Dave Stryker Blows The Roof Off Sculler’s in Boston

Written By Mike Greenblatt

PHOTO: Dave Stryker by Marla Kleman

They loved him in Boston! Guitarist-Composer-Educator Dave Stryker blew the roof off Sculler’s in Boston recently with his high-powered groove quartet featuring Walter Smith III on tenor sax, Jared Gold on organ and McClenty Hunter on drums. The addition of Smith gave his acclaimed organ trio new vitality and added muscle to an already solid unit. Stryker, 66, has learned his lessons well. He spent valuable time in the bands of such groove-masters as Stanley Turrentine, Brother Jack McDuff and Dr. Lonnie Smith.  

Sculler’s is getting national attention as one of the finest jazz rooms in America, partly because of the booking policies of Marla Kleman. The sound is pristine and Kleman is a walking encyclopedia of jazz. Once again, she wasn’t wrong. Stryker had the crowd in the palm of his hand.

(Advertisement) Story continues below…

When reached at his West Orange home, Stryker said, “we sure had a great time there as always. I’ve been playing there for years. It’s always so nice to travel up to Boston and perform in that room. We did mostly material from our new Groove Street album and Walter added SO much.”

This reporter witnessed his opening set a few summers ago for Steely Dan at the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel and was blown away by his funk, bebop, swing and fusion. He can play it all! “That was SO much fun,” enthuses Stryker. “I’ve always been a big Steely Dan fan going back to my days playing rock’n’roll in Omaha.  It was a completely different crowd, much bigger than we’re used to and the Dan fans seemed to have loved us.”

But did he get it on backstage with the notorious Passaic curmudgeon Donald Fagen? At that he laughs. “Donald’s a good guy. I think that public persona of toughness is just a façade. Apparently, he instructed his manager to reach out to us to join the tour as he was a fan of our music! He keeps up on what’s going on. I feel honored he digs what we’re doing.”

Dave Stryker Blows The Roof Off Sculler’s in Boston

Mike Greenblatt

MIKE GREENBLATT has been writing for Goldmine magazine and New Jersey's Aquarian Weekly for more than 35 years. His writing subjects fill the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He's interviewed Joe Cocker, Graham Nash, David Crosby, Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Johnny Cash, and members of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. He was 18 when he attended Woodstock in 1969.

In addition to writing about music, Greenblatt has worked on publicity campaigns for The Animals, Pat Benatar, Johnny Winter, Tommy James and Richard Branson, among others. He is currently the editor of The Jersey Sound.

Previous

Springsteen Archives To Hold Stone Pony Symposium
Next

Paul Collins Signs With Jem Records; Debut Due Next Month