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partnership in the Stryker/Slagle Band.
“Our work together has evolved over the
years,” said Stryker, 52. “We have improved as
players and songwriters, which has allowed us to
create more concisely. Paying dues, traveling all
over—it enriches the way you play and think.”
Regarding The Scene, Slagle said, “We went
into the studio after a week of playing at Dizzy’s
Club Coca-Cola in New York, and so all the
new songs for the recording were tight. Even
after all these years, our sound keeps getting
more and more defined. Dave and I have put
together an orchestration between us, so the guitar
and sax roll in it.”
The Scene starts with Slagle’s “Skee,” a tribute
to bassist Dennis Irwin, who died in early
2008 from cancer. The mood of the album was
also influenced by the premature death of
Slagle’s brother Stuart, a guitarist; a ballad written
in his memory, “Hopewell’s Last,” appears
on the set. His band’s endurance attests to how
they’ve absorbed what they’ve learned from
such mentors, and what they see today.
“Keeping a unit together and seeing how it
evolves and grows is not something everybody
can do,” Slagle said. “Dave has learned a lot
from all the elders, like Pat Martino, so his
work comes at you from a lot of places. I grew
up playing duos with my brother, and then
later got to play with John Scofield and Mike
Stern quite a bit, so I like the format and feel
comfortable in it. Our writing is different,
though we enjoy working things out together.”
—Thomas Staudter
RODRIGO AMADO
ingly. He compares these rites to the manner in
which guitarists manage their sound gear. “I’m
not even aware that my hand is moving up to
my ear to make an adjustment. It’s all natural,”
he said. “Essentially, it’s how well you use what
you have.”
—Eric Fine
March 2009 DOWNBEAT 25