Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » The Stryker / Slagle Band: Latest Outlook

140

The Stryker / Slagle Band: Latest Outlook

The Stryker / Slagle Band: Latest Outlook
The Stryker/Slagle Band's two previous recordings, The Stryker/Slagle Band and Live at the Jazz Standard, were energetically received, and Latest Outlook promises more of the same.

Presently, guitarist Dave Stryker and reedsman Steve Slagle are employing bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Billy Hart (tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano joins the band on two of the cuts). The music collected here by the two leaders is made up of mostly original compositions that might fall into the category of post-Miles post bop. The pieces are characterized by complex melody lines and improvisations over the cacophonous drumming by Billy Hart, recalling a young Tony Williams in his fire breathing days.

Both principals are equally adept at composing musical pieces brimming with lengthy, complex melodies that are at once challenging and familiar. These songs are typically performed with Stryker and Slagle doubling notes and chords, followed by one or the other soloing. Stryker is an excellent accompanist, providing Slagle a soft chording cushion. Stryker has evolved his guitar sound into a very personal one that's soft, round and precise. Slagle plays soulfully on both soprano and alto horns.

Tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano joins the band for Stryker's bebop-drenched "Bird Flew and Slagle's tribute to the late John Hicks, "Dear Mr. Hicks. Lovano exists on an equal creative plane with Stryker and Slagle on this recording, elevating the two above their usually high level of creativity. The band really kicks things into gear on these selections. The Stryker/Slagle Band has been on the cutting edge of progressive jazz for twenty years, and they continue to deserve attention.

Visit Dave Stryker and Steve Slagle on the web.

Track Listing

Knew Hold; Latest Outlook; Bird Flew; Hartland; Dear Mr. Hicks; Self-Portrait in Three Colors; Turning Point; In Just Time.

Personnel

Stryker Slagle Band
band / ensemble / orchestra

Dave Stryker: guitar; Steve Slagle: alto and soprano saxophone; Jay Anderson: bass; Billy Hart: drums; Joe Lovano: tenor saxophone (3,5).

Album information

Title: Latest Outlook | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Zoho Music

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.