Dave Stryker (born March 30, 1957) is an American jazz guitarist. He has recorded over twenty-five albums as a leader and has been a featured sideman with Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, and Kevin Mahogany.
Stryker grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. When he was ten years old, he was inspired by the Beatles to start playing guitar. His interest was rock and roll until he heard the albums My Favorite Things by John Coltrane and Beyond the Blue Horizon by George Benson. By seventeen, he was a jazz guitarist in Omaha. In 1978 he moved to Los Angeles where he took lessons from another Omaha native, Billy Rogers, and met organist Jack McDuff. After moving to New York City, he toured with McDuff in 1984-5, then spent ten years with saxophonist Stanley Turrentine.
Stryker formed a band with Steve Slagle and a trio with Jared Gold and Tony Reedus (later McClenty Hunter and Billy Hart). He worked with Kevin Mahogany as sideman, composer, and arranger, appeared with him at Carnegie Hall, and toured with him in Europe and Japan. He has also worked with Eliane Elias, Javon Jackson, and Andy LaVerne.
He teaches jazz guitar at Indiana University and Montclair State University and at the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop, the Litchfield Jazz Camp, and the Veneto/New School Workshop in Italy.
Awards and honors
Top Ten Guitarists, Down Beat magazine Readers' Poll, 2001
Rising Star, Down Beat magazine Critics' Poll
Passage (SteepleChase, 1991) with Steve Slagle, Joey Calderazzo, Jay Anderson, Adam Nussbaum
Guitar on Top (Ken, 1992)
Full Moon (SteepleChase, 1993) with Steve Slagle, Jay Anderson, Jeff Hirshfield
Blue Degrees (SteepleChase, 1994) with Larry Goldings, Rick Margitza and Jeff Hirshfield
Nomad (SteepleChase, 1994) with Steve Slage, Randy Brecker, and the Bill Warfield Big Band
Stardust (SteepleChase, 1994) with Joey DeFrancesco and Adam Nussbaum
Strike Zone (SteepleChase, 1994) with Steve Slagle, Marc Copland, Ron McClure, Ronnie Burrage
The Greeting (SteepleChase, 1995) with Bruce Barth, Tony Reedus, Scott Colley, Daniel Sadownick
Big Room (SteepleChase, 1996) with Billy Hart, Rich Perry, Ed Howard
Blue to the Bone (SteepleChase, 1996) with Brian Lynch, Rich Perry, Conrad Herwig, Bob Parsons, Bruce Barth, Jay Anderson, Billy Drummond
Blue to the Bone II (1998) with Steve Slagle, Adam Nussbaum, Clark Gayton
All the Way (SteepleChase, 2000) with Bill Stewart and Scott Colley
Shades of Miles (SteepleChase, 2000) with Steve Slagle, Marc Copland, Larry Goldings, Billy Hart, Brian Lynch, Manolo Badrena, Terry Burns, Billy Drewes
Changing Times (SteepleChase, 2001) with Steve Slagle, Bill Moring, Tim Horner, Manolo Badrena
Blue to the Bone III (SteepleChase, 2002) with Jay Anderson, Clark Gayton, Tim Horner, Brian Lynch, Bob Parsons, Steve Slagle and James Williams
Exit 13 (Etoile, 2004) with Sylvia Cuenca
Shades Beyond (SteepleChase, 2004) with Steve Slagle, David Berkman, Terry Burns
An Uptown Christmas (Uptown Jazz, 2005)
Big City (Mel Bay, 2005) with Ed Howard, David Kikoski, Victor Lewis
Six String Santa (Strikezone, 2005)
The Chaser (Mel Bay, 2006) with Jared Gold, Tony Reedus
Strike Up the Band (SteepleChase, 2008) with Xavier Davis, Andy McKee, Billy Hart
Keystone (SteepleChase, 2010) with Jared Gold, Stephen Riley, and Quincy Davis
One for Reedus (SteepleChase, 2010) with Jared Gold and Steve Williams
Blue Strike (SteepleChase, 2011) with Jared Gold, Stephen Riley, Freddie Hendrix, Billy Hart
Eight Track (Strikezone, 2014) with Stefon Harris, Jared Gold, McClenty Hunter
Messin' with Mister T (Strikezone, 2015) with Jared Gold, McClenty Hunter, Mayra Casales
Eight Track, Vol. 2 (Strikezone, 2016) with Steve Nelson, Jared Gold and McClenty Hunter
Strykin' Ahead (Strikezone, 2017)
The Stryker/Slagle Band
Stryker/Slagle Band (2003)
Live at the Jazz Standard (Zoho, 2005) with Steve Slagle, Ed Howard, Victor Lewis
Latest Outlook (Zoho, 2007) with Steve Slagle, Jay Anderson, Billy Hart, Joe Lovano
The Scene (Zoho, 2008) with Steve Slagle, Jay Anderson, Victor Lewis, Joe Lovano
With Kevin Mahogany
1997 Another Time Another Place
2002 Pride and Joy
With Steve Slagle
1996 Our Sound
2000 New New York
2000 Slagle Plays Monk
With others
1993 The Guitar Artistry of Billy Rogers, Billy Rogers
1994 City Never Sleeps, Bill Warfield
1995 Time, Stanley Turrentine
1996 Minor Thang, Tony Reedus
1997 Stan Getz in Chappaqua, Andy LaVerne
1999 Pleasant Valley, Javon Jackson
2000 Reflections in Change, Craig Handy
2001 Jamey Aebersold Jazz: Antonio Carlos Jobim (Bossa Nova), Jamey Aebersold
2002 Carnaval, Trio Mundo
2003 Jazz Dialogues, Vol. 2: Focus, James Williams
2003 Jazz Dialogues, Vol. 4: Music for a While, James Williams
2004 Rides Again, Trio Mundo
2006 Ultrablue, Ultrablue
2007 Feelin' Good: Blues in B-3, Jamey Aebersold
2010 Jump!, Pete Levin
2011 Who Knows Where the Time Goes, Rondi Charleston
2013 Iridium Live 008: 4-8-2012, Pete Levin
2013 Miles Tones, Giacomo Gates
2013 Signs of Life, Rondi Charleston
