Robert Foster, professor of music, has been playing jazz since his days in middle school and has performed with some of the world’s most renowned musicians and entertainers; however, his most memorable moment occurred as a young musician. At the age of 17, he opened for jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie.
“I was a member of a jazz quartet. We received a call at the last minute to play before a Dizzy Gillespie concert. Dizzy’s plane had been delayed due to weather, so we entertained the audience until his arrival. As I wrapped up my solo, I heard this thunderous applause. I knew that it couldn’t have been for me. As soon as I turned around, I saw him standing right behind me playing his horn,” says Dr. Foster.
His interest in jazz music began after listening to one of the older saxophone players at his school. “I was awestruck by his abilities,” he says. He also had friends who were interested in jazz. “The spontaneity and the creativity which is made evident in every good performance is what drew me to jazz,” adds Dr. Foster.
He says that what he enjoys as a listener is also what he enjoys as a player. “Exploring new territory, the interactions of the musicians, and being able to play off each other is what I like most about jazz music. You get a kind of synergy that can never be reproduced. It’s music of the now,” says Dr. Foster. Although he plays the flute and saxophone, he is also skilled at playing the clarinet and the shakuhachi, a Japanese flute.
Besides sharing the stage with such greats as Melissa Manchester, Charlie Daniels, the Four Tops, and Bob Hope, he records, as sound engineer, producer, composer, and arranger. In 2009, The Name of the Wind was released by his group Utake and features the shakuhachi; in 2008 he produced, Healthy Pregnancy and Beyond by his wife Cindy Foster, and Healing Images for Strong Bones by Dr. Robert Pendergrast; and in 2003 he released his jazz CD How’s That. As a professor, he also teaches music courses and applied lessons on the flute and sax, Jazz History and Literature, Jazz Improvisation, Studio Woodwind, and Woodwind Methods.
Dr. Foster joined the ASU family in 1996. He received his bachelor’s degree in music from Oakland University, master’s degree from Wayne State University, and doctorate from the University of Northern Colorado.
Name: Robert Foster
Time at ASU: 14 years
Position: Professor of Music
Family: wife, Cindy; 16-year-old daughter, Rachel; and 14-year-old son, Michael (Mikey)
Little known fact: He also plays the keyboard and electric bass; although he says that he has limited skills with these instruments.
Apr 1, 2010
Profiles