Tina Brooks Complete Blue Note MOSAIC lps Lee Morgan
$
114
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Description
Vinyl sweet vinyl-- lucky #3036. All four (4) records are in NM- condition; booklet is in excellent condition; minor shelfwear on the box. All in all, a very desirable # of an all-time classic set. Thanks for your interest.
Tenor saxophonist Tina Brooks, although he lived until turning 42 in 1974, made his last recordings in 1961 and was soon forgotten. Brooks, who recorded with Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell, Freddie Hubbard, Freddie Redd, Jackie McLean, and Howard McGhee during 1958-1961, was a fine player whose smooth tone sometimes stood out from the crowd. Mosaic's four-LP set has all four of Brooks' Blue Note albums as a leader, two of which had not previously been released while one had initially come out in Japan years after his death; only True Blue was released during his lifetime. Brooks holds his own with his impressive sidemen (trumpeters Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Blue Mitchell, and Johnny Coles; pianists Sonny Clark, Duke Jordan, and Kenny Drew; bassists Doug Watkins, Sam Jones, Paul Chambers, and Wilbur Ware; drummers Art Blakey, Art Taylor, and Philly Joe Jones; and (on one cut) altoist Jackie McLean). It is ironic that all of those players are better known than Brooks and that Tina is more famous now (thanks to the release of this definitive box set) than he ever was when he was alive. Although now out of print, the music on this release is essential for hard bop collectors.
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, 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 uptempo 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.
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