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A tribute to the late legendary jazz drummer Al Foster

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Drummer Al Foster in 2017 playing with Kenny Barron, the late Jimmy Heath and Reggie Workman
Jonathan Chimene
Drummer Al Foster in 2017 playing with Kenny Barron, the late Jimmy Heath and Reggie Workman

On this episode of The Art of the Story, WBGO's Daybreak host Gary Walker pays tribute to the late legendary jazz drummer Al Foster. Foster died on Wednesday, May 28 at the age of 82.

Al Foster playing at Bar Bayeux in Brooklyn in 2023
Jonathan Chimene
Al Foster playing at Bar Bayeux in Brooklyn in 2023

You can hear Al Foster playing live at the Village Vanguard in 2012 here.

Doug Doyle has been News Director at WBGO since 1998 and has taken his department to new heights in coverage and recognition. Doug and his staff have received more than 250 awards from organizations like PRNDI (now PMJA), AP, New York Association of Black Journalists, Garden State Association of Black Journalists and the New Jersey Society of Professional Journalists.
In jazz radio, great announcers are distinguished by their ability to convey the spontaneity and passion of the music. Gary Walker is such an announcer, and his enthusiasm for this music greets WBGO listeners every morning on Daybreak. He's the winner of the 1996 Gavin Magazine Jazz Radio Personality of the Year Award and the recipient of the 2021 Marian McPartland-Willis Conover Award for Career Achievement in Broadcasting from the Jazz Journalists Association. Gary hosts the morning show each weekday from 8am til noon. And, by his own admission, he's truly having a great time.