Tina Brooks, born Harold Floyd Brooks on June 7, 1932, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, was an influential yet underappreciated American jazz tenor saxophonist and composer whose short career spanned the late 1950s and early 1960s. Brooks first gained attention as a sideman with rhythm and blues bands, but his profound versatility and emotive playing soon ushered him into the world of jazz, where he found his true calling. His initial breakthrough came after moving to New York City, where he connected with the Blue Note label, an association that proved to be both fruitful and defining for his career.

Despite producing a series of remarkable recordings during his tenure with Blue Note, including "True Blue" and "Back to the Tracks," Brooks struggled with personal issues and the tough music business, leading to a relatively small output before his untimely death in 1974 at the age of 42. His posthumous recognition has been significantly more appreciative, with critics and jazz aficionados alike celebrating the depth and intensity of his work. Albums like "The Waiting Game" and "Minor Move" (Expanded Edition) highlight his proficiency in blending complex harmonies with a deeply soulful tone, underscoring his status as a brilliant, though sorely underrated, architect of modern jazz. Through such recordings, Tina Brooks solidified his legacy as a masterful storyteller whose narratives were spun through the tenor saxophone, leaving an indelible mark on the fabric of jazz music.