Dave Stryker

An adept jazz guitarist with a strong blues- and soul-influenced sound, Dave Stryker has worked as both a sideman and bandleader for decades. His playing style eschews the sharp, crystalline lines favored by guitar peers; he chooses instead to deliver an intriguingly veiled sound influenced deeply by the organ trios he's played in. He's toured and/or recorded with many musicians, including <a href="spotify:artist:0GX5PlFlvOiEdNvA7YHJzs">Jack McDuff</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2dRsXWVnkku2cMDtV1h6NP">Stanley Turrentine</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5GXruybcLmXPjR9rKKFyS6">Jimmy Smith</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1ZpPJRe9erwiWi548SKVyn">Lonnie Smith</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0fTHKjepK5HWOrb2rkS5Em">Freddie Hubbard</a>. 1992's Guitar on Top featured an all-star band that included <a href="spotify:artist:6Zq5ky484xYTgxE6dQ8yHh">Mulgrew Miller</a>. The majority of his discography appears on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Steeplechase%22">Steeplechase</a>. His celebrated recordings for the label include 1994's Full Moon, 1996's Blue to the Bone, 2004's Shades Beyond, and 2010's Keystone. Later dates appear on his <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Strikezone%22">Strikezone</a> label. 2020's Blue Soul featured him with <a href="spotify:artist:2yKX1WpgVIxOJbwBbFwqQ0">Bob Mintzer</a> arranging and conducting <a href="spotify:artist:5oldzkZrHypxJpr1ri05Fu">the WDR Big Band</a>. 2021's As We Are included John Pattitucci, <a href="spotify:artist:0nXwIc4NAbu2K881ealRDu">Brian Blade</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:2saz4gzmoUHt5s2OeJFqpF">Julian Shore</a>. 2024's Groove Street featured Stryker's organ trio with <a href="spotify:artist:2yKX1WpgVIxOJbwBbFwqQ0">Mintzer</a> as a guest soloist.

Born in 1957 in Omaha, Nebraska, Stryker began playing guitar at age 10 by listening to records by <a href="spotify:artist:3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2">the Beatles</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:74oJ4qxwOZvX6oSsu1DGnw">Cream</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:2ODUxmFxJSyvGiimNhMHbO">Johnny Winter</a>. Soon, however, he was investigating the music of influential blues artists like <a href="spotify:artist:5dCuFngSPyOOnTAvrC7v2s">Freddie King</a>, as well as more heady jazz improvisers like <a href="spotify:artist:03YhcM6fxypfwckPCQV8pQ">Wes Montgomery</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1sdyFmN4bVOcuFDpTVsxBB">Kenny Burrell</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0kbYTNQb4Pb1rPbbaF0pT4">Miles Davis</a>. By his teens, he was gigging regularly around Omaha, and in 1978, moved to Los Angeles where he studied for a time with guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:7dDu2hOjPnlOX4J8bR4l7r">Billy Rogers</a>, and befriended, and landed a gig with Hammond B-3 organ boss Brother Jack McDuff.

After moving to New York City during the '80s, he toured for several years with McDuff's soul-jazz outfit, and in 1986, met <a href="spotify:artist:2dRsXWVnkku2cMDtV1h6NP">Stanley Turrentine</a>. Stryker spent the next decade touring with the saxophonist, during which time he developed significantly, coming into his own as a guitarist respected by his six-string peers and the jazz and blues worlds at large. As a solo artist, Stryker debuted in 1988 with First Strike on an independent label, leading a quartet with drummer <a href="spotify:artist:5DFipPOMNcZT3XMGx59s5I">Billy Hart</a>, pianist/keyboardist Marc Cohen, saxophonist <a href="spotify:artist:4VzhvQxwHNiqdCnUHZsprs">Steve Slagle</a>, and bassist Ron McLure. In 1991 he signed with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22SteepleChase%22">SteepleChase</a> and issued Passage on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22SteepleChase%22">SteepleChase</a>, which also featured <a href="spotify:artist:7wu4u8r54ZgGyY9FOZtDq4">Joey Calderazzo</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1ymZAHNSJ5rvzjW01iwQRi">Adam Nussbaum</a>, and others. From there, he delivered a steady stream of well-regarded albums on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22SteepleChase%22">SteepleChase</a> like Guitar on Top in 1992, 1993's Full Moon, 1994's Nomad, 1996's Blue to the Bone, and 1999's Blue to the Bone II. Stryker paid tribute to <a href="spotify:artist:0kbYTNQb4Pb1rPbbaF0pT4">Davis</a> with Shades of Miles in 2000 with added personnel including <a href="spotify:artist:6wTD4jLsPadWutQ9nJvzT6">Larry Goldings</a> on Hamond B-3, trumpeter <a href="spotify:artist:2jOWJM2ILZD1NTyORxsduI">Brian Lynch</a>, and saxophonist Billy Drewes. 2001's Changing Times and 2005's Big City (the first of two albums on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22MelBay%22">MelBay</a>) showcased his eclectic brand of guitar-based blues, swing, New Orleans funk, soul-jazz, and rock. He followed with The Chaser in 2006. During this period, Stryker also appeared as a sideman on albums by <a href="spotify:artist:7sJEt4QPDYhjJ9tcHSlhhN">Kevin Mahogany</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0p4yhCSX3vJ6iWlkWKO0Y8">James Williams</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0D2AstYazAz1ObPod3UJYZ">Royce Campbell</a>, and co-led several dates with saxophonist <a href="spotify:artist:4VzhvQxwHNiqdCnUHZsprs">Steve Slagle</a>. In 2010, he paid homage to longtime bandmate, drummer <a href="spotify:artist:6iBB0kmucXaaga3D0fXizs">Tony Reedus</a> (who died from a pulmonary embolism in 2008) with the organ-steeped One for Reedus, which also marked his return to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22SteepleChase%22">SteepleChase</a>. That same year he issued Keystone with drummer <a href="spotify:artist:7LoQeWtWlVnY9qET4Ya11o">Quincy Davis</a>. Another organ quintet session, Blue Strike, followed.

In 2014, Stryker launched <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Strikezone+Records%22">Strikezone Records</a>, kicking things off with Eight Track featuring vibraphonist <a href="spotify:artist:4FDlrSZ3mEv5Jvn482sCbZ">Stefon Harris</a>, organist <a href="spotify:artist:5jrT4GPD1AtHhvHR3hTsvW">Jared Gold</a>, and drummer McClenty Hunter. Messin' with Mister T followed a year later, with guest spots from <a href="spotify:artist:4obfH4xleG9EzLN4NTNEfu">Eric Alexander</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5GX8UFlG4vXVXDv8KqDLvk">Jimmy Heath</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4hdVPbHhsWAn2XTXVRJoxB">Chris Potter</a>, and many more. Following the sequel Eight Track II, he released the 2017 quartet session Strykin' Ahead and Eight Track III a year later. He released his first holiday album, Eight Track Christmas, in 2019. Saxophonist, composer, and arranger <a href="spotify:artist:2yKX1WpgVIxOJbwBbFwqQ0">Bob Mintzer</a> guested with Stryker's organ trios on several occasions in concert. The principal conductor of Cologne, Germany's world-class <a href="spotify:artist:5oldzkZrHypxJpr1ri05Fu">WDR Big Band</a>, he got the idea that his jazz orchestra would be well served supporting Stryker's organ trio. He worked up new charts for then-recent Stryker tunes, covers of <a href="spotify:artist:3koiLjNrgRTNbOwViDipeA">Marvin Gaye</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5a2EaR3hamoenG9rDuVn8j">Prince</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0YJUdunUDA1pTDxJ8AJlyB">Jimmy Webb</a>, and contributed his own "Aha." The set was released as Blue Soul in 2020 on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Strikezone%22">Strikezone</a> and credited to Dave Stryker with <a href="spotify:artist:2yKX1WpgVIxOJbwBbFwqQ0">Bob Mintzer</a> and the <a href="spotify:artist:5oldzkZrHypxJpr1ri05Fu">WDR Big Band</a> -- <a href="spotify:artist:2yKX1WpgVIxOJbwBbFwqQ0">Mintzer</a> conducted and wrote the charts.

Following a European tour, he returned to the studio with his trio and guest saxophonist <a href="spotify:artist:26XwWqwNq8FMgZEKqqdU9b">Walter Smith III</a> for 2021's Baker's Circle. The following year, Stryker changed up his record making and composing formulas for As We Are. He reteamed with Pattitucci, <a href="spotify:artist:0nXwIc4NAbu2K881ealRDu">Blade</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:2saz4gzmoUHt5s2OeJFqpF">Shore</a> and added a string quartet that included violinist <a href="spotify:artist:5vWTZJJWBwmB2b5Nl2FWxm">Sara Caswell</a> and cellist <a href="spotify:artist:6a7EIqDkhiNrcwAnFV2iWl">Marika Hughes</a>. The album garnered almost universal acclaim for its advanced textures, dynamics, and control. Stryker wrote seven of the set's nine tunes, which also included one by <a href="spotify:artist:2saz4gzmoUHt5s2OeJFqpF">Shore</a> and a cover of <a href="spotify:artist:5c3GLXai8YOMid29ZEuR9y">Nick Drake</a>'s "River Man."

Stryker and company toured for most of 2023; he returned to the studio late in the year with his <a href="spotify:artist:5jrT4GPD1AtHhvHR3hTsvW">Gold</a> and Hunter with Mintzer as a featured co-billed guest. Stryker composed three of the album's nine tracks, <a href="spotify:artist:2yKX1WpgVIxOJbwBbFwqQ0">Mintzer</a>, two more, and <a href="spotify:artist:5jrT4GPD1AtHhvHR3hTsvW">Gold</a>, one. They filled out the set with covers of <a href="spotify:artist:6vOhSMuCQ8BXVkLJOamR8Z">Harry Warren</a>'s standard "The More I See You," <a href="spotify:artist:0ZqhrTXYPA9DZR527ZnFdO">Wayne Shorter</a>'s jazz classic "Infant Eyes," and <a href="spotify:artist:0bcDOCWIbvWApEIB7l1uZ4">Eddie Harris</a>' eternally funky "Cold Duck Time." Titled Groove Street, the album was released in January 2024. ~ Thom Jurek & Matt Collar, Rovi