Alex Foster (born May 10, 1953) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

musician who plays alto and tenor

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

. He has recorded for record labels since the early 1970s. He is known for playing alto sax in the ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' house band. He is also the co-musical director for the

Mingus Big Band The Mingus Big Band is a 14-piece ensemble, based in New York City, that specializes in the compositions of Charles Mingus. It was managed by his widow, Sue Mingus, along with the Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty. In addition to its weekly Monda ...

(which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2005, and later winning the award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble), Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty.

Discography

* 1975: ''Cosmic Chicken'' (Prestige) with Jack DeJohnette's Directions * 1976: ''Untitled'' (ECM) with Jack DeJohnette's Directions * 1977: ''New Rags'' (ECM) with Jack DeJohnette's Directions * 1977: ''Transaxdrum'' (

Finite Finite is the opposite of infinite. It may refer to: * Finite number (disambiguation) * Finite set, a set whose cardinality (number of elements) is some natural number * Finite verb, a verb form that has a subject, usually being inflected or marked ...

) *1978: ''

Headin' Home ''Headin' Home'' is a 1920 American silent biopic sports film directed by Lawrence C. Windom. It attempts to create a mythology surrounding the life of baseball player Babe Ruth. The screenplay was written by Arthur "Bugs" Baer from a story b ...

'' (A&M/Horizon) with Jimmy Owens * 1991: ''Beginnings: Goodbye'' (Big World) * 1995: ''The News'' (Jazzline) with

Kirk Lightsey Kirkland "Kirk" Lightsey (born February 15, 1937, Detroit, Michigan) is an American jazz pianist. Biography Lightsey had piano instruction from the age of five and studied piano and clarinet through high school. After service in the Army, Lights ...

Tony Lakatos Antal "Tony" Lakatos (born 13 November 1958 in Budapest) is a Hungarian Jazz saxophonist (tenor, soprano saxophone), who currently lives in Frankfurt (Germany). Lakatos attended the Béla Bartók Conservatory in Budapest from 1975 to 1980, then ...

George Mraz George Mraz (born Jiří Mráz; 9 September 1944 – 16 September 2021) was a Czech-born American jazz bassist and alto saxophonist. He was a member of Oscar Peterson's group, and worked with Pepper Adams, Stan Getz, Michel Petrucciani, Stephan ...

* 1997: ''Pool of Dreams'' (Truspace) with Michael Wolff

Collaborations

* ''

Sally Can't Dance ''Sally Can't Dance'' is the fourth solo studio album by American musician Lou Reed, released in August 1974 by RCA Records. Steve Katz and Reed produced the album. It remains Reed's highest-charting album in the United States, having peaked at ...

'' -

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

(1974) * ''I'll Keep On Loving You'' -

Linda Clifford Linda Clifford (born 1944) is an American R&B, disco and house music singer who scored hits from the 1970s to the 1980s, most notably "If My Friends Could See Me Now", " Bridge over Troubled Water", " Runaway Love" and " Red Light". Career ...

(1982) * ''

Graceland Graceland is a mansion on a estate in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, which was once owned by rock and roll icon Elvis Presley. His daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, inherited Graceland after his death in 1977. Graceland is located at 3764 Elv ...

'' -

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

(1986) * '' The Hunger'' -

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...

(1987) * ''

It's Like This ''It's Like This'' is an album by the American singer/songwriter Rickie Lee Jones, released in 2000. Like her 1991 album ''Pop Pop'', it is a covers record. The album was nominated for a 2001 Best Pop Traditional Record Grammy Award. Critical r ...

'' -

Rickie Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author. Over the course of a career that spans five decades, she has recorded in various musical styles including Rock music, rock, Rhythm and blues, R&B ...

(2000) * ''

Prism Prism usually refers to: * Prism (optics), a transparent optical component with flat surfaces that refract light * Prism (geometry), a kind of polyhedron Prism may also refer to: Science and mathematics * Prism (geology), a type of sedimentary ...

'' -

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

(2013)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Alex American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Avant-garde jazz saxophonists Jazz musicians from California Musicians from Oakland, California 1953 births Living people Grammy Award winners Saturday Night Live Band members 21st-century American saxophonists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Mingus Big Band members