Catching Al Foster live at Smoke in 2019 was the capstone of one of the best nights of my life. I had so much fun at a gay German sports bar in Harlem earlier in the evening that I wasn’t really bothered when the New England Patriots knocked the Kansas City Chiefs out of the NFL playoffs.
Foster was gracious when I shook his hand during a break at the New York City venue. Saxophonist Chris Potter, one of several luminaries who joined the legendary drummer that evening, is also featured on Live at Smoke, a document of Foster’s stint at the venue in January. The storied drummer died four months later.
Bassist Joe Martin locks in with Foster. Brad Mehldau somehow plays piano with revolutionary zeal while maintaining convention. I’d only listened to Live at Smoke twice when I placed it in my ranking of my fifty favorite albums of 2025. Subsequent plays suggest it’s a perfect mainstream jazz recording.