Lest We Forget:
“Pops” Foster
By Alex Henderson
George “Pops” Foster was among the most important acoustic bassists to emerge during the early decades of New Orleans jazz. Foster played some other instruments as well, including tuba, trumpet and cello (which was his earliest instrument), but he is best remembered for the slapping technique that he perfected. Born in Ascension Parish, Louisiana on May 18th, 1892, Foster was in his early teens when he began playing professionally around New Orleans in 1906. He went on to play in the riverboat band of pianist Fate Marable (who used him on tuba) from 1918-21. Regrettably, New Orleans jazz wasn’t officially documented on record until the Original Dixieland Jass Band made their first recordings in 1917, but if there were any recordings of a young Foster playing around New Orleans in the late 1900s or early 1910s, they would no doubt be fascinating to hear.
Foster kept busy in the early ‘20s, playing his bass for trombonist Kid Ory, trumpeter/cornet player Dewey Jackson and trumpeter/saxophonist Charlie Creath. After spending some time in St. Louis, Foster moved to New York City in 1928. After the move, he was employed in the bands of cornet player King Oliver (one of Louis Armstrong’s main influences) and pianist Luis Russell. The Panama-born Russell is famous for his work with Armstrong during the ‘30s and playing in Russell’s orchestra gave Foster an opportunity to work with the trumpeter extensively.
During the second half of the ‘30s, Russell’s band was billed as “Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra”, which made sense from a commercial standpoint given Armstrong’s popularity, but it was the same band and Foster’s slapped bass was an exciting part of it. In 1940, however, Foster lost that gig when Armstrong’s manager, Joe Glaser, fired the band. One of the reasons given by Glaser’s office, according to Foster, was that he “was too old” (Foster turned 48 in 1940).
Jazz reached a major turning point in the mid ‘40s, which saw the rise of alto saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker and the bebop revolution. But Foster stuck with the types of jazz he was known for: Dixieland and swing. He maintained his traditionalist approach in the ‘40s as a sideman for pianist Art Hodes and clarinetist/saxophonists Sidney Bechet and Mezz Mezzrow. The Dixieland revival of the late ‘40s and ‘50s was great for Foster; he was quite active during that period, backing pianist Willie “The Lion” Smith and touring Europe with trombonist Jimmy Archey in the early ‘50s. The late ‘50s and early ‘60s found Foster playing in a small group led by pianist Earl “Fatha” Hines and in 1963 and 1964, Foster and clarinetist Darnell Howard were part of a trio led by banjo player Elmer Snowden. In 1966, Foster toured Europe as part of the New Orleans All Stars. Foster and Hodes were reunited in 1968 for several sessions, including the piano/bass duet George “Pops” Foster with Art Hodes.
Jazz moved in a wide variety of directions during the ‘60s, a decade that is remembered for everything from avant-garde free jazz to modal jazz to funky soul-jazz and organ combos. But Foster continued to focus on Dixieland and Swing. Stylistically, the Foster of the ‘60s was not much different from the Foster of the ‘20s and ‘30s and he remained a staunch New Orleans traditionalist right up until the end.
Foster was 77 when he died in San Francisco on Oct. 29th, 1969 and his autobiography (which was co-written by Tom Stoddard) was released posthumously in 1971.• •
Recommended Listening:
• Luis Russell and His Orchestra—The Chronological: 1926-1929 (Classics, 1926-29)
• Louis Armstrong—Intégrale, Vol. 5: Tight Like This (Fremeaux & Associes, 1929)
• Sidney Bechet & Mezz Mezzrow—The King Jazz Records Story (King Jazz-Storyville, 1945-47)
• Sidney Bechet—The Fabulous Sidney Bechet (And His Hot Six with Sidney De Paris) (Blue Note, 1951)
• Earl “Fatha” Hines—And His All Stars (Live at the Crescendo) (GNP Crescendo, 1956)
• “Pops” Foster—with Art Hodes (Jazzology, 1968)
