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Tina Brooks – Back To The Tracks

$87.23

AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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.

 

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SKU: Blue Note MMBST-84052 (45) [10] Categories: , , , Tags: , ,

Description

TAS Recommended! Rated a ‘Best Audiophile Label Recording’ in the November 2009 issue of The Absolute Sound!

TAS Rated 4.5/5 Music, 4/5 Sonics in the January 2009 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

Remastered by Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman from the Original Rudy Van Gelder Blue Note Master Tapes!
The Definitive issue of this classic Blue Note title!

Harold “Tina” Brooks could have been a tenor sax contender for legendary status and certainly had the ability, the sound and the creative imagination. A colorful player (and exceptional composer) whose hard bop solos were soulful, inventive and stimulating, Brooks had the misfortune of having three of his four Blue Note albums as a leader lay unissued until he had passed away. As difficult as it is to believe after listening, Back To The Tracks was one of these unreleased sets. In truth, there was no logical reason why this very rare 1960 session was bypassed for it features Brooks coming up with one brilliant solo after another throughout a consistently superb set. More than holding his own with a stellar cast including trumpeter Blue Mitchell, altoist Jackie McLean and a superb rhythm section on a mixture of originals and standards, “Tina” constantly takes solo honors. Brooks plays his heart out during these rare recordings that really define where jazz was in 1960. Back To The Tracks is a timeless hard bop gem rescued from the vaults that should not to be missed!
Back to the Tracks was one of jazz’s best-kept secrets for decades. Recorded in September of 1960, this hard bop set was listed in Blue Note’s catalog, yet it never saw the light of day. It was not until sometime after Tina Brooks’s passing that Back to the Tracks was finally issued to widespread acclaim. Five tunes, three of which are Brooks originals, are brought fantastically to life by a killer lineup. Don’t miss your chance to hear Brooks’s graceful tenor sax mastery on this gem from the early ’60s.
“Drew’s deft touch, Chambers’ solid but light bass grooves, and Taylor’s artful kit work elevate all the tunes herin-Brooks’ sultry blues “Street Singer,” the straight bopper “The Blues And I,” the meltingly lyrical “For Heaven’s Sake,” and the exotically perfumed “The Ruby And The Pearl.” – Wayne Garcia, The Absolute Sound, September 2009, Issue 196

Features:

• Remastered from the Original Rudy Van Gelder Blue Note Master Tapes!
• Remastered by Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman at Acoustech
• Cut at 45rpm for Better Sound!
• Pressed on two 180 gram Virgin Vinyl LPs by RTI
• Limited Edition
• Ultra-Durable, Extra Thick Album Jackets
• Gatefold Album with Session Photos in stunning High Resolution

 

1. Back To The Tracks
2. Street Singer
3. The Blues And I
4. For Heaven’s Sake
5. The Ruby And The Pearl
“The albums are being cut at 45 RPM for maximum quality by Kevin Gray and me using our full ANALOG disk cutting system; most studios cannot even cut vinyl in 100% true analog anymore (they convert to digital first) but we can. The original Rudy Van Gelder engineered stereophonic session tapes are used when we master these gems. The sound quality is amazing on our test cuts. Like from heaven. First totally uncompressed versions of these jazz classics that I’ve ever heard and trust me, you will be impressed; they sound like no other releases of this music.”
“The sound is lifelike, the horns are in the room with you. Our non-invasive mastering insures the true breath of life on these original Van Gelder session tapes is transferred to the virgin vinyl with absolute authenticity. It is like hearing these BLUE NOTE masterpieces for the first time and that is NO exaggeration. When we heard the first lacquer acetate playback from our first mastering session I thought Joe Harley was going to pee in his pants he was so excited. Actually we all were; after 50 years of many lackluster and some downright bad sounding versions of these albums, hearing the real deal is a humbling experience, even for us hardened music veterans. You will be able to listen to the music exactly like we did…” – Steve Hoffman

 

Additional information

Weight 0.900 kg
Dimensions 32.0 × 32.0 × 2.0 cm