Tracks 1998 1961-03-02 The Waiting Game 1999 Initially Japan only

As sideman

With Kenny Burrell Blue Lights Volume 1 & 2 (1958) On View at the Five Spot Cafe (1959) – live Swingin' (1980) – rec. 1956–59

With Freddie Redd Shades of Redd (1960) Redd's Blues (1988) – rec. 1961

With Jimmy Smith House Party (1958) – rec. 1957-58 The Sermon! (1959) – rec. 1957-58 Cool Blues (1980) – rec. 1958

With others Freddie Hubbard, Open Sesame (1960) Howard McGhee, Music from the Connection (Felsted, 1960) Jackie McLean, Jackie's Bag (1961) – rec. 1959–60 Sonny Thompson & His Orchestra, The Complete Recordings, Volume 2 (1949–1951) (Blue Moon, 2002)