Al Foster


Al Foster is an American jazz drummer. Foster played with Miles Davis during the 1970s and was one of the few people to have contact with Davis during his retirement from 1975–1981. Foster also played on Davis's 1981 comeback album The Man with the Horn. He was the only musician to play in Davis's band both before and after his retirement. He has toured extensively with Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins, and Joe Henderson.

Biography

Foster was born in Richmond, Virginia, and grew up in New York. He began playing drums at the age of 13 and made his recording debut on Blue Mitchell's The Thing to Do at age 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 has toured with his own band, including musicians such as bassist Doug Weiss, saxophonist Dayna Stephens, and pianist Adam Birnbaum.

Discography

As leader

With Kenny Barron
With Walter Bishop Jr.
With Joanne Brackeen
With Donald Byrd
With Miles Davis
With Tommy Flanagan
With Red Garland
With Dexter Gordon
With Jimmy Heath
With Joe Henderson
With Shirley Horn
With Bobby Hutcherson
With Illinois Jacquet
With Duke Jordan
With Yusef Lateef
With Dave Liebman
With Ronnie Mathews
With Blue Mitchell
;With Tete Montoliu
With Frank Morgan
With Art Pepper
With Sonny Rollins
With Bud Shank
With Lonnie Liston Smith
With McCoy Tyner
With Cedar Walton
With Larry Willis
With Steve Kuhn
With others