Al Foster; One Of My Favorite Drummers… And I Guess I’m Not Alone In That Crowd… Check This!!

In case it isn’t obvious for some of the students… That’s Miles Davis in the shades and Al Foster … #JazzDrummers #FavoriteDrummers #Drummers

Some of my very fond memories while I attended William Paterson University happened form hangin out in jazz clubs those years in NYC… And probably Why I Love Listening to Anything with AL FOSTER on drums…

I had the good fortune of practically sitting right behind him when he played at the Village Vanguard on several occasions… There was a bench seat right off to Al’s hihat side, just off-stage so you weren’t on stage, but I could watch REAL closely, just how Al was doing his thing, swingin’ and groovin’ like mad… while like Miles says, ‘He would set everybody up’…

A selfless player as far as I can tell, and in meeting him (in as far as a college kid meeting this kind of ‘hero’) He is a sweet man in as far as my observations.

I mean I wish I could sound more like him… But I dig everything that he’s ever played on… And Like almost all my favorite players… they got a smile that isn’t always flashing but it ‘simmers’ on their face like the grooves they hit… and it doesn’t take much, but another band mate on the bandstand to give a nod of ‘hey man- that was cool’… or ‘Thanks for the kick back there’ and that smile POPS out just like a well placed- almost sneaky fill.

And I think, (as I humbly offer my take, about how I observe musicianship nowadays) — probably as the book is of the same name…’The One Thing’ the ‘THING’ that these and all the drummers and musicians -that for sake of space time, etc. I’ve not mentioned yet today; that I think they bring is that fearless giving to the music and even to eachother and the audiences that they play for.

A lot of the great drummers do it like that… From Steve Ferrone, Steve Gadd, Steve Jordan, Chris Dave, Joe LaBarbara, Art Blakey,(though I don’t think everybody knew if Art was ready to come ‘straighten them out’ or not); Still, from Jack DeJohnette to Carlos Vega, Joe and Jeff Porcaro, Carl Allen, Greg Hutchinson, JR Robinson, to Stewart Copeland, Earl Palmer, and Hal Blaine, to Shannon Forrest, Donald Barrett, and Oscar Seaton…

That was close one! I got into a ‘rabbit hole’ and had to try to explain my thought somehow… I hope it kind of makes sense, and if it doesn’t, all of our favorite players will still keep doing what they do, and grace us with the spirit that is found in between and among the notes of songs, their interpretation and improvisation.

A last note, so many great and unbelievably spectacular Drummers… you’ll find them to be just great people as well as … And I can’t touch on all of them here… Really, I’d be here typing practically the whole rest of the DRUMMERWORLD.COM site … where incidentally, you can go have fun hanging around, in, and listening to more of the ‘Cats’!

favorite drummers #jazz drummers #Drummers

P.S. I just went to go and grab the URL for DrummerWorld.com and it won’t connect… I sure hope it hasn’t closed down!

If you happen to know… let us know back here will you please?

Thanks and Keep Groovin’

Perry Senn