Song:Minor Move
Album:The Complete Recordings: Master Takes
Sax player Harold "Tina" Brooks had a brief career at Blue Note in the late 50s. The problem was three of his four albums weren't released until years after his death. And his career was cut short by heroin addiction. His music is worth checking out. He was born June 7, 1932 in Fayetteville, NC. Tina or Teeny was a childhood nickname. His brother David "Bubba" Brooks played sax for Bill Doggett for many years. His family moved to New York City in 1944 and Brooks began playing local clubs in the early 50s. He played with Sonny Thompson and Lionel Hampton and then trumpeter Little Benny Harris recommended him to Blue Note producer Alfred Lion. Brooks appeared on albums by Jimmy Smith and Kenny Burrell. And he also recorded four albums as a leader. Minor Move was his first album in 1958. Musicians are Lee Morgan on trumpet, Sonny Clark on piano, Doug Watkins on bass and Art Blakey on drums. The album sat in the Blue Note vault until it was released in Japan in 1980 and then Blue Note released it on CD in 2000. This is now out of print but last year Parlophone in England released a Complete Recordings CD. Three of Brooks' four albums went unreleased when they were recorded. So he never got the opportunity to see if he was viable as a leader. Nobody knows why this happened to Brooks but speculation is Lion didn't like Brooks possibly because of his disheveled appearance due to his heroin addiction. His music is great so it wasn't that. Brooks also recorded with Howard McGhee, Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean and Freddie Redd. He never recorded after 1961. Brooks health deteriorated as his heroin addiction got worse. He died of liver failure on Aug. 13, 1974 at age 42. Here's a video of Minor Move by the Tina Brooks Quintet.
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