Remembering Al Foster

January 18, 1943 – May 28, 2025

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Drummer Al Foster passed away on May 28 2025 at the age of 82.

He was born on Jan. 18, 1943 in Richmond, Virginia and grew up in New York.

Foster started playing drums when he was 13, developing quickly and making his recording debut with Blue Mitchell in 1964.

In addition to working with Mitchell (including when Chick Corea was the pianist in the quintet), Foster recorded early on with Monty Alexander and the Illinois Jacquet big band and worked with Hugh Masekela.

His most famous association was with Miles Davis with whom he worked during 1972-75.

After the trumpeter went into retirement, Foster (who had also recorded with Cecil Payne, Duke Jordan and Abbey Lincoln) worked with Horace Silver, Dexter Gordon, Dave Liebman, Art Pepper, Hank Jones, and Sonny Rollins.; many of these associations continued for years

A versatile drummer who appeared on many straight ahead jazz dates and worked in the 1980s with Freddie Hubbard, Tommy Flanagan, McCoy Tyner, and Joanne Brackeen, Foster was the only member of Miles Davis’ 1970s bands to rejoin the trumpeter when he returned in 1981, working with him regularly up to 1984 and occasionally through 1991.

Other important associations included Joe Henderson, Steve Kuhn, Bobby Hutcherson, McCoy Tyner, Chris Potter, and Eric Reed among many others.

Al Foster led seven albums of his own through the years including 2022’s Reflections, and stayed active up until the end of his life.

The drummer is featured in 2016 playing his composition “Aloysius” with the WDR Big Band at a rehearsal; Mike Holober provided the arrangement and the soloists include trumpeter John Marshall and tenor-saxophonist Paul Heller in addition to Foster.

-Scott Yanow

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