Al Sears

Al Sears - Swing's The Thing (1960) {Swingville OJCCD-838-2 rel 1994}
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© 1960, 1994 Prestige/Swingville Records / Fantasy | OJCCD-838-2
Jazz / Blues / Jump Blues / Saxophone

Al Sears had the misfortune of having his one hit, "Castle Rock," released under the leadership of Johnny Hodges, cheating him of his one chance at fame. A fine swing-based tenor who could stomp and honk with the best of them (although he rarely screamed), Sears had relatively few opportunities to record as a leader, and this CD (which reissues a 1960 LP) was one of his last. Sears (along with pianist Don Abney, guitarist Wally Richardson, bassist Wendell Marshall, and drummer Joe Marshall) sticks to basic originals, blues, and standards, and is in top form on these swinging and generally accessible performances.

Duke Ellington - Carnegie Hall Concerts (1943-1947) {Prestige 8CD Box Set, Joe Tarantino Remaster rel 2010}
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© 1943-47, 2010 Prestige / Universal | 0600753232491
Jazz / Big Band / Early Jazz / Swing

2010 eight CD box set from the legendary Jazz pianist, composer, arranger and Big Band leader. This box set contains a plethora of material that Ellington recorded at the legendary venue, Carnegie Hall, during the height of the Big Band movement. Spanning the years 1943-47, this box set features 85 performances by Ellington backed by some of Jazz's greatest musicians including Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster, Junior Raglin, Al Hibbler, Claude B. Jones, Harry Carney, Oscar Pettiford, Sonny Greer, Ray Nance, Jimmy Hamilton, Al Sears and Ellington himself.

John Cornelius Hodges began working with Duke Ellington in 1928 and soon became one of the prime voices in the Ellington orchestra. Hodges began leading his own recording ensembles - actually scaled-down versions of Duke's band - in 1937. Occasionally sitting in with other leaders like Lionel Hampton, Hodges also led groups of his own, including a quartet at New York's Apollo Club during the summer of 1948 and five of the six bands heard on this first volume of his complete recordings in chronological order. (All records issued under Hodges' name prior to 1947 have been included in the massive Classics chronology of Duke Ellington.) Sandy Williams' Big Eight was one of many ensembles recording for the Hot Record Society - and one of the very best of them…