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Ronnie Foster returns with Reboot, the jazz organist’s first album in 36 years

By 2022/07/08

Ronnie Foster

Credit:Jen Rosenstein

Soul-jazz organist Ronnie Foster is set to release Reboot, an aptly titled record that marks his first new album in 36 years. The album will be released by Blue Note Records half a century after Two Headed Freap, his 1972 debut with the prestigious label. Foster recorded Reboot at the legendary Capitol Studios. The nine-song album marks a fresh start for the artist, returning to his classic grooves on the Hammond organ that both pay homage to the past and reflects his pursuit of something new. Listen to the title track below, which features his son Chris Foster on drums and Michael O’Neill on guitar.

Originating in Buffalo, N.Y., Foster first caught the attention of Blue Note co-founder Francis Wolff after he heard Foster’s work as a sideman on Grant Green’s Alive!, released in 1970. Foster would go on to enter the vanguard of iconic Hammond B3 organ players, including Dr. Lonnie Smith, Larry Young and Jimmy Smith. His debut album was the start of a five-album run of funky soul-jazz records released by Blue Note throughout the 1970s.

Over the years, listeners around the world have heard Foster’s soulful playing one way or another. He has performed on Stevie Wonder’s pivotal album Songs in the 48 Keys of Life and George Benson’s bestselling album Breezin’, and A Tribe Called Quest sampled his playing on their song Electric Relaxation.

Here’s the track listing for Reboot:

Reboot
Sultry Song II
Swingin’
J’s Dream
Isn’t She Lovely
Carlos
Hey Good Lookin’ Woman
After Chicago
After Conversation With Nadia

Ronnie Foster’s Reboot will be released July 15, 2022, via Blue Note.