Harold Floyd "Tina" Brooks (June 7, 1932 – August 13, 1974) was an American jazz tenor sax player and composer. He is most known for his music in the hard bop style.

Early years

Harold Floyd Brooks was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and was the brother of David "Bubba" Brooks. The nickname "Tina," pronounced "Teena," came from the childhood nickname "Teeny." His favorite song was "My Devotion." He studied harmony and theory with Herbert Bourne.

He began playing the C-melody saxophone shortly after moving to New York with his family in 1944. Brooks' first professional work was in 1951 with rhythm and blues pianist Sonny Thompson. In 1955, he played with vibraphonist Lionel Hampton. Brooks also learned informally from trumpeter and composer "Little" Benny Harris, who helped Brooks record his first album as a leader. Harris recommended Brooks to Blue Note producer Alfred Lion in 1958.

Recordings

Brooks is most famous for his music recordings made for the Blue Note label from 1958 to 1961. During this time, he played as a supporting musician with artists such as Kenny Burrell, Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, Freddie Redd, and Jimmy Smith. Around the same time, Brooks worked as an assistant to Jackie McLean in The Connection, a play written by Jack Gelber with music by Freddie Redd. Brooks also performed on an album of music from the play, released by Felsted Records, which included Howard McGhee.

Brooks recorded five sets of music for Blue Note, one of which was made jointly with Jackie McLean. The first session took place on March 16, 1958, at the Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey. It included trumpeter Lee Morgan and experienced musicians like Sonny Clark, Doug Watkins, and Art Blakey. However, the album Minor Move was not released until more than 20 years later, long after Brooks had died. This pattern continued, as three of Brooks’ other four sessions (Street Singer, Back to the Tracks, and The Waiting Game) were also not released during his lifetime. The exception was True Blue, recorded on June 25, 1960, with Freddie Hubbard, Duke Jordan, Sam Jones, and Art Taylor. True Blue was released at the same time as Freddie Hubbard’s Blue Note debut album, Open Sesame, which also included Brooks. Brooks wrote the opening track, "Open Sesame," and another song, "Gypsy Blue." However, True Blue was not heavily promoted.

Brooks did not record music after 1961. He struggled with heroin addiction and worsening health. He died at age 42 from liver failure.

Legacy and Musical Revival

Until 1980, True Blue was the only Brooks album sold to the public. In 1980, Blue Note Japan released two albums: Minor Move and Street Singer, which was credited to both Tina Brooks and Jackie McLean. In 1985, Mosaic Records released The Complete Blue Note Recordings Of The Tina Brooks Quintets on a 4-LP set. This set included two albums, Back to the Tracks and The Waiting Game, which were made available for the first time. The Mosaic set, a limited edition created by Michael Cuscuna, is no longer in print. During the CD era, all of Brooks' Blue Note recordings where he was a leader or co-leader were released on CD, including versions by Blue Note Japan and Blue Note's Connoisseur series.

In the liner notes for the CD release of Back to the Tracks, Cuscuna wrote: "Less talented musicians have received more recognition." He also described Brooks as "a unique, sensitive improviser who could create beautiful and complex musical patterns through his saxophone. His lyrical style, clear ideas, and logical structure were impressive."

David Rosenthal, in his book Hard Bop: Jazz and Black Music 1955-1965, wrote about Brooks. He described Brooks' composition "Street Singer" as "an authentic hard-bop classic" where "emotions of sadness, irony, and anger come together in a performance that feels both painful and dark."

The official Blue Note website states: "With a strong, smooth tone and a steady stream of fresh ideas during his solos, tenor saxophonist Tina Brooks should have been a major jazz artist. However, his legacy is limited to a series of recordings he made for Blue Note as a sideman and leader." The website also says Brooks "was one of the most brilliant, if overlooked, tenor saxophonists in modern jazz."