Dave Stryker

Whether You’ve Heard Guitarist Dave Stryker Fronting His Own Group With 23 CD’s As A Leader To Date Or As A Featured Sideman With Stanley Turrentine Jack McDuff And Many Others You Know Why Gary Giddins In The Village Voice Calls Him “one Of The Most Distinctive Guitarists To Come Along In Recent Years.” He Was Voted One Of The Top Ten Guitarists In The 2001 Downbeat Readers Poll And A Rising Star For The Last 5 Years In The Downbeat Critics Poll. His Approach Combining The Jazz Burn To A Soulful Blues Feeling Is Communicating To New Fans Wherever He Plays. His Most Recent CD “Blue Strike” Has Made Many Best Of 2011 Lists Including WBGO Jazz Radio And Tom Reney/New England Pulic Radio.
Dave Stryker Grew Up In Omaha Nebraska And Moved To New York City In 1980. After Establishing Himself In The Local Music Scene He Joined Organist Jack McDuff’s Group For Two Years 1984-85. When McDuff Wasn’t On The Road Literally Traveling By Van All Over The Country They Worked A Steady Four-Night A Week Gig At Dude’s Lounge In Harlem. His First Break This Turned Out To Be An Invaluable Experience Paying His Dues Night After Night With The Soulful Jazz Organist. It Was At Dude’s Lounge That Stryker Met Tenor Saxophonist Stanley Turrentine Who Would Occasionally Sit In. After Leaving McDuff Turrentine Asked Stryker To Join His Quintet. From 1986-1995 He Played With The Legendary Saxophonist At All The Major Festivals Concert Halls And Clubs Throughout The World. He Is Featured On Two Turrentine CD’s Stanley Recorded Stryker’s Tune “Sidesteppin” . With Turrentine Stryker Was Able To Play With Such Jazz Greats As Dizzy Gillespie And Freddie Hubbard. The Ten Years Playing Alongside The Tenor Legend Helped Stryker Realize The Importance Of Having His Own Sound. Dave Continued To Work With Stanley And Was With Him During His Final Week At The Blue Note In NYC When He Passed In Sept. 2000.
Early On Stryker Realized That As Much As He Loved Playing Standards And The Jazz Repertoire He Had To Have Something Of His Own To Give To The Music. He Feels That His Writing Combined With His Playing Is What Shapes His Musical Expression. He Has Recorded And Published Over 130 Of His Own Compositions. Eighteen Of Those Compositions From The First Five SteepleChase CD’s Are Compiled In The Book The Music Of Dave Stryker SteepleChase Music Which Can Be Ordered On This Website. Some Of The Other Artists Who Have Recorded His Music Are Stanley Turrentine Kevin Mahogany Victor Lewis And Steve Slagle. Dave Continues To Perform With His Working Unit The Stryker / Slagle Band As Well As His Other Projects The Dave Stryker Organ Trio And The Blue To The Bone Band. Recent Gigs For The Stryker / Slagle Band Have Included A Recent Week At Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola At Jazz At Lincoln Center The Monterey Jazz Festival The Blue Note In Las Vegas The Jazz Bakery In LA And A 2003 Tour Of Japan.
Recent Sideman Work Has Included Vocalist Kevin Mahogany’s Group With Dave Writing And Arranging Music For Kevin’s Telarc Release Pride And Joy And Another Time Another Place On Warner Bros And Tours Of Europe Japan Brazil Poland And Carnegie Hall. He Also Has Worked With Blue Note Saxophonist Javon Jackson And Pianist Eliane Elias. He Has Appeared On Over 50 CD’s As A Sideman. As A Producer Stryker Compiled The CD The Guitar Artistry Of Billy Rogers Which Is The Only Existing Record Of The Brilliant Jazz Playing Of The Late Underground Legend Who Was His Friend Former Teacher And Member Of The Crusaders. He Has Also Produced “A Tribute To Grant Green” On Evidence Music.
Dave Is Also Involved In Teaching Both Privately And At The Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop The Litchfield Jazz Fest Camp And The Veneto/ New School Workshop In Italy. Dave Is An Adjunct Professor At The Cali School For The Arts At Montclair State University. His Book “Dave Stryker’s Jazz Guitar Improvisation Method” Mel Bay Publishing Is Available On Amazon.Com. “I Have Followed Dave Stryker’s Playing Since His Early Days In Omaha Through His Long Stay With Stanley Turrentine And His Longstanding Relationship With The Great Alto Player Steve Slagle Another Undersung Heavy Out There And He Just Gets Better And Better With One Of The Most Joyous Feels Around.” – Pat Metheny Dave Stryker Discography As A Leader • First Strike 1988 Someday 1011 Japanese • Strikezone 1990 SteepleChase 31277
• Guitar On Top 1991 Ken 019 Strikezone Records 8805
• Passage 1991 SteepleChase 31330
• Blue Degrees 1992 SteepleChase 31315
• Full Moon 1993 SteepleChase 31345
• Stardust 1994 SteepleChase 31362
• Nomad 1994 SteepleChase 31371
• The Greeting 1995 SteepleChase 31387
• Blue To The Bone 1996 SteepleChase 31400
• Big Room 1996 SteepleChase 31426
• All The Way 1997 SteepleChase 31455
• Blue To The Bone II 1998 SteepleChase 31465
• Shades Of Miles 1998 SteepleChase 31480
• Changing Times 1999 SteepleChase 31510
• Blue To The Bone III 2001 SteepleChase 31524
• Shades Beyond 2001 SteepleChase 31559
• Strike Up The Band 2003 SteepleChase 31637
• Big City 2004 Mel Bay Records MB06562CD
• The Chaser 2005 Mel Bay Records MB10212CD
• One For Reedus 2008 SteepleChase 31679
• Keystone 2009 SteepleChase 31702
• Blue Strike 2010 SteepleChase 31729
• Dave Stryker Organ Trio Live 2007 Strikezone Records 8807 DVD
• Six String Santa 1996 Strikezone Records 8806 Dave Stryker Discography With Others • The Stryker / Slagle Band 2005 Live At The Jazz Standard / ZOHO 200509
• The Stryker / Slagle Band 2006 Latest Outlook / ZOHO 200703
• The Stryker / Slagle Band 2008 The Scene / ZOHO 200810
• The Stryker / Slagle Band 2010 Keeper / Panorama PAN003
• Stryker/Slagle Band 2003 Khaeon World Music
• Stanley Turrentine 1989 Say Brother/WGBH Video Only • Stanley Turrentine 1990 Live At The Village Gate / Kultur Video 1294
• Stanley Turrentine 1991 Live At Blues Alley / Blues Alley Records 110004
• Stanley Turrentine 1995 T Time / MusicMaster 65124-2
• Kevin Mahogany 1997 Another Time Another Place / Warner Bros. 946699-2
• Kevin Mahogany 2000 Portrait Of Kevin Mahogany / Warner Bros. 947364-2
• Kevin Mahogany 2001 Pride And Joy / Telarc 83542
• Steve Slagle 1991 Smoke Signals / Panorama 001
• Steve Slagle 1995 Our Sound / DoubleTime 107
• Steve Slagle 1997 Plays Monk / SteepleChase 31446
• Steve Slagle 2000 New New York / Omnitone 12005
• Alan Botschinsky 1992 Last Summer / MA Music A804-2
• Alan Botschinsky 1995 I’ve Got Another Rhythm / MA Music A916-2
• Javon Jackson 1999 Pleasant Valley / Blue Note 99697
• Larry Schneider 1997 Ali Girl / SteepleChase 31429
• Danny Walsh 1997 D’s Mood SteepleChase 31428
• Andy LaVerne 1996 Stan Getz In Chappaqua / SteepleChase 31418
• SteepleChase Jam Session Vol. 2 1996 SteepleChase 31523
• SteepleChase Jam Session Vol. 10 1998 SteepleChase 31555
• Tony Reedus 1993 Minor Thang / CrissCross 1117
• Craig Handy 1999 Reflections In Change / Sirocco1005
• Bill Warfield Big Band 1993 The City Never Sleeps / Sea Breeze 2048
• Royce Campbell 1994 6 X 6 / Paddle Wheel KJCJ 220
• Steve Doyle 1997 Presence / Axis 1031
• Terry Lee Burns 1998 Song Speak 5332
• Mike Freeman 1991 Spellbound / Best Records 9181-2
• Jorge Nila 2003 The Way I Feel / Strikezone Records 8804
• Ultrablue 2003 Dusk 2 Dawn / Khaeon World Music
• Trio Mundo 2002 Carnaval / Khaeon World Music 200204 Also Producer • Trio Mundo II 2004 ZOHO Music Also Producer • Billy Rogers 1993 The Guitar Artistry Of Billy Rogers / Stash 566 Also Producer • A Tribute To Grant Green 1996 Evidence 222112 Also Producer • Sylvia Cuenca 2002 Exit 13 / Etoile Records 002 1475
• Mark Weinstein 2007 Straight No Chaser / Jazzheads JH 1161
• Pete Levin 2010 Jump! / PLM -2010B
• Jared Gold 2010 Out Of Line / Posi-Tone PR 8067
• Jimmy Duchowny Organ Trio / The Brazilian Sessions / JD Records read less