Big Al Sears

b. Albert Omega Sears, 21 Feb 1910, Macomb, Illinois, USA, d. 23 March 1990, NEW YORK, NY, USA. After playing alto and baritone saxophones in a variety of rings in the north-eastern expresses, Sears turned to tenor saxophone and transferred to NY, where he was shortly popular. In the past due 20s he was with Chick Webb and Zack Whyte, after that briefly used Elmer Snowden before developing his own music group. In 1941, he folded his music group and became a member of Andy Kirk, after that Lionel Hampton, and, in 1944, been successful Ben Webster in the Duke Ellington music group. Sears continued to be with Ellington until 1949 and shortly thereafter became a member of Johnny Hodges’ music group, which had an effective record with Sears’ structure ‘Castle Rock and roll’. Sears eventually ran his very own music posting business together with Budd Johnson, playing sometimes in R&B rings and using the name Big Al Sears. A forceful participant with enormous get and energy, Sears required only hook coarsening of his normally rasping build to adapt easily in to the R&B flip. Despite such afterwards manifestations, nevertheless, his documented solos with Ellington suggest a musician of significant style, and his recordings, such as ‘Hiawatha’ from Ellington’s ‘The Gorgeous Indians’, frequently give fine types of his craft.