True Blue

The comments by Durmund Strang from years ago are spot on. This is a very fine sounding XRCD. It includes a booklet with Francis Wolff photos attached to the front cover. Joe Harley (the Tone Poet) and Michael Cuscuna were involved in the production of this version. The performances are stellar. Young Freddie Hubbard, Duke Jordan, Sam Jones and A.T. The apotheosis of Blue Note.I had purchased the two recent Tina Brooks reissues on vinyl and wanted this one to complete the set. I bought this after Amazon failed to obtain a Japanese pressing. I believe the last OG Blue Note vinyl that sold on Discogs set a record at over 3K, so I was not in the market for one of those.If you have a good DAC and don't have to have vinyl, you will not be disappointed. The price on these recently dropped, leading me to think we are at the end of the line. Get yours now, and if a Tone Poet comes out, get that too.

If you haven't heard this combo you're missing a key piece of the 1950's/1960's jazz puzzle. Tina Brooks did not last long, but gained quite a folowing from his meager recorded output. Also recommended would be "Open Sesame" by Freddie Hubbard. Brooks was not as technically proficient as some sax men and certainly played some inappropriate notes, but he had a fine tone and sense of melody. His improvisations were influenced by his R&B background but were always interesting. Freddie Hubbard meanwhile was much better known and perhaps more musicaly "schooled". The two horns mixed well on these tunes with the unison phrases being very appealing. Duke Jordan's piano work was near perfect here and Sam Jones on bass and Art Taylor on drums provided solid rhythm support. These songs are all quite engaging. I think any bop or cool jazz fan will be happy if they include this in their collection.

Aficionados love Tina Brooks with good reason. Had he not lived a hard life and passed away at the young age of 42 he probably would have achieved a greater than mere cult status in the jazz world. All of his records are worth hearing and True Blue may be the best.

Great album, but not the greatest vinyl pressing. a tad warped and some distortion here and there, but still quite enjoyable because after all, it is Tina Brooks.I would suggest that rather than this, you get the Music Matters version. It is more expensive, but the difference is in the quality of the pressing and sound.

Just when you thought you have found all of the really great blue note records, you come across a gem like this. Tina Brooks sounds incredible here, and Freddie Hubbard has another great session as second horn. It is hard to believe that Tina Brooks did not have a bigger career after listening to this. He sounds like one of the great tenors of his generation.

As with a number of other immensely talented but unheralded unrecognized and jazz musicians, only one of the four albums led by Harold Floyd "Tina" Brooks was released in his lifetime. Fortunately all four have been released on CD individually and as a boxed set. Brooks had a unique sound on the tenor that becomes instantly recognizable once you hear it.All the Tina Brooks albums should be in any serious jazz-lover's collection, and Brooks fans will be interested in acquiring the albums he recorded as a sideman with others, including Jackie McLean, Jimmy Smith and Kenny Burrell.

This Audio Wave CD's sound quality is unbelievable. I have True Blue on Japanese LP, the Mosaic LP set, the RVG CD -- this blows all contenders away. As a drummer whose has had much tympanic membrane beaten to death, I can only imagine what this would sound like to a set of healthy ears. Fantastic sound (for music which richly deserves the treatment and the extra expenditure). One quibble: the RVG CD has 2 bonus tracks which this does not include. So one really needs both CDs. For fellow Tina Brooks nuts, check out the Ray Charles DVD Live in Brazil, which features Tina in the band. He doesn't get much solo space, but does a couple choruses on one tune and does a tenor duel with Fathead on another tune. Those 2 pieces worth the price of the DVD. The extra vintage Ray Charles in his early prime is the icing. And also hunt down the "alternate" (not Blue Note) version of music from The Connection, under Howard McGhee's name, which also features some great Tina Brooks, one of his lesser known sessions.

I first discovered Tina Brooks on Freddie Hubbard's "Open Sesame"... I was taken by his great playing and compositions, so I sought out this gem... and now it is in my top 5 Blue Note favorites...This one should not be missed by any fans of Blue Note and/or 60's jazz... a must have... Tina's playing is amazing and effortless and the compositions are wonderful as well...What a wonderful legacy he left us in his short time here... I look forward to tracking down more of his dates as leader and sideman...Buy this as soon as you can!!

With it's colour chart cover, this Blue Note album is every inch a classic. The leader, whose real name was Harold, (Tina being a corruption of his nickname, Teeny) possessed a strong tone, not unlike Booker Erwin. On this evidence, I would rate even higher than Hank Mobely. This was the ony Blue Note album issued under his name during his lifetime and he died in obscurity in 1972. The line-up features a very young Freddue Hubbard, full of confidence and forming a magical partnership with the tenor man, one of the best front lines that I have heard on this label. As a composer, Brooks had the gift of composing catchy tunes - not unlike labelmate Sonny Clark. The best two tracks are "Theme for Doris" and "Miss Hazel." Most of the material is in the typical Blue Note style, although Brooks favoured minor keys and there are frequently 8 bar sections with a latin rythmn. The only standard is the unknown "Nothing ever changes.." - this two being well arranged. Underneath it all, the band is underpinned by the wonderful drumming of Art Taylor, one of the neglected masters of his instrument and never less than excellent. All in all, this is a fantastic CD , even by the standards of Blue Note and I would recommend this disc to all fans of 1960's hard bop. Absolutely fantstic.

No collectable item. The record was chipped.Very sad that vinyl record put on sale are not treated as target buyers are expected them to be but rather just like any other consumer items.The music is great.

looking for a present for a jazz enthusiast? this is perfect.. i read it before wrapping it carefully and well received all round

excellent

Fantastic cd even though I thought Tina was a female untl I saw the picture. Great cd, play it all the time.