Dave Stryker: Stryker with Strings Goes to the Movies
Strikezone Records

One might perhaps be reminded of Joni Mitchell's “Something's lost, but something's gained” lyric as guitarist Dave Stryker's latest fills the room. In performing alongside a thirty-piece orchestra and distinguished guests, Stryker with Strings Goes to the Movies distances itself from earlier releases that see the gunslinger tearing it up in small-group settings. The upside, and it's a considerable one, is that we get to hear Stryker, violinist Sara Caswell, saxophonist Greg Ward, trumpeter Mark Buselli, and trombonist Jim Pugh playing classic film pieces in luscious arrangements created by conductor Brent Wallarab. While we always love hearing a fresh new set of breezy quartet performances from the New York-based guitarist, there's much to be said for a collection that gives a fresh spin to familiar movie themes. Further to that, Stryker's catalogue is so deep—thirty-five CDs as a leader to date, apparently—there's certainly room enough for a project of a different kind.

And, in fact, it turns out much less is lost than anticipated when Wallarab's smartly designed the arrangements to allow ample solo room for Stryker and company. It's not their first outing together, incidentally, that having come in 2023 when the two joined forces for 'Wes Montgomery at 100: A 100th Birthday Tribute Concert.' And just as Stryker brings a wealth of experience to the collaboration, so too does the arranger, who's co-led the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra for three decades. An interesting set-up was used for the new project, with the tight rhythm section of Xavier Davis (piano, Fender Rhodes), Jeremy Allen (acoustic and electric basses), and McClenty Hunter (drums) at the centre of the orchestral storm. At the forefront, of course, is Stryker, whose authoritative swing is always a tonic for the ears.

Its profile raised by its pivotal moment in Cameron Crowe's Say Anything, Peter Gabriel's “In Your Eyes” begins with a lovely brass chorale before moving into unison voicings of the song's melodies by Stryker and Caswell and a funky essaying of its grooving rhythms. The guitarist delivers a swinging solo first, after which Caswell contributes her own elevating statement. In this first Stryker turn, one's presented with compelling evidence of Wallarab's contention that “it's his innate understanding of how to serve, through subtle nuance, each individual tune that is equally amazing. Every melody statement and improvised solo is perfectly shaped for the song and for the arrangement.”

The guitarist's tender side is showcased in the romantic settings Wallarab fashioned for Henry Mancini's “Dreamsville” (from the 1967 film Gunn, following on from the earlier TV series Peter Gunn) and the main theme from Ennio Morricone's Cinema Paradiso. John Barry's “You Only Live Twice,” from the James Bond film of the same name, is buoyed by a sultry bossa nova treatment sweetened by Fender Rhodes sparkle, soaring strings, and soulful soloing by the leader. The theme from Isaac Hayes' Shaft is as intoxicating today as it was when the film was released fifty-four years ago. It's also the kind of thing at which Stryker excels, and it never hurts either when it's Davis, Allen, and Hunter powering the performance. From The Deer Hunter we get a pretty version of Stanley Myers' “Cavatina,” Stryker's spotlight illustrating again Wallarab's comment regarding how smartly the guitarist shapes the arc of his solo to suit the material.

Sharing solo space with others means there are fewer by Stryker than there would be otherwise, but again there's an upside when the guests are top-tier talents. It's only natural that Ward would take the lead for the treatment of Bernard Hermann's Taxi Driver score when the alto solo on the soundtrack's main title is so iconic. Unconstrained by the arrangement, Ward extemporizes freely and fluidly, while Stryker contributes his fair share to the soloing content. His bluesy side comes to the fore in “Flirtibird,” the first of two pieces from Ellington's Anatomy of a Murder material, and Buselli on flugelhorn and Ward both make the most of their time in the spotlight. No one could surpass Ray Nance's violin performance on the dreamy original “Low Key Lightly,” but Caswell certainly comes close. Bluesily swinging by comparison is “Moonglow” from the William Holden classic Picnic, which is boosted by strong solos from trombonist Pugh and the leader. The album concludes with a radiant, quartet-centric rendition of Rodgers and Hammerstein's beloved chestnut “Edelweiss” from The Sound of Music.

February 2025