Photo Credit: Reed Ricker
(May 7, 2022) When you listen to the kind of music that guitarist, composer and producer Chance Hayden makes, it is not at all surprising that he would want to work with a keyboardist with the resume of Ronnie Foster. Foster recorded with Blue Note Records and played on George Benson’s pop and soul breakthrough album Breezin. Foster played with everyone from Roberta Flack to Stevie Wonder when he wasn’t making a series of highly regarded albums in the 1970s and 80s.
So when Hayden looked for someone to add some soulful organ playing to “Shag Bag,” his latest deep dive into one of my favorite eras, 1970s jazz fusion, he couldn’t do much better than Foster. The song “Shag Bag” is a fun and funky instrumental that is packed with everything that made fusion so infectious that it attracted the attention of R&B radio and became a key part of play lists by the end of the decade.
(May 7, 2022) When you listen to the kind of music that guitarist, composer and producer Chance Hayden makes, it is not at all surprising that he would want to work with a keyboardist with the resume of Ronnie Foster. Foster recorded with Blue Note Records and played on George Benson’s pop and soul breakthrough album Breezin. Foster played with everyone from Roberta Flack to Stevie Wonder when he wasn’t making a series of highly regarded albums in the 1970s and 80s.
So when Hayden looked for someone to add some soulful organ playing to “Shag Bag,” his latest deep dive into one of my favorite eras, 1970s jazz fusion, he couldn’t do much better than Foster. The song “Shag Bag” is a fun and funky instrumental that is packed with everything that made fusion so infectious that it attracted the attention of R&B radio and became a key part of play lists by the end of the decade.
Foster is tight with his jazzy improvisation on the piano, as well as his soul informed playing on the electric organ. The horns are tight, adding an element of percussive brassiness that complemented the drums, bongos and other percussion heard on the song. Then, there’s Hayden’s guitar playing that brings together rock, jazz and blues influences. “Shag Bag” is a good song and the accompanying video has a throwback 1970s detective TV show feel. Check it out here.
By Howard Dukes
Chance Hayden ft. Ronnie Foster
"Shag Bag"