Al Foster, jazz drummer for Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins, dies at 82

Al Foster, the jazz drummer who performed successful groundbreaking bands with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Sonny Rollins, has died. He was 82.

Foster’s spouse Bonnie Rose Steinberg told NPR successful a connection that Foster died “from a superior illness” astatine his location successful New York City. Foster’s daughter, Kierra Foster-Ba, confirmed the decease successful an Instagram post.

Foster’s relentlessly originative and adaptable percussion enactment spanned eras and genres wrong jazz, driving elegant bepop and raucous fusion groups alike.

Davis wrote successful his memoir “Miles: The Autobiography” that Foster’s drumming “knocked maine retired due to the fact that helium had specified a groove and helium would conscionable laic it close successful determination ... Al could acceptable s— up for everybody other to play disconnected and past helium could support the groove going everlastingly … for what I wanted successful a drummer, Al Foster had it all.”

Foster played connected Davis’ workplace medium “Big Fun” and his unrecorded albums “Dark Magus” and “Agharta.” Davis, successful turn, paid homage to Foster’s agile brilliance with the funk azygous “Mr. Foster,” recorded during his sessions for the 1972 medium “On the Corner.”

Aloysius Tyrone Foster was calved successful 1943 successful Richmond, Va., but grew up successful Harlem successful a household of musicians. First inspired by drummer Max Roach, his vocation brought him into stages and studios with saxophonists Sonny Rollins (a fruitful concern that would span decades) and Joe Henderson, who led Foster connected the seminal treble unrecorded medium “The State of the Tenor, Vols. 1 & 2.” Rollins said helium drew connected his and Foster’s akin childhoods for his opus “Harlem Boys.”

Foster played successful groups with jazz titans similar Art Pepper, McCoy Tyner and Horace Silver, among galore others. In 1978, helium joined the supergroup Milestones Jazzstars with Tyner, Rollins and Ron Carter, and made his debut arsenic a bandleader that aforesaid twelvemonth with “Mixed Roots.”

Later successful his career, helium collaborated with guitarist John Scofield, saxophonist Joe Lovano and bassist Dave Holland successful the radical ScoLoHoFo. He frequented the Upper West Side nine Smoke, whose in-house statement released his 2 last albums, including 2022’s “Reflections.”

Foster is survived by 4 daughters — Michelle, Kierra, Monique and Simone — and six grandchildren. His lad Brandyn died successful 2018.