Al Foster


Aloysius Tyrone Foster was an American jazz drummer. Foster's professional career began in the mid-1960s, when he played and recorded with hard bop and swing musicians including Blue Mitchell and Illinois Jacquet. Foster played jazz fusion with Miles Davis during the 70s and was one of the few people to have contact with Davis during his retirement from 1975 to 1980. During Davis's retirement, Foster continued to play and record acoustic jazz with Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, McCoy Tyner, Horace Silver, and other band leaders. Foster played on Miles Davis's 1981 comeback album The Man with the Horn, and was the only musician to play in Davis's band both before, and after, his retirement. After leaving Davis's band in the mid-1980s, Foster toured and recorded with Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, and many other band leaders, primarily working in acoustic jazz settings. Foster also released several solo albums under his own name, starting with Mixed Roots in 1978.
FB AlFoster

Life and career

Foster was born in Richmond, Virginia, United States, and grew up in New York. He began playing drums at the age of 13 and made his recording debut on Blue Mitchell's 1964 album, The Thing to Do, at the age of 20.
He joined Miles Davis's group when Jack DeJohnette left in 1972, and played with Davis until 1985. In his 1989 autobiography, Davis described the first time he heard Foster play live in 1972 at the Cellar Club in Manhattan: "He knocked me out because he had such a groove and he would just lay it right in there. That was the kind of thing I was looking for. Al could set it up for everybody else to play off and just keep the groove going forever."
Foster began composing in the 1970s, and toured with his own band, including musicians such as bassist Doug Weiss, saxophonist Dayna Stephens, and pianist Adam Birnbaum. The last decade of his life Foster was frequently at the New York club Smoke whose Smoke Sessions label released his final two albums.
Foster died after an illness on May 28, 2025, at the age of 82.

Discography

As leader

Mixed Roots Mr. Foster Brandyn Oh! (ScoLoHoFo), with Joe Lovano, John Scofield, Dave Holland – recorded in 2002Love, Peace and Jazz! Live at the Village Vanguard, with Eli Degibri, Kevin Hays, Doug Weiss The Paris Concert Inspirations and Dedications Reflections
  • ''Live at Smoke''

As sideman

With Kenny BarronLandscape – recorded in 1984Super Standard
With Joanne BrackeenHavin' Fun Fi-Fi Goes to Heaven – recorded in 1986
With Miles DavisIn Concert: Live at Philharmonic Hall Big Fun Get Up with It Dark Magus Agharta Pangaea The Man with the Horn We Want Miles Star People Decoy You're Under Arrest Amandla Miles Davis at Newport 1955–1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4
With Tommy FlanaganThe Magnificent Tommy Flanagan Giant Steps Nights at the Vanguard
With Joe HendersonThe State of the Tenor, Vols. 1 & 2 – recorded in 1985An Evening with Joe Henderson So Near, So Far
With Duke JordanDuke's Delight – recorded in 1975Lover Man – recorded in 1975
With Dave LiebmanLight'n Up, Please! Pendulum
With Blue MitchellThe Thing to Do Down with It! Heads Up!
With Frank MorganYardbird Suite Reflections Mood Indigo
With Art PepperNew York Album – recorded in 1979So in Love
With Cecil PayneBrooklyn Brothers – also with Duke JordanBird Gets the Worm
With Chris PotterPure – recorded in 1994Sundiata – recorded in 1993
With Sonny RollinsDon't Ask Love at First Sight Here's to the People Sonny Rollins + 3
With McCoy TynerHorizon – recorded in 1979Quartets 4 X 4 It's About Time (McCoy Tyner & [Jackie McLean album)|It's About Time] with Jackie McLean New York Reunion McCoy Tyner with Stanley Clarke and Al Foster – recorded in 1999McCoy Tyner Plays John Coltrane – recorded in 1997
With Cedar WaltonAnimation – recorded in 1977-78Soundscapes Seasoned Wood
With Larry WillisA New Kind of Soul Inner Crisis My Funny Valentine The Big Push
With Steve KuhnThe Vanguard Date with Ron Carter Life's Magic with Ron Carter Seasons of Romance Live at Birdland with Ron Carter
With others