It’s relaxed and confident, with organ and drums rolling underneath in an easy, grounded groove.
Strikezone Records
Dave Stryker – guitar; Jared Gold – organ; McClenty Hunter – drums
Dave Stryker had long dreamed of recording at Van Gelder Studio, and Blue Fire – The Van Gelder Session is him finally doing just that — with his trio sounding completely in their element. It comes through right away on “Van Gelder’s Place,” where his trusty Gibson ES-347 has that bright, crystal-clear tone he’s known for — notes picked clean, left to hang just long enough before moving on. It’s relaxed and confident, with organ and drums rolling underneath in an easy, grounded groove.
Stryker isn’t a guitarist dropping into an organ trio for effect. In the mid-’80s, he spent two formative years with Jack McDuff, learning the language of the organ band from the inside out. Through McDuff, he connected with Stanley Turrentine, which led to a long stretch in Turrentine’s quintet — an experience that left a lasting imprint on how he phrases, places his phrases, and builds a solo. You can hear that history all over Blue Fire: Stryker knows exactly where to hit, when to leave space, and how to lock into the organ’s low-end pull without ever crowding it.
Stryker’s trio sounds like a band that’s been doing this together for a long time — no explanations needed. Jared Gold comps easily under the guitar, then steps out with solos that use the whole keyboard — low notes thicken the floor, high-register flurries add heat, and the blues is never far away. McClenty Hunter keeps everything moving with force and clarity, snapping the beat when needed, leaning into lower drum sounds so convincingly you almost forget there’s no bass player in the room; his fills and accents always feel like answers to what the others just played.
The title track, “Blue Fire,” is the album at full burn. Fast guitar runs, hip organ lines, and focused, driving drums all lock into the pulse. Nobody is relegated to the background here; this is a true trio date, with each player pushing the others forward.
When the band eases up, the focus shifts to touch and pacing. On “The Fool on the Hill,” Stryker stays close to the melody, stretching some phrases, clipping others short, and letting the rhythm section lean into the spaces he leaves behind. The tune stays recognizable, but the trio nudges it along with subtle rhythmic turns and small melodic detours rather than big statements. “Waiting for Ruby” takes that same idea to a slower place, with Stryker playing behind the beat and letting the melody linger while organ and drums keep things light and unhurried underneath.
“Dexterity” and “Back and Forth” show how big this trio can sound. Between Gold’s left-hand bass lines and Hunter’s low-end drive, the music swells beyond its three parts. Phrases speed up, pull back, then surge again, with Stryker firing off strings of notes that pop and crackle against the rhythm.
After more than three decades on record, Stryker isn’t chasing reinvention. From First Strike in 1988 through last year’s Stryker with Strings Goes to the Movies, his best work has always come down to how he places a phrase, the sound he gets from the guitar, and the trust between musicians. Blue Fire – The Van Gelder Session proves it all over again.
