CD: Reflections
Al Foster
release date: 26 Aug 2022
At 79, the legendary drummer, who has played with Miles, Herbie, Sonny and McCoy, presents his new album. For legendary drummer Al Foster, his soon to be eight decades of life have been unforgettably filled with exhilarating sounds and encounters with some of music's greatest legends
On Reflections, Foster taps the work of several of those colleagues along with an inspiring quintet of all-stars: Trumpeter Nicholas Payton, saxophonist Chris Potter, pianist Kevin Hays and bassist Vicente Archer. Throughout the session, he propels this supremely talented troupe through fresh, lively interpretations of more or less familiar numbers by Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Sonny Rollins and McCoy Tyner - all of Foster's former employers
Payton, Potter and Hays each contribute a melody, while Foster penned three well-crafted songs, including two tributes to Thelonious Monk, to round out the program. This follow-up to his successful 2019 Smoke Sessions debut, Inspirations & Dedications, is Foster's fifth effort as a leader and, as even the notoriously self-critical drummer surprisingly says, "It's my best record yet."
On Reflections, Foster taps the work of several of those colleagues along with an inspiring quintet of all-stars: Trumpeter Nicholas Payton, saxophonist Chris Potter, pianist Kevin Hays and bassist Vicente Archer. Throughout the session, he propels this supremely talented troupe through fresh, lively interpretations of more or less familiar numbers by Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Sonny Rollins and McCoy Tyner - all of Foster's former employers
Payton, Potter and Hays each contribute a melody, while Foster penned three well-crafted songs, including two tributes to Thelonious Monk, to round out the program. This follow-up to his successful 2019 Smoke Sessions debut, Inspirations & Dedications, is Foster's fifth effort as a leader and, as even the notoriously self-critical drummer surprisingly says, "It's my best record yet."