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A master drummer known for his intense groove,
Al Foster has remained a top-call performer for over five decades. Following his emergence backing trumpeter
Blue Mitchell in the 1960s,
Foster gained wide acclaim as a member of
Miles Davis' fusion ensembles of the '70s and '80s, appearing on albums like
On the Corner,
Agharta, and
The Man with the Horn. Over the years, he has played with a list of name players including
Joe Henderson,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Herbie Hancock, and more. Though he has only recorded a handful of solo albums, including 1978's Mixed Roots and 2019's Inspirations & Dedications, he has performed regularly with his own groups and remains a respected leader.
Born
Aloysius Tyrone Foster in 1943 in Richmond, Virginia,
Foster grew up in Harlem, New York where he was first introduced to jazz by his father, an amateur bassist. Given a drum set at a young age, he practiced daily, drawing inspiration from many of the renowned musicians he was able to see live at the famed Apollo Theatre, including
Miles Davis,
Art Blakey,
Dave Brubeck, and
John Coltrane, among others. In 1964,
Foster joined trumpeter
Blue Mitchell's group, playing on such iconic Blue Note recordings as
The Thing to Do,
Down with It!, and
Heads Up.
Following a period working with the house band at New York's Playboy Club,
Foster joined
Miles Davis' group, debuting alongside fellow drummers
Jack DeJohnette and
Billy Hart on the classic 1972 album
On the Corner. With the departure of
DeJohnette, he became
Davis' main drummer, touring with the trumpeter for the next several years and appearing on such boundary-pushing fusion albums as 1974's
Big Fun, 1975's
Agharta, and 1976's
Pangaea.
Also during the '70s,
Foster began composing and leading his own band. In 1978, he released his debut album as a leader, Mixed Roots, which featured contributions from saxophonists
Michael Brecker and
Bob Mintzer, bassist
Jeff Berlin, and more. Along with his continued work with
Davis, the drummer branched out in the late'70s and early '80s recording with a bevy of luminaries including
Duke Jordan,
Horace Silver,
Sonny Rollins,
Joe Henderson,
Freddie Hubbard, and others.
After
Davis returned from his self-imposed six-year exile,
Foster joined him in the studio, appearing on 1981's
The Man with the Horn, 1984's
Decoy, 1985's
You're Under Arrest, and 1989's
Amandla. Throughout the '80s, the drummer continued to balance his work in contemporary and fusion idioms with more acoustic post-bop dates, appearing with
Branford Marsalis,
Randy Brecker,
Carmen McRae,
George Benson, and
Donald Byrd. In the '90s, he recorded notable sessions with
Joe Henderson,
Steve Kuhn,
Bobby Hutcherson,
Roy Hargrove, and others. He also began leading more of his own groups and in 1997 released his second solo album,
Brandyn, with saxophonist
Chris Potter, pianist
Dave Kikoski, and bassist
Doug Weiss. He also recorded as a member of saxophonist
David Liebman's Quest, playing with pianist
Richie Beirach and bassist
George Mraz.
Foster's solo output increased in the 2000s as he joined saxophonist
Joe Lovano, guitarist
John Scofield, and bassist
Dave Holland in the supergroup
ScoLoHoFo for their 2003 debut Oh!. He then issued the 2008 quartet date
Love, Peace, and Jazz! Live at the Village Vanguard. In 2012, he paired with pianist David Birnbaum and bassist
Weiss for the trio album
Three of a Mind. There were also albums with
Eddie Henderson,
Larry Willis,
Kenny Barron, and more. In 2019,
Foster made his Smoke Sessions debut with Inspirations & Dedications, featuring his quartet with trumpeter
Jeremy Pelt, saxophonist
Dayna Stephens, pianist Birnbaum, and bassist
Weiss. ~ Matt Collar