Backgrounder: Al Sears - Swing's the Thing (1960)

Al Sears was one of those versatile tenor saxophonists who could slide between jazz and R&B in the 1950s. Born in 1910, he landed his first major professional job as the replacement for Johnny Hodges in Chick Webb's group in 1928. In the 1940s, he played with Andy Kirk (1941-42), Lionel Hampton (1943-44) and Duke Ellington (1944), replacing Ben Webster.

To teens in the 1950s, he was known as Big Al Sears, recording R&B on a series of independent labels and starring in Alan Freed's house band at Freed's rock 'n' roll variety shows at the Brooklyn Paramount theater. [Photo above of Alan Freed and Big Al Sears]

In 1960 and '61, Sears recorded two great albums for Prestige's Swingville subsidiary. The first was Swing's the Thing—a slow cooker with standards and original blues taken at a stroll tempo. What I love most about this album is that even in slow motion, Big Al had heat. The genius was in the tempo and how that groove makes you feel.

The band: Al Sears (ts), Wally Richardson (g), Don Abney (p), Wendell Marshall (b) and Joe Marshall (d).

The tracks (three by Sears):

• Moving Out (Walter Bishop Jr.)
• Record Hop
• Take off Road
• Already Alright
• In a Mellow Tone (Duke Ellington, Milt Gabler)
• Out of Nowhere (Johnny Green, Edward Heyman)
• Ain't No Use (Don Abney)
• The Thrill Is Gone (Ray Henderson, Lew Brown)

Here's Al Sears's Swing's the Thing without ad interruptions...