Dave Stryker

Sait Palanduz Wrote DAVE STRYKER BIOGRAPHY "Dave Was Voted Rising Star On Guitar In The 2006 And 2007 Downbeat Critics Poll" Whether You've Heard Guitarist Dave Stryker Fronting His Own Group With 20 CD's As A Leader To Date Or As A Featured Sideman With Stanley Turrentine Jack McDuff And More Recently Kevin Mahogany 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 In The 2001 2004 2006 And 2007 Downbeat Critics Poll. His Approach Combining The Jazz Burn To A Soulful Blues Feeling Is Communicating To New Fans Wherever He Plays. His Recent CD's Are "Big City" And "The Chaser" Mel Bay Records And "Strike Up The Band" SteepleChase . "Big City" Was Voted One Of The Top CD's Of 2005 4 Stars In Downbeat And Reached The Top Ten On The Jazzweek Radio Charts For 13 Weeks. His First DVD "Dave Stryker Organ Trio Live" Has Just Been Released. 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 Latest 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 Outreach Jazz Workshop In Austria And The Litchfield Jazz Fest Summer Music School. His Book "Dave Stryker's Jazz Guitar Improvisation Method" Is Available From Mel Bay Publishing. 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's 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 read less