Faculty & Staff

Dave Stryker
Lecturer, Jazz Studies
Guitar
Music
Topics of Expertise
Owning a jazz record label
Biography

Whether you’ve heard guitarist Dave Stryker fronting his own group (with 37 CD’s as a leader to date), or as a featured sideman with Stanley Turrentine and Jack McDuff, you know why Gary Giddins in the Village Voice called him “one of the most distinctive guitarists to come along in recent years.”

Groove Street is Dave’s most recent #1 recording and features Bob Mintzer and Stryker’s working trio of Jared Gold on organ and McClenty Hunter on drums. The trio recently opened up for Steely Dan’s 2002 summer tour. Stryker with Strings goes to the Movies (with a 30 piece studio orchestra) is Dave’s next release in 2025.

On his 2022 recording As We Are, Dave broke new compositional ground for himself with an all-star band featuring John Patitucci, Brian Blade, Julian Shore and a string quartet arranged by Shore. The album made Best of 2022 in Downbeat Readers Poll, Jazz Times and many others, and hit #1 for 2 weeks on the JazzWeek Radio chart.

Stryker has been on a roll the last several years with all the recordings (on his label Strikezone Records) reaching the Top 10 and 6 hitting #1 on JazzWeek. Hot House magazine awarded Dave the Best Guitarist Fans Decision for 2017. He was recently voted once again as one of the top Jazz Guitarists in the 2022 Downbeat Critics and Readers Polls for the 10th time.

Stryker grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, moved to New York City in 1980, and joined organist Jack McDuff’s group (1984-85). From 1986 to 1995, Stryker played with tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine. He has also performed with Freddie Hubbard, James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Smith, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Jimmy Heath, Kevin Mahogany, Eliane Elias, Joe Lovano, Steve Slagle and many others.