{"title":"Al Foster","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"al-foster-reflections-cd","title":"Al Foster - Reflections CD","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ciframe style=\"border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=196017405\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=333333\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/alfoster.bandcamp.com\/album\/reflections\"\u003eReflections by Al Foster\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e“This is an album of no small wonder(s)… It’s hardly surprising the front cover photo depicts Al Foster beaming in absolute delight.”\u003cbr\u003e\n— Doug Collette, All About Jazz\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e“This quintet plays together like a well-oiled machine, each musician’s mighty personality serving the music.”\u003cbr\u003e\n— Ken Micallef, JazzTimes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e“This is trans-generational post-bop, up-to-the-minute jazz at its best.”\u003cbr\u003e\n— Jon W. Poses, Columbia Daily Tribune (MO)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e#1 on JazzWeek Radio Chart (2 weeks; Sep 26 – Oct 3, 2022)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e***\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eApproaching 80 years of age is occasion enough for anyone to take a moment and look back on a life well lived. For legendary drummer Al Foster, those eight decades have been more memorable than most, filled with exhilarating sounds and encounters with some of the music’s most iconic legends. On REFLECTIONS, Foster revisits the work of several of those peers alongside an inspiring quintet of all-stars: Nicholas Payton, Chris Potter, Kevin Hays, and Vicente Archer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eThroughout the session, he propels this supremely talented unit through fresh, vital treatments of well-known and less-traveled numbers by iconic legends Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Sonny Rollins, and McCoy Tyner, all of whom regarded Foster as their first-call drummer for long portions of his celebrated career – at times competing for his services. Band members Payton, Potter, and Hays each contribute a tune apiece, while Foster penned three well-wrought songs, including two homages to Thelonious Monk that bookend the program.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eIt’s hard to overstate Foster’s contribution to the musical production of the aforementioned giants over his 60 years as a professional. But, as much as Foster likes to wax nostalgic about the past, it’s also evident on every note of this 68-minute gem that he’s fully committed to living in the moment and playing in the here and now. This follow-up to his well-received 2019 Smoke Sessions debut, INSPIRATIONS \u0026amp; DEDICATIONS, is Foster’s fifth leader recording and, as even the notoriously self-critical drummer surprisingly says, “It is my best record yet.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ereleased August 26, 2022\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eNicholas Payton – trumpet\u003cbr\u003e\nChris Potter – tenor and soprano saxophone\u003cbr\u003e\nKevin Hays – piano and Fender Rhodes\u003cbr\u003e\nVicente Archer – bass\u003cbr\u003e\nAl Foster – drums\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eRecorded on January 25, 2022\u003cbr\u003e\nat Sear Sound Studio C, NYC\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eProduced by Paul Stache and Damon Smith\u003cbr\u003e\nRecorded, Mixed and Mastered by Chris Allen\u003cbr\u003e\nAssistant Engineer: Will Bennett\u003cbr\u003e\nPhotography: Jimmy and Dena Katz\u003cbr\u003e\nDesign: Damon Smith\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eChris Potter records for Edition Records\u003cbr\u003e\nAl Foster endorses Yamaha drums and Zildjian sticks and cymbals\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eExecutive Producers: Paul Stache and Molly Johnson\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Smoke Sessions Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56382099849598,"sku":"SSR-2203-CD","price":10.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0962\/4161\/5230\/files\/SSR-2203-CD.jpg?v=1760095054"},{"product_id":"al-foster-inspirations-dedications-cd","title":"Al Foster - Inspirations \u0026 Dedications CD","description":"\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ciframe style=\"border: 0; width: 700px; height: 120px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=4208773174\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=333333\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" seamless=\"\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/alfoster.bandcamp.com\/album\/inspirations-dedications\"\u003eInspirations \u0026amp; Dedications by Al Foster\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e8-panel Digipak Album\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e“Al Foster doesn’t use INSPIRATIONS \u0026amp; DEDICATIONS to solidify his position as one of jazz’s legendary drummers. He doesn’t have to. Instead, he utilizes the album to pay homage to his history within the genre. His friends, his family, and his colleagues all receive treatment, and now more than ever, it becomes apparent how great the breadth of his footprint has been.”\u003cbr\u003e\n— Peter Hoetjes, All About Jazz\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e“The 76-year-old drummer is an esteemed master and a consummate sideman. From Sonny Rollins to Joe Henderson, Foster has rubbed shoulders with jazz royalty. While these new tunes have blossomed from experiences with family and friends, the music’s pleasures avail themselves regardless of whether listeners know the characters being referenced.”\u003cbr\u003e\n— Jim Macnie, Downbeat\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e***\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eInspiration comes from many sources. For legendary drummer Al Foster, it stems from the two groups of people who are closest to him: the jazz giants he’s been honored to play with (and who, though he’d be the last to admit it, have been blessed to work with him); and, first and foremost, his family. On INSPIRATIONS \u0026amp; DEDICATIONS Foster pays back his loved ones and collaborators with a set of songs written or interpreted in their honor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eINSPIRATIONS \u0026amp; DEDICATIONS is largely composed of Foster’s original tunes, which lovingly tip their hats to his wife, children, grandchildren, colleagues, and even himself. The album is bookended by a pair of classics by two of the jazz icons with whom the drummer has worked extensively: Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis. Each piece comes vividly to life through Foster’s stellar quintet: trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, saxophonist Dayna Stephens, pianist Adam Birnbaum, and longtime bassist (and dedicatee) Doug Weiss.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eThe pieces on the album aren’t portraits but gifts, beloved tunes titled as remembrances and appreciations. Foster has been acknowledging the people who’ve made an impact on his life for as long as he’s been writing music. “I’m getting up there in age,” says the 76-year-old drummer, though he’s also quick to point out that he’s in good health. “My musical life has been unbelievable, and I love my family. I just wanted to leave them something to enjoy with my songs.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003ereleased June 28, 2019\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eJeremy Pelt – trumpet\u003cbr\u003e\nDayna Stephens – tenor \u0026amp; baritone saxophones\u003cbr\u003e\nAdam Birnbaum – piano\u003cbr\u003e\nDoug Weiss – bass\u003cbr\u003e\nAl Foster – drums\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eRecorded Live on January 28, 2019\u003cbr\u003e\nat Sear Sound Studio A, NYC\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eProduced by Paul Stache and Damon Smith\u003cbr\u003e\nRecorded, Mixed and Mastered by Christopher Allen\u003cbr\u003e\nStudio Assistant: Owen Mulholland\u003cbr\u003e\nPhotography: John Abbott\u003cbr\u003e\nLiner Notes: David R. Adler\u003cbr\u003e\nDesign: Damon Smith and Eric Beatty\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eAll compositions by Al Foster except:\u003cbr\u003e\n“Cantaloupe Island” by Herbie Hancock\u003cbr\u003e\n“Jean-Pierre” by Miles Davis\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eJeremy Pelt appears courtesy of High Note Records\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eAl Foster endorses Yamaha drums and Zildjian sticks and cymbals\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eAl gives special thanks to Bonnie Rose; Jazzon Dayne Foster;\u003cbr\u003e\nNatalie Persad; Lisa and Kumar Persad; and Paul Stache\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Smoke Sessions Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56382103421310,"sku":"SSR-1904-CD","price":10.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0962\/4161\/5230\/files\/SSR-1904-CD.jpg?v=1760095143"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0962\/4161\/5230\/collections\/SSR-1904-CD.jpg?v=1774389670","url":"https:\/\/8merch.shop\/collections\/al-foster.oembed","provider":"8Merch Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}