Al Foster, renowned for his remarkable drumming that enhanced the textures of modern jazz, passed away at 82 in New York City. With a career spanning over 60 years, Foster played for jazz legends such as Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins, showcasing a rhythmic flexibility that adapted to various genres from bebop to fusion. Davis honored him with a composition titled 'Mr. Foster', while Foster’s collaborations included numerous recordings with notable musicians like Joe Henderson. Although he released fewer solo albums, his role in the jazz community remained significant throughout his life.
Foster had a strong yet supple beat, and the intuitive ability to shift his rhythmic balance to suit the musical setting.
He knocked me out because he had such a groove and he would just lay it right in there," Davis wrote in Miles: The Autobiography.
Foster preferred to swing, and he did so mightily in a range of notable settings.
In 1978, Foster's sterling reputation in straight-ahead jazz circles was made manifest in a record-label supergroup branded the Milestones Jazzstars.
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