Name: Ronnie Foster - Reboot - Vinyl Record
Brand: Blue Note
SKU: 602445499809
Price: 29.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Description

Ronnie Foster – Reboot – Vinyl Record

Ronnie Foster returns to Blue Note on Reboot with the easy command of a musician who has spent decades making a band feel good. Released in 2022, fifty years after his label debut Two Headed Freap, the album places his Hammond organ at the center of a compact, responsive group. Foster’s playing has a warm, vocal quality, combining clear melodic ideas with the rhythmic lift that has long connected his music to soul and funk. The title suggests a fresh start, and the performances have that sense of renewed purpose. These are direct, inviting pieces that leave plenty of room for the musicians to respond to one another.

Guitarist Michael O’Neill joins Ronnie, with Chris Foster and Jimmy Branly sharing the drum duties across the ensemble performances. The combination of organ, guitar and drums connects Reboot to a long jazz tradition, but the personalities of these players make the setting feel personal. O’Neill can complement the organ’s sustained sound with more sharply defined guitar phrases, while Chris Foster keeps the rhythms moving without crowding the melodies. Ronnie’s organ supplies both a strong foundation and an expressive lead voice. The small-group format makes those relationships easy to hear, especially when the musicians trade emphasis and the groove shifts from one part of the band to another.

Foster’s own writing supplies most of the program. The title track introduces his renewed focus as a leader, while “Sultry Song II” brings a different rhythmic shade, with percussionist Lenny Castro adding congas. “Swingin’” makes room for the jazz side of Foster’s vocabulary, and “J’s Dream” and “Carlos” broaden the range of moods within the set. The writing gives the band recognizable melodies and useful space for improvisation. Foster’s experience shows in that balance: a tune establishes its character, the players explore it, and the performance remains connected to the feeling that made the melody appealing in the first place. “Carlos” was inspired by Carlos Santana, and its Latin percussion gives that connection a musical expression. The solo organ performance “J’s Dream” provides a quieter contrast, showing how readily Foster can change the scale of the album’s sound.

Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” is a natural choice for Foster, whose career has included work with Wonder as well as a long association with George Benson. The tune’s buoyant melody fits the organist’s ability to make a familiar song sound relaxed and rhythmically alive. “Hey Good Lookin’ Woman” and “After Chicago” continue the original material, and the solo piano piece “After Conversation With Nadia” brings the album to a reflective close. Across these nine tracks, Foster moves comfortably between jazz improvisation and the direct appeal of a strong song. That breadth is part of his identity, developed through years of recording, accompanying other artists and leading his own groups.

This Blue Note vinyl edition contains the complete Reboot program. The album is dedicated to fellow organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, a meaningful connection for a player whose career reaches back to the classic era of soul jazz. Foster carries that history into performances that feel active and present. Listeners who enjoy the sound of a Hammond-led trio will find a clearly focused ensemble, a varied selection of tunes and an organist with a particularly appealing sense of touch and time. Reboot also offers an accessible way into Foster’s catalog, connecting the warmth associated with his early Blue Note work to the perspective of a seasoned musician returning as a leader.

Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic