Al Sears fue un saxofonista y compositor de jazz, nacido en Macomb, Illinois, el 22 de febrero de 1910, y fallecido en Nueva York, el 23 de marzo de 1990.
Debutó en 1927, entrando muy pronto a trabajar en la big band de Chick Webb (1928-1930). A comienzos de los años 1930, dirige diversos pequeños combos, aunque abandona la música durante un tiempo. Ya en la década de 1940, volverá a la escena, con Andy Kirk y Lionel Hampton, así como al frente de una banda que incluía a Lester Young. En 1944 entra en la orquesta de Duke Ellington, sustituyendo a Ben Webster, permaneciendo con él hasta 1949, cuando realiza varias grabaciones con Johnny Hodges. Ya en los años 1950, tocará en bandas de rhythm and blues y dirigirá una empresa de ediciones musicales, junto a Budd Johnson.
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Al Sears (February 21, 1910, Macomb, Illinois-March 23, 1990, New York City) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and bandleader.
Sears's first major gig came in 1928 when he replaced Johnny Hodges in Chick Webb's ensemble. Following this he played with Elmer Snowden (1931–32), then led his own groups between 1933 and 1941. In the early 1940s he was with Andy Kirk (1941–42) and Lionel Hampton (1943-44) before he became a member of Duke Ellington's Orchestra in 1944, replacing Ben Webster. He became one of Ellington's best-known soloists, and remained in his employ until 1949, when first Jimmy Forrest and then Paul Gonsalves took over his chair. He played with Johnny Hodges in 1951-52, and recorded the tune "Castle Rock" with him; the tune became a hit, but was released under Hodges's name. He played as a studio musician on a variety of R&B albums in the 1950s and recorded two albums for Swingville Records in 1960.
He also was in Alan Freed's band when Freed did live shows, being introduced as "Big Al Sears."
Artist Biography by Scott Yanow
It is ironic that tenor saxophonist Al Sears' one hit, "Castle Rock," was recorded under Johnny Hodges' name (the altoist is virtually absent on the record), denying Sears his one chance at fame. Sears had actually had his first important job in 1928 replacing Hodges with the Chick Webb band. However, despite associations with Elmer Snowden (1931-1932), Andy Kirk (1941-1942), Lionel Hampton (1943-1944), and with his own groups (most of 1933-1941), it was not until Sears joined Duke Ellington's Orchestra in 1944 that he began to get much attention. His distinctive tone, R&B-ish phrasing, and ability to build up exciting solos made him one of Ellington's most colorful soloists during the next five years, although his period was overshadowed by both his predecessor (Ben Webster) and his successor (Paul Gonsalves). Among Sears' many recordings with Ellington are notable versions of "I Ain't Got Nothing but the Blues" and a 1945 remake of "It Don't Mean a Thing." Sears worked with Johnny Hodges' group during 1951-1952, recorded a variety of R&B-oriented material in the 1950s, and cut two excellent albums for Swingville in 1960 before going into semi-retirement.