By Andrew Poretz***Leader Dave Stryker is as preeminent jazz guitarist, as attested to by some 15 appearances as a top plaer in the DownBeat Critics and Readers Polls, plus 35 albums as a leader and many more credits as a sideman. 
Stryker is also a fine composer, whose music has been recorded by many others, most notably saxophonist Stanley Turrentine. He has made innumerable appearances at Birdland Jazz, and this writer covered the first of his two sets there on April 30, which happened to be International Jazz Day.
The trio’s current lineup has Stryker playing with organist Jared Gold and drummer McClenty Hunter, both with fine chops. This performance featured several original songs from Strykers latest couple of albums, the brand-new Groove Street and last year’s Prime, with a couple of deeper catalog cuts. The band had an old-school setup, with Fender amps for the organ and guitar. The combination of the stand-alone amps and the often-wonky Birdland sound system made for a sometimes muddy mix, particularly on the funkier tunes.
The trio opened with “Groove Street,” the blues title track from the new album. The organ-centric arrangement made full use of Gold’s considerable skills at the instrument. Interestingly, Gold’s electric Hammond B3 keyboard was enclosed in a custom-made wooden case, which gave it the appearance of an actual Hammond organ, albeit a fairly lightweight one. 
It also had a pedal keyboard attached, which Gold played sans shoes. The Temptations hit “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” had quite a funky arrangement. It was not instantly recognizable until well into the piece when Stryker, utilizing a wah-wah pedal on his vintage Gibson ES 147, got to the iconic riff.
Stryker, who noted that the trio was playing on International Jazz Day, started Cole Porter’s “Everything I Love” with a virtuosic, melodic solo. Gold, who played with great passion here, utilized surprising choices that were at once dissonant and insistent, while Stryker provided excellent octave doubling. This was an outstanding number. The trio really raised the roof with “Prime,” the title track of Stryker’s 2023 album, featuring Hunter’s excellent, complex drum solo. The frenetic pace and the hot Birdland lights combined to get Stryker fairly overheated. He needed a towel for his sweat-drenched face, and he tossed his sport coat behind him. Stryker calmed things down with Wayne Shorter’s “Infant Eyes,” played with a dreamy effect that was quite the contrast to “Prime.”
An interesting and delightful choice came in the form of “Make It With You” (David 
Gates), Bread’s 1970 “AOR” hit. Stryker largely followed the melody with an almost lyrical solo. Sensing that the audience knew this song quite well, he motioned for the audience to sing the line, “I wanna make it with you,” though the response was more of an appropriate hum. “Cold Duck Time” (Eddie Harris) was played as a marriage of Hammond R&B and the blues. After a funky start, it morphed into a traditional R&B groove, with Stryker and Gold playing tight, matching parts.
The Dave Stryker Trio is well worth seeing next time they are in town. These cats are a tight unit, playing without any charts. (There was not a single music stand on the stage.) The arrangements are quite good, and Stryker, Gold and Hunter are at the top of their game.
All photos: Andrew Poretz
