Luna Stage opens the second season of its Music in the Moonlight Jazz Series on Sunday, October 14th at 7pm with a one-night only concert by acclaimed guitarist Dave Stryker. Mr. Stryker will be accompanied by Jared Gold on organ and McClenty Hunter, Jr. on drums in a performance of The Incredible Jazz Guitar: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery at Luna Stage, 555 Valley Road in West Orange, NJ 07052.
Tickets are on sale now ($18 in advance, $20 at the door) and can be purchased in person, over the phone at (973) 395-5551, or on the Luna Stage website: www.lunastage.org. The concert is part of a six-concert series. Three or six-concert subscriptions can be purchased for $45 or $72. Other artists scheduled to appear in the series include trumpeter Claudio Roditi, tenor saxophonist Virginia Mayhew, saxophonist/flutist Don Braden, and drummer Greg Bufford.Wes Montgomery played one of the most unique and exciting sounds in improvisational music. He continues to be the standard for modern jazz guitarists. It’s only natural that West Orange-based jazz guitarist Stryker would pay tribute to Montgomery, as he was one of Dave's early influences.Stryker is now considered a guitarist with his own voice as well. He has recorded 23 CDs where he was lead for his own group and has been featured as a sideman with Stanley Turrentine and Jack McDuff, among others. Gary Giddins of The Village Voice called Stryker “…one of the most distinctive guitarists to come along in recent years.” He was voted one of the Top Ten Guitarists in the 2001 Downbeat Readers Poll, and a Rising Star for the last 5 years in the Downbeat Critics Poll.Videos