78's - Now Ride "D" Train - Al Sears And His Orchestra

Recorded in late 1951. Al Sears was born in 1910 in the town of Macomb, Illinois. Music seemed to be the way for Sears to show the world his talent and his dreams for recognition. By the time he was a teenager he was cutting his musical chops with various combos in and around Buffalo, New York. He was also a member of an early version of the band of Chick Webb. Ironically the sax man he replaced, Johnny Hodges, would cross his path often in his later years. During the early thirties he toured with an all Black musical revue called "Keep Shufflin'". After the revue ended Sears was a member of a number of bands such as those of Zach Whyte, Bernie Young, and Elmer Snowden. In the later thirties he led a number of small combos In Buffalo, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Indianapolis. In 1941 he joined Andy Kirk and His Clouds of Joy for two years. Recognized as a competent and professional horn man, after leading a combo for USO tours during the war years he was part of Lionel Hampton's band until he joined the important and prestigious orchestra of Duke Ellington.
He was part of the reed section of the Ellington band for five years. After leaving the Duke, he joined a mainstay of Ellington's, Johnny Hodges, as part of a small combo that played swinging jazz tunes and included Lawrence Brown on trombone, Emmett Berry on trumpet, and of course Hodges on alto. Some of their better recordings were "Rabbit's Blues" on Mercury #8937 and Sears most famous composition "Castle Rock" on Mercury #8944.In January of 1950 Sears was signed to Coral Records. One month later Coral #65023 is released as by Al Sears & His Sparrows which featured the songs "Shake hands" and "Brown Baby" with a vocal by Clarence Palmer. In April another Coral Records release is issued. The songs are "Tan Skin Lad" and "125th Street New York" on #65029. In early August of 1950 New York's Bop City was the scene of a battle of the bands between Al Sears and Earl Bostic. In October of 1951 Al Sears signs with King Records in Cincinnati. Later in the year King releases "Take The D Train" and "Baltimore Bounce" on #4489. In early 1952 "Azores" and "Groove Station" are released on King #4499. In the spring "The Marshall Plan" and "Berry Well" are released on King #4520. In August Al Sears announces that he will leave the Johnny Hodges band and go out on his own as a solo artist. Al Sears and Jimmy Oliver head a combo with a two tenor sax front line and are a good attraction in Philadelphia.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• 78's
• Jazz
• Music
• King
• 1950's
• Al Sears
• Saxophone
• Big Band
• Orchestra
• Baltimore
• Bounce
• Duke Ellington
• Johnny Hodges
• Swing
• Jimmy Oliver

[VictrolaJazz]

Great jump music!

[althazarr]

@VictrolaJazz Thank you Eddie!

[gregoryagogo]

Nice!

[althazarr]

@gregoryagogo Thank you Gregory! :-)

[cbfall]

Great & Upbeat song! Just snappin' away to the rhythm!!! :-)

[althazarr]

@cbfall Thanks cbfall! This one sure does have great rhythm. Glad you like it. :-)

[cbfall]

@althazarr You're very welcome!! :-)

[gregoryagogo]

@althazarr This guy molded with the times very well, I'd say... in his career, it's amazing how the styles changed.