Gary Foster

Who is Gary Foster?

Gary Foster is an American instrumentalist who plays saxophones, clarinets, and flutes; he is considered a "crossover" artist who performs in jazz, pop, and classical genres. As a jazz artist he has recorded under his own name for Concord Records and several other labels. He is known for his elegant and laid back style on both the alto and tenor saxes, being a devotee of Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz, and Warne Marsh. He has been prominent in the film, television, and music recording industry for five decades having played woodwinds on over 500 movie scores and a member of over 200 live and television orchestras. His career includes recording on numerous Grammy, Academy Award, Emmy, and Golden Globe winning media and soundtracks for artists and composers such as Carol Burnett, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, Mel Torme, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Frank Sinatra, Pat Williams, John Williams, Natalie Cole, Jerry Fielding, Cal Tjader, Marty Paich, Michael Bublé and many others. Gary Foster has received the Most Valuable Player Award for woodwind doubling from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.