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For 15 years, from 2002 to 2016, Macomb honored one of its most famous hometown sons, Al Sears, with an annual fall gala: the Al Sears Jazz Festival.  It became one of the longest-running free jazz festivals in the Midwest, and helped to spread appreciation for the impressive legacy of one of the most accomplished musicians ever to hail from downstate Illinois.  The tenor sax player is perhaps best known for his time as one of the great soloists in Duke Ellington’s Orchestra, but during his long career he also played with such jazz legends as Chick Webb, Lionel Hampton, and Johnny Hodges before turning his attention and talents to running his own music publishing company and recording with early rhythm n’ blues and rock n’ roll groups, when he became known as “Big Al Sears.”  

According to Terry Stewart, former President of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, “Al Sears was a renaissance musician and entrepreneur whose influence still resonates today.  As a player, he spanned the period from the breakthrough of years of jazz in the 1920s through the rise of rock and roll in the 1950s… a musical role model for all time.”  And, according to Phil Schaap, legendary NYC jazz radio DJ, “Sears, an African American, was also hugely involved in the Civil Rights Movement and broke the color line in upper management at major record companies.”  He was truly a man for all seasons.

This year, for four days—September 16th through the 19th —the musical celebration in our community is returning as the Al Sears Music Fest.  The live performances will reflect the wide range of music Al Sears played during his long and stellar career, from jazz to rhythm n’ blues and beyond.  Programs are offered at no charge, although donations will be welcome, with the exception of the program at the Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts. So why not join in the fun and, if you can, make a contribution.