Guitar ace Dave Stryker made a lot of jazz fans very happy with his 2024 album Stryker With Strings Goes To The Movies and Dave returns in early 2026 with Blue Fire. Subtitled The Van Gelder Sessions, the 9-track, 56-minute album title alludes to the historic Van Gelder Recording Studio in Paramus, New Jersey. The Van Gelder Recording Studio, started by the late great recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder, was where so many of the historic Blue Note and CTI albums were made including John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme.

In this setting, guitarist Dave Stryker and his trio, featuring Jared Gold (organ) and McClenty Hunter (drums), sets the studio on fire with a mix of Stryker originals and covers of legendary songs from the pens of Harry Warren, Charlie Parker and Jerome Kern. Amid the 4 Stryker originals is a track written by Jared Gold, while a definite highlight on Blue Fire is a jazzed-up, near Bossa Nova inspired instrumental cover of the Beatles classic “The Fool On The Hill” complete with plenty of improv by the trio. Another highlight is an instrumental cover of the 1936 Harry Warren classic “Summer Night”.

Perhaps the spirt of Blue Fire can be best brought to light on the lead off track “Van Gelder’s Place”, a swinging bop-jazz instrumental capturing the essence of the spirit of album. The title “Blue Fire” changes the rhythm and is a future jazz classic played at a breakneck pace by the trio with Dave’s electric guitar work moving things along at a brisk clip. Blue Fire make a fine addition to Dave Stryker’s expansive catalog of jazz guitar classics.

Roots Music Report presents an interview with Dave Stryker 

RMR: You recorded your 2025 album, Blue Fire at the historic Van Gelder recording studios in N.J. Tell us something about your affinity for that studio started by Rudy Van Gelder and what was it like having the album engineered by Maureen Sickler?

Dave Stryker: I had always wanted to record at Van Gelder’s but didn’t get a chance when he was alive. Maureen Sickler was Rudy’s assistant and has taken over the studio with her husband Don Sickler. The sound and history of the room are incredible. Rudy recorded all the Prestige, Blue Note, CTI, as well as Coltrane’s A Love Supreme there so it’s like hallowed ground. Maureen got a very warm and rich sound with our trio. Jared was playing the original Jimmy Smith, Larry Young, Jack McDuff B3 organ.

RMR: Did you pick the covers on Blue Fire to specifically record at Van Gelder’s studio? For example the cover of the Beatles “The Fool On The Hill” and the Jerome Kern song “The Folks Who Live On The Hill”. Also there’s a hot Charlie Parker cover on Blue Fire of his song “Dexterity”.

Dave Stryker: We had some new music that the trio had been playing live. I was driving to a gig when I heard Sergio Mendes had passed. When I got to the gig I showed Jared Gold the changes to “The Fool On The Hill” but we put our own spin on it. “The Folks Who Live On The Hill” is a great Jerome Kern ballad. I try to pick songs that haven’t been overdone. I listened to many singers and learned the lyrics so I could really get inside the melody. “Dexterity” is a great Parker rhythm changes line that I put some different chords on to mix it up. 

RMR: How about the cover of Harry Warren’s “Summer Night”? I had heard the vocal original by Enoch Light but that goes back to 1936.

Dave Stryker: No I never hear his version. Miles recorded it as a ballad, but once again it is a less played standard and we put it in 3/4. It was recorded at the very end of the session when we still had 15 minutes left.

RMR: How many albums have your made with your trio with Jared Gold on organ and McClenty Hunter on drums and what are some of your favorite trio albums that you recorded? Tell us about the chemistry between you and the trio and how did that chemistry impact the songs? Also can you say something about the Jared Gold original “Back And Forth”. 

Dave Stryker: I’m not sure how many record we’ve made together, at least a dozen. Jared Gold and McClenty Hunter are 2 of the best on their instruments and we’ve been playing together for almost 20 years so we have developed a band sound. It’s hard to pick a favorite but Blue Fire would be at the top of the list! I always ask Jared to bring one of his tunes. “Back And Forth” is another one of his gems.

RMR: You even wrote a tribute to the Van Gelder recording studio called “Van Gelder’s Place”, which starts off the album. Tell us about that track. Would you call it bop jazz or post-Bop and how does the track honor the famous recording studio?

Dave Stryker: I always like to play a shuffle blues with this trio since it swings so hard. This sounded like a good tribute to the famous Van Gelder studio.

RMR: What was the inspiration behind the album title and the title track original, “Blue Fire”?

Dave Stryker: I wanted to write a fast smoker and where there is smoke there is fire!

RMR: What are your plans for 2026 and what kind of album would you like to write and record next? 

Dave Stryker: I just returned from Cologne Germany for a week recording and playing with the WDR Big Band led by my friend Bob Mintzer. We did a tribute to my old boss Stanley Turrentine with Bob on tenor and myself and it came out great with Bob’s killer arrangements. Look for that in 2027!