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About Ronnie Foster
Instrument: Keyboards
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by Steven Roby
This episode of Backstage Jazz features an interview with the legendary jazz/funk organist Ronnie Foster. We discussed his latest album, Reboot.Ronnie Foster's return to Blue Note Records is an event of synergistic quintessence, completeness, and cool. The organ great's dynamic new album, Reboot, arrives upon the 50th anniversary of his 1972 Blue Note debut Two Headed Freap, which is also being reissued this year as part of the label's Classic Vinyl Series.The album opens with the ...
read moreChance Hayden: Shag Bag
by Geno Thackara
Warm springtime, sunshine, good friends—it must be time for a party. Chance Hayden is certainly feeling the joy and ready to kick off something fun. Working around pandemic restrictions left him and his colleagues ready to bounce and blow off some steam, and bagging (sorry) the iconic Ronnie Foster on keys made the perfect funk-fusion topping. The standalone single “Shag Bag" packs a drum-and-conga groove to get the backyard shaking, slathers on a dash of bright horns, then ties it ...
read moreRonnie Foster Trio at Nighttown
by C. Andrew Hovan
Although he came along at the end of an era in terms of the popularity of jazz organ, Ronnie Foster has led a varied and colorful career having studied with the iconic Jimmy Smith and worked with a wide variety of artists including George Benson, David Sanborn, Stevie Wonder, Stanley Turrentine, and Djavan. Currently leading his own trio featuring guitarist Jake Langley and drummer Jess Gopen, Foster is based in Las Vegas but recently headed east for stops in jny: ...
read moreRonnie Foster: Emotion, Excitement, Energy, and Passion
by C. Andrew Hovan
When it comes to jazz history, few would argue that the years between 1950 and 1970 were a golden era filled with exciting music crossing many stylistic genres. From the concert stage to the Chitlin' Circuit, the era was ripe with talented musicians of all persuasions, many of whom have since faded from memory. Rarely is this due to talent or lack thereof, but more likely a result of many factors including substance abuse, changing trends, and the fickle nature ...
read moreRonnie Foster: Two Headed Freap – 1973
by Marc Davis
The critics hated Blue Note in the 1970s, and that might be an understatement. Me, I'm kind of intrigued. Fans of good old hard bop, or even soul jazz, were largely left out in the cold. Blue Note in the '70s was a label struggling for its very existence, desperate to find a niche and snag some sales. All of which drove the critics and jazz purists nuts. Richard Cook, in his 2001 book Blue Note ...
read moreRonnie Foster: On the Avenue & Cheshire Cat
by C. Andrew Hovan
While it's true that the declining years of the Blue Note label saw many releases of a lesser quality when compared with the golden gems of the label's heydays, sweeping generalizations lead to value judgments that might not always be applicable. Up through the mid '70s, artists like Horace Silver and Gene Harris continued to record viable albums even if they didn't quite reach the heights of earlier accomplishments. During this same era, a few uniquely talented young artists made ...
read moreRonnie Foster: Two-Headed Freep
by AAJ Staff
Like organs and jazz? I love the old Wes Montgomery/Jimmy Smith stuff, and even the classic Walter Wanderley latin material like “Summer Samba" and “O Barquinho". Ronnie Foster’s “Two-Headed Freep" is definately an organ of another color. It’s hip, alive, groovy. The whole album, originally recorded in 1972, has that whole funky 70’s thang goin’ on! Check out some of the titles: “Chunky", “Mystic Brew", “Kentucky Fried Chicken", and the title track of course. It’s definitely got the same kind ...
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