With the crush of new holiday-themed records that come out toward the end of every year, it can be daunting to figure out what’s even worth trying out, much less deciding what merits a purchase. But when I saw that Dave Stryker was adapting his recent ‘Eight Track’ vibe to yuletide songs, well that made the decision much easier.
Anyone who follows this space knows that the jazz guitarist has been making immensely enjoyable soul-jazz records lately covering popular radio tunes of the 1960s and ’70s. They will also recall that Stryker’s doing it with one of the best organ/guitar-based ensembles working today with Jared Gold on organ, McClenty Hunter on drums and Stefon Harris on vibes.
That’s the band Stryker brought into the studio last summer to make their fourth Eight Track-branded album, where the only difference this time is the festive season theme. But that sharp, confident sizzle heard on Vols. I-III is all the same.
What I like about this Christmas record is that Stryker still manages to inject a lot of that ‘eight track’ spirit into the holiday spirit by including songs that originated around the eight track era. Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” (a personal favorite of mine) came out at the dawn of the seventies and since then no matter whose covering it, Hathaway’s strong, upbeat melody comes through. That’s no exception here, and Harris, Stryker and Gold all lift the song higher with stellar solos.
Stryker & crew give John Lennon’s hopeful “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” a light swing and the leader’s guitar sets a fittingly peaceful tone. “Soulful Frosty” is a thoroughly delightful mashup of “Soulful Strut” from Young-Holt Unlimited and “Frosty The Snowman.”
In keeping with other boomer faves, “Christmas Time Is Here” from Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas is here, too, and it’s a gem due in part to Gold’s B3 glowing warmly like a hearth during the dead of winter. And “Blue Christmas” — made famous by Elvis Presley– fits in well with Stryker’s deeply blues side.
Stryker’s combo tastefully contemporizes older classics like “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” “Sleigh Ride” — popularized by the Ronettes — gets a galloping, finger snapping treatment, while “We Three Kings” rides smoothly on Hunter’s loose, 3/4 gait.
So the question isn’t whether you should listen to this because this is the right time of year to be listening to “What Child Is This?” or “O Tannenbaum” — OR — because it’s got Stryker, Harris, Gold and Hunter playing these songs. The answer is simple: it’s because of both of these things.
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