Here we find guitarist Dave Stryker with Jared Gold (organ) and McClenty Hunter (drums) along with guest Bob Mintzer (saxophone). The trio plus Mintzer have been undertaking tours together with Mintzer as a special guest and now they have gone into the studio to capture the chemistry they have together. This was recorded before they started a week’s residency at Birdland in NYC, and they had not previously played the tracks together, so the result was a fresh recording, often first takes.

This freshness is apparent right from the off, yet the guys have played together a great deal so instinctively know where to fit in, with the title cut settling into the groove right from the first note. Here Stryker and Mintzer set the tone with a wonderful duet, with Gold providing some walking bass with his left hand and harmonies with the right and Hunter driving it along from the rear. Mintzer and Stryker often trade places, and it is not unusual for Mintzer to sit passages out altogether as Stryker leads the band. This album really swings, and is incredibly infectious as they move through the six originals (by Stryker, Mintzer and Gold) along with covers of Wayne Shorter (“Infant Eyes”), Eddie Harris (“Cold Duck Time”) and Harry Warren (“The More I See You”). Here we have an album which could have been recorded at any time in the last seventy years and is certainly far removed from what we unfortunately hear on the radio. Stryker continues to release music which is true jazz, and this one swings and grooves its way into your soul.

Rating: 7/10

Links:
https://www.davestryker.com/
https://www.strikezonerecords.com/