Al Foster, whose superbly alert and flexible drumming formed a swirling current in modern jazz for more than 60 years, propelling bands led by Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and many others, died on Wednesday in his New York City apartment. He was 82.
Bonnie Rose Steinberg, his partner of more than 47 years, confirmed his death to NPR Music. She said Foster died from a serious illness.
Foster had a strong yet supple beat, and the intuitive ability to shift his rhythmic balance to suit the musical setting. His swinging ride cymbal could convey the crisp authority of bebop or the deep pull of modal jazz, and he provided the thrashing backbeat in some prominent fusion bands…