Drummer Billie (Billye?) Brooks

[Vincent, Paris]

When Woody Shaw came to Europe right after Eric Dolphy's death, he recommended some of his friends from his hometown of Newark to join him in Paris. That's how Larry Young and drummer Billy Brooks came over here. Shaw and Young flew back some months later but Brooks didn't.

Edited August 3, 2004 by Vincent, Paris

[EKE BBB]

Actually Billy Brooks recorded in a few discs with Tete Montoliu back in the 60´s.

-both "A tot jazz" sessions for the Spanish label Concentric in 1965 (though in many sources such as Lord, Peer Wyboris has been listed in "A tot jazz 1" wrongly).

-the two 1965 sessions with Núria Feliu.

Here´s the discographical data (as it will be included in Mike Fitzgerald´s www.jazzdiscography.com site):

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Date: early November 1965

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Label: Edigsa

Booker Ervin, Núria Feliu (ldr), Tete Montoliu (p), Eric Peter (b), Billy Brooks (d), Núria Feliu (v)

a. Willow Weep For Me - 03:25 (Ann Ronell)

Edigsa LP 12": CM 119 - Núria Feliu With Booker Ervin

b. Lover Man - 05:01 (Roger 'Ram' Ramirez, Jimmy Davis, Jimmy Sherman)

Edigsa LP 12": CM 119 - Núria Feliu With Booker Ervin

c. Misty - 04:56 (Erroll Garner, Johnny Burke)

All titles on: - PDI CD: 80.4467 - Tete Montoliu & Núria Feliu 1965-1990 (1997)

Omit Booker Ervin (ldr) on c.

Sometimes incorrectly dated as from 1966. Possibly recorded in late October 1965.

Engineer: Francesc Batlle

Catalan titles are:

a. Soc com un desmai

b. De dalt estant

c. Tot es gris

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Date: November 12, 1965

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Label: Edigsa

Booker Ervin, Núria Feliu (ldr), Booker Ervin (ts), Tete Montoliu (p), Eric Peter (b), Billy Brooks (d), Núria Feliu (v)

a. Lullaby Of Birdland - 02:21 (George Shearing)

Edigsa LP 12": CM 119 - Núria Feliu With Booker Ervin

PDI CD: 80.4467 - Tete Montoliu & Núria Feliu 1965-1990 (1997)

b. Bye Bye Blackbird (Mort Dixon, Ray Henderson)

c. Bye Bye Blackbird - 03:46 (Mort Dixon, Ray Henderson)

Edigsa LP 12": CM 119 - Núria Feliu With Booker Ervin

PDI CD: 80.4467 - Tete Montoliu & Núria Feliu 1965-1990 (1997)

d. Fine And Dandy - 02:16 (Paul James, Kay Swift)

Edigsa LP 12": CM 119 - Núria Feliu With Booker Ervin

PDI CD: 80.4467 - Tete Montoliu & Núria Feliu 1965-1990 (1997)

Sometimes incorrectly dated as from 1966.

Engineer: Francesc Batlle

Catalan titles are:

a. El país del ocells

b.c. Vés I perde't

d. Soc l'estrella

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It was a marvellous recording (kinda strange, but very nice for my tastes). All songs were standards traslated, adapted and rearranged by Jaume Picas and J.M.

Andreu and sung in Catalan by Núria Feliu.

Some more tracks were recorded with Booker Ervin, this time without Núria Feliu around that time:

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Date: ca. 1966

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Label: Edigsa

Booker Ervin (ldr), Booker Ervin (ts), Tete Montoliu (p), Eric Peter (b), Billy Brooks (d)

a. Yesterdays (Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach)

b. Scoochee Coochee (Booker Ervin)

c. Just Friends (John Klenner, Sam M. Lewis)

d. Booker's Blues (Booker Ervin)

All titles on:

- Edigsa LP 12": CM 119 - Núria Feliu With Booker Ervin

- Edigsa CD: 80.2989 - Jazz A Catalunya

Possibly recorded at or around the time of the November 12, 1965 session of Booker Ervin with Núria Feliu.

Engineer possibly Francesc Batlle.

d. listed as El Blues D'En Booker on issues.

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And in the Antibes Jazz Festival (1966), there´s a recording leaded by Anita O´Day, with Tete Montoliu (p) and Eric Peter (b). Many sources list Billy Brooks as drummer, but Anita O´Day announces [John Poole].

[EKE BBB]

Does anyone know if Brooks (drummer) is still alive? In such a case, does anyone have contact info?

[bertrand]

What do the notes to the Larry Young Resonance CD say?

[mikeweil]

He taught at the Swiss Jazz School in Bern until 2008 - maybe they know?

http://www.sjs.ch

info(at)sjs.ch

Edited April 25, 2017 by mikeweil

[Enterprise Server]

Hmmmm....not familiar with him but I'll check him out.....

[sidewinder]

  On 4/25/2017 at 8:10 PM, bertrand said:

What do the notes to the Larry Young Resonance CD say?

Expand  

No mention in there of current whereabouts and whether or not active in the notes, that I can see.