Dave Stryker talks 8 tracks and his Van Gelder dream

Dave Stryker has come a long way from his Omaha roots, learning the blues from the likes of Jack McDuff, and releasing a string of recordings that are rooted, nostalgic and expansive all at the same time. His latest record is the culmination of most jazzmen’s dream, to record at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. The album is called Blue Fire: The Van Gelder Session. But we held on to the interview for a few weeks so we could release it in time for the annual celebration of the coolest, clunkiest audio format ever – National 8 Track Day (held annually on April 11). Stryker has put out four albums built around the music of the 1960s and 70s, so he’s kind of an 8-track hero, as well as a guitar hero.