Frank Foster

A gifted tenor saxophonist and arranger, Frank Foster maintained an intermittent connection with the Count Basie Orchestra between 1953 and 1995. He first honed his skills alongside numerous gifted Detroit musicians, then, following Army service from 1951 to 1953, entered Basie’s ensemble. Throughout his initial Basie tenure (1953-1964) he received prominent tenor features while supplying numerous charts and such originals as “Down for the Count,” “Blues Backstage,” and the enduring “Shiny Stockings.” During the second half of the 1960s he worked primarily as a freelance composer. He performed with Elvin Jones from 1970 to 1972, appeared from time to time with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, and directed his own Loud Minority big band. In 1983 he shared leadership of a quintet with Frank Wess; two years later he accompanied Jimmy Smith on a European tour. Although John Coltrane’s approach had shaped his improvising, Foster adapted his manner upon assuming direction of the Count Basie ghost band in 1986, infusing new energy into the organization and remaining its leader through 1995. Apart from his Basie recordings, he documented sessions for Vogue, Blue Note (1954 and 1968), Savoy, Argo, Prestige, Mainstream, Denon, Catalyst, Bee Hive, SteepleChase, Pablo, and Concord. A stroke in 2001 ended his saxophone playing, yet he sustained compositional and arranging activity throughout the opening decade of the twenty-first century. He passed away at his Chesapeake, Virginia residence in late July 2011 at the age of 82.