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| 1. | Back To The Tracks
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| 2. | Street Singer
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| 3. | The Blues And I
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| 4. | For Heaven's Sake
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| 5. | The Ruby and The Pearl
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Jazz
Recorded: Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
* Tracks 1, 3-5: October 20, 1960
* Track 2: September 1, 1960
Digitally remastered by Ron McMaster (with 20-bit Super Bit Mapping).
Blue Mitchell - trumpet
Jackie McLean - alto sax
Tina Brooks - tenor sax
Kenny Drew - piano
Paul Chambers - bass
Art Taylor - drums
Connoisseur cd series
Harold Floyd Brooks, nicknamed "Tina" (a corruption of "teeny") because of his small stature as a teenager, was one of the most brilliant, if underrated, tenor saxophonists in modern jazz . An intrigu-ing and original artist, his career was all too brief and he died after years of illness caused by drug abuse. A native of Fayetteville, NC, Brooks first played professionally with an r&b band led by pianist Sonny Thompson with whom he made his recording debut in 1951. He then worked with Lionel Hampton before becoming a freelance musician in New York, playing with trumpeter Little Benny Harris and pianist Elmo Hope, among others.
At the recommendation of Harris he was signed by Blue Note in 1958 and appeared on 12 sessions for the label, including four under his own name. Recorded in 1960, while he was Jackie McLean's understudy for the leading role in Jack Gelber's play The Connection, Back To The Tracks was Brooks's third recording as a leader. Listed in Blue Note's catalog and pictured on LP inner sleeves, it was never released. The album... with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Art Taylor and, on one selection, McLean is a stunning showcase of Brooks's magnificent playing, extraordinary compositions and inventive small group arrangements.
In his liner notes, reissue producer Michael Cuscuna writes that the album's five selections "showcase the artistry of a sensitive improviser who could weave beautiful and complex tapestries through his horn and whose lyricism, unity of ideas and inner logic were astounding."
* Alfred Lion - Producer
* Michael Cuscuna - Reissue Producer
* Rudy Van Gelder - Engineer
The music that comprises Back to the Tracks was recorded in September 1960, months after the sessions for True Blue, but it sat on the shelves until Mosaic reissued it as part of their Complete Blue Note Recordings box, even though it was penciled in for release. Like Minor Move, Tina Brooks first session that stayed unreleased for over 20 years, Back to the Tracks is an excellent hard bop set, and it's hard to understand why it wasn't released at the time. Brooks leads a fantastic band featuring alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, trumpeter Blue Mitchell, pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Art Taylor through three originals and two standards. Each musician has opportunity to shine, but Brooks remains the center of attention. His style is remarkably fluid, capable of graceful, elegant turns on the ballads and clean, speedy improvisations on the up-tempo bop. Each of the five songs have breathtaking moments, confirming Brooks talents as a saxophonist, composer and leader. Listening to Back to the Tracks, it's impossible to figure out why the record wasn't released at the time, but it's a hard bop gem from the early '60s to cherish.
--- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide |
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