Customer Reviews

Big City

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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.