Gary Foster passed away on 5/24/26, one day before his 90th birthday. He was simply one of the most accomplished woodwind multi-instrumentalists, wonderful human beings and friends that I have encountered. Most professional woodwind doublers and Los Angeles-based musicians know of Gary and his achievements within the industry, having performed on over 500 movie soundtracks and multiple TV show orchestras; hundreds of recordings as a sideman in all musical genres; a leader on numerous recordings of his own that included the likes of Jimmy Rowles, Alan Broadbent, Bill Dobbins, Clare Fischer, Mark Turner, Mark Masters, Putter Smith, etc.; a frequent member of the orchestras for the Grammys, Emmys, Golden Globes, and Academy Awards shows; a winner of the coveted Most Valuable Player Award for woodwind doubling; and a dedicated music educator. He was an educated person who was extremely well-read and aware of what was happening politically in the U.S. and the world. But Gary was so much more.
I met Gary in 2002 through a mutual friend, woodwind specialist Paul Sundfor. I was visiting Paul in San Diego when he arranged for Gary and me to meet somewhere between San Diego and Los Angeles, Gary’s home turf. I had just started a Masters in Woodwind Doubling degree program at the university where I was teaching and Gary was interested in hearing about it. As a result of that encounter, I asked him to visit my school in NJ the following year after he finished a clinic at the Eastman School. What I learned from Gary in the ensuing years was a lesson on how to live the best possible life as a professional musician, an educator, and a friend. Here are just some of the examples that Gary set for me and all of us.
Gary was an encouraging, inspirational person
In 2003, Gary gave a clinic at my university in the morning, listened to the woodwind doublers in recital in the afternoon, and then we played a gig together at night with the university big band at a local jazz club. After seeing the scope of the program and offering great encouragement to the students, Gary then said that I had put in place a program that was exactly what he had hoped to eventually see in all the saxophone studios—one that put equal emphasis on jazz, classical, and commercial playing as well as woodwind doubling. In 2008 he wrote: One of the things that occurs to me on hearing “HOPE” (an album of my university jazz ensemble) is that, in my experience, there isn’t a university jazz program anywhere (except Eastman, perhaps) that you could move/walk into that you would not have to spend the rest of your academic life building something as good as yours. Those nods of approval gave me great confidence to proceed with the degree programs that I administered for the remainder of my teaching career.
Gary was a devoted music educator
Gary was always deeply rooted in Academia while giving frequent clinics throughout the country; conducting university and all-state jazz ensembles in addition to the All-American college band; presenting recitals at high schools and universities; performing as a featured soloist with school jazz ensembles, wind ensembles, and orchestras; a visiting professor at his alma mater, the University of Kansas; a conductor of the Pasadena City College jazz ensemble; and professor of saxophone at UCLA.
When I was presenting my doctoral dissertation on woodwind doubling to the Graduate Center of the City of New York for approval, I asked Gary to serve on the committee. I could think of no one better qualified to offer his thoughts and opinions on the subject matter. Upon converting the dissertation into a book in 2007 (Woodwind Doubling for Saxophone, Clarinet & Flute), I asked Gary to write the Foreword to the text. His two-page endorsement of the book as well as my approach to the subject matter are among the highest compliments I have ever received, and I value them to this day. He ended his statement in this manner: Ed Joffe has compiled in one document all of the important aspects of performance and practice in the field of woodwind doubling. It is particularly satisfying to me to know that this important research has finally been done. I have continued to revise, update, and expand this work because of Gary’s encouragement.
In 2009 when I was making a presentation at the National Flute Association’s Conference in NYC on woodwind doubling as it pertains to flute, Gary flew across country with his wife, Peggy, to participate in the presentation while schlepping alto sax, flute, and clarinet with him and at his own expense.
Gary was extremely generous
If I expressed my admiration for an artist at one time or another to him, I would immediately receive a Care package from Gary with sheet music, a recording, or an article related to that artist. For many years, Gary would send me transcriptions he had made of his favorite horn players—Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh, Charlie Parker, Lester Young, and Stan Getz—in addition to sheet music that had been given to him by Clare Fischer and David Raksin, or an article he penned about Abe Most. If there was a musician that he admired and whom I knew little or nothing about, he immediately sent me info/recordings to help introduce me to that artist in a meaningful way. Here’s some of what Gary wrote to me about flutist Arthur Gleghorn, a name that I was only vaguely familiar with at the time: Greetings! It has been quite a while. The enclosed CD of tracks recorded by Arthur Gleghorn appeared yesterday. Arthur was a legendary 1st flute player in the studios here. It is possible that you might not have heard of him. He was still working when I got started in the late 60s and I worked with him a number of times. He didn’t teach and said only that one should “just blow into the damn thing”…in a pronounced English accent….I thought you and Jeanne might like to have a copy.
In 2007, I received a score and CD in the mail from Gary. It was Clare Fischer’s “Piece for Alto Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra” written in 1955 as part of Clare’s graduate study work at Michigan State University. Gary thought that I might be able to perform it one day and sent it my way for that purpose. (Clare and Gary were great friends and Gary regarded Clare as a mentor as well.) Gary always wanted to record the piece but since it called for an orchestral string section and winds, the costs for doing it as a vanity project were prohibitive. However, Gary was eventually able to record it at a recording date for the movie “Happy Feet.” The session ended two hours early and the remaining time was used to record the orchestral parts. (Brent Fischer, Clare’s son, was involved in the session and helped make it possible for this to occur.) Gary came back at a later time to overdub his solo part. Although he always expressed to me a desire to become more accomplished as a “concert” saxophonist and was very insecure with his approach to this area of performance, his playing of Clare’s piece was excellent. I still listen to it as a motivating tool to practice harder.
Gary was a true friend for life
One night in 2019, I stopped in for an early dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in NYC, Trattoria Dell’Arte, across from Carnegie Hall. As soon as I entered the bar area I heard someone say, “Ed Joffe.” I turned around and there was Gary with Peggy. They had just flown in to hear the Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabackin big band concert that evening at Carnegie. Toshiko and Lew were playing the final concert of their big band that night and Gary said that he couldn’t miss that event. He had been a charter member of that big band from 1973-1982 when Toshiko & Lew were based in L.A. and that band as well as their friendships meant a great deal to him. So he simply flew cross country to hear it and join in the celebration.
When I underwent major cancer surgery in 2020, the first phone call I received at my hospital bed the day after was from Gary. Somehow, he had managed to find the hospital, the floor and room that I was in and got through! When the nurse handed me the phone, I was still in a daze from the surgery and anesthesia but quickly awakened when I heard his voice. It meant so much to me.
In recent years, Gary had slowed down quite a bit and was in declining health over this past year. None the less, when our mutual friend Joe Soldo was celebrating his 100th birthday at home last July, Gary found the strength to make it to Joe’s celebration. Joe had been a big supporter of Gary’s and had given him one of his first major TV shows to work on in the early 1970s—the Carol Burnett Show. Joe sadly passed away several weeks later.
All of these examples demonstrate that he wasn’t a fair-weather friend who was nice if you had something to offer. He was the real deal.
Gary was a “pro’s pro” demonstrating musical integrity
Gary Foster was a life-long practicer. When he moved to L.A. in 1961, he was primarily a saxophonist and clarinetist. He soon realized that he had to develop his abilities on flute if he was to be able to work. He went about that in a very practical manner studying with the best flute teachers/players he could find while developing a passion for the playing of Julius Baker. He would often warmup playing along with recordings of Baker to refine his tone and further develop his flute concept. Gary soon became one of the most accomplished single-reed doublers anywhere and flute became a particularly strong “double” for him.
Traffic in and around L.A. is known to be a nightmare at any time of day or night and Gary realized as he got busier in the studios that he would have to leave his home earlier every day to get to work. He finally figured out that in order to beat the traffic, have time to warm up properly and be prepared for an early morning session, he would need a practice pad convenient to the major recording studios. He found one and told me that for over 30 years he would often get to his practice studio between 6:30-7AM to warmup for that day’s work and to also have it available at any time to do his practicing. In that way, he could go home and not worry about playing his horns there—he had already accomplished that and could enjoy his home with his family away from the demands of the music industry.
Finally, Gary Foster was a neat, well-dressed person who exuded an old-school work ethic and sense of elegance not often found in any profession these days. Here’s one final anecdote. He confessed to me one day that he had always been ashamed of his penmanship so one day he decided to do something about it and began studying calligraphy. He eventually developed a beautiful, classic writing style that colleagues still talk about. That was Gary Foster in a nutshell—classic excellence with style in a life and career well-lived!
Thank you, Gary. Miss you.
*Gary Foster is part of the “Woodwind Studio Legends Roundtable” interview on this website. You can access it at: https://www.joffewoodwinds.com/videos/woodwind-studio-legends-roundtable