Big City

Dave Stryker (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 21, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mel Bay Records
• ASIN: B0009PVZGY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #383,629 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

One of the hippest, hardest swinging guitarists on the jazz scene, Dave Stryker has placed his signature warm-toned, blues-drenched lines (played on his Gibson 347 semi-hollow body guitar) in a wide variety of contexts as a leader on 18 recordings. A prolific composer and potent player with a penchant for bop, ballads and blues, Stryker has incorporated such important (and wildly diverse) six-string influences as Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino, Grant Green, Sonny Sharrock and Albert King into a highly personalized guitar vocabulary while also reflecting the inspiration of such immortal composers as Duke Ellington, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter and Thelonious Monk. On Big City, Styker is reunited with the stellar drummer (and fellow Omaha native) Victor Lewis, who appeared on the guitarist’s 1992 release, Guitar On Top. He is also joined by bassist Ed Howard and pianist Dave Kikoski in a program of swinging originals and savvy covers. From the introduction by Bill Milkowski

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Big City, Big Fun., May 20, 2006

By 

NDBx "NDBx" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big City (Audio CD)

These.... guys....swwwwwinngggggggg!!!!! This recording starts out at a dead run with the title track which features Dave Stryker, Dave Kikoski and Victor Lewis and never is there a drop off in quality.

In this recording you have the added pleasure of Kikoski being Stryker's equal in inventiveness and sense of swing. Victor Lewis is one of the truly overlooked drummers in the business. In this recording he shows why he is one of the most in demand musicians around. He provides a solid foundation and drives this unit with absolutely no intrusiveness. When he solos, it's always with the piece in mind, always "in the pocket". The man has a serious foot pedal technique (not always a strong suit for many drummers), Victor has got it down. Fine cymbal work also.

Nice material, well interpretted. My personal favorite on this recording is the "It Was A Very Good Year", the old standard which up until this recording I hated. Not anymore. I LOVE this group's version of it. They don't play it as a maudlin, nostalgic ballad as is so often the case but as a up beat swinging piece with outstanding solos by Stryker, Lewis and Kikoski.

This is a quintessential guitar recording. Stryker's style is modern, bluesy and in the best possible extrapolation of the Jim Hall, Barney Kessel asthetic with some Wes thrown in. You hear the influence but not a lick of imitation. Dave's got his own sound and a clear vision of what he wants to do and it is well exmplified here.

He's been around a while and overlooked for too long. Check this one out.