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Musician/Producer Comments on "Aja" by Steely Dan
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- Опубликовано: 9 мар 2022
- Musician/Producer Comments on "Aja" by Steely Dan
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#SteelyDan #Aja #StrateleStudios
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Donald Fagen & Walter Becker's insistence on excellence resulted in one of the most perfect songs ever written/recorded. Aja is a masterpiece, and it endures through time. Thanks for reviewing my very favorite song, Jeff. 💗
Thank you Irene! I’m so glad you agree! 😁😁😁❤️
The title track of the album, Aja, which is the most complex song on the album, was the easiest track they recorded, in that it came together more quickly than any of the others. Donald and Michael credited that to the excellent musicians they had in the studio who were completely prepared for the session. They did talk about Wayne Shorter's sax solo. They had a little trouble talking him into doing the session. He was afraid they were going to try and tell him what they wanted him to play. This is a heavy-weight jazz dude, with many seminal solo albums out, he played with Miles and Weather Report. He finally agreed to come in and do it, and he just told them, play it down and let me listen to it, they did... and he smoked his solo's off the top of his head, they were keepers. He was golden.
So many Steely Dan/Donald Fagen songs to choose from. I listen everyday. Can’t get enough! ❤
Oh, Aja..a song I never get tired. I let it kinda flow through me everytime, as much a series of emotions as a song.
Exactly!
Brings back so many memories. When I was young my uncle listened to Steely Dan all the time and I just feel privileged to have grown up listening to them. Always such an amazing mix and sound. Love their music...thanks for sharing mate
Thank you Paul! Ya I’m so glad I grew up with Steely Dan, they have always been the standard of which to try and achieve when I was younger. One of my other favorites is Deacon Blue. I may put that one up as well!
You did it, remember requesting this one a few weeks ago ❤️
That’s right my friend! 😃😃😃
Great reaction here. I loved your reflections, insights and appreciative enthusiasm. Steely Dan has always been, and I think will ever be my favorite band. Thanks!
This is right up my alley! I've been a fan since they did Reelin' in the years, My Old School...to Kamakiriad, D. Fagen's The Nightfly and so on! A very special group with loads of really good music! 😀
Yes! Kamakiriad has one of my favs from Fagen…”On the Dunes” ah man that song kills me! 🥰
Oh man, there's so much good from that era like Gino Vanellis Brother to Brother, Appaloosa... Also the Airplay collab with Graydon etc. Doobie brothers.. I have so many awesome classics in store from those days 😊.
Such an amazing time for music ❤️
These were good times - I was young, driving in my cabriolet, listening to Steely Dan. Everything was easy. Haitian Divorce was my favourite. ♥
Ahhhhhh did you have a white Cabriolet? 😊
@@StrateleStudios
No, I had a dark-blue VW Golf. I was at the end of the Eighties about 19/20 years old and I have always been open to all different genres of music. In high school I listened to Herp Alpert with an older classmate (even though Corey Wong would talk about "elevator music" again 😄 - but Route 101 is also perfect for a sunny day in a convertible!) - and I loved Art of Noise. They were clearly ahead of their time.
Thank you for introducing me to this track. I'm just too young to have missed them (plus I lived in the UK). I'll have to go and listen again... And again... And again...
You are so welcome!!! 😃
Nice commentary, enjoyed that. Been a fan since Can't Buy A Thrill. They honestly did not record a bad song. There's maybe 2 or 3 I don't care for but otherwise their entire catalogue through Gaucho is just stellar. Masters of tension and release, they seem to always know when to hold the musical suspense and release it, all to a funky r&b rhythm.
What they did was just masterful! Love them!
When that album came out i was 20yo its a masterclass in production (music-recording) it helped me to understand sound engineering at another level, i tried to apply some of that in my over 40 years on stage sound engineering.
Great reaction! I'm a big fan of Steve Gadd and also Wayne Shorter (favorite with Michael Brecker)
You get it my friend 100 percent. These guys were the standard we all would strive to reach. What a wonderful example for us all. ❤️
i agree with you... this song from steely Dan is amazing ...pure modern jazz
😃😃😃
Can't go wrong with Steely Dan. Thanks, Jeff.
Thank you my friend!
Never heard this song before. Nice one. I get the feeling of movie music, someone going in their car with the wind in their hair on winding roads along the coast in the US somewhere 🙂
Ahhhhh very good!
Back in the day, using a whistle in music became popular. But thinking back, this is the earliest song that used a whistle.
Yes! I’m glad you mentioned that! 👏
Threw me back to1977-1978! Steely Dan was 40 years ahead of their time for sure. Good analysis Jeff. Gadd and Shorter were phenomenal as usual...duh! Your jazz reference was spot on. But my fellow late teen/20ish peers just thought Aja and other Steely Dan music was just weird. Nice to hear NY origins band too!
Doesn’t this bring back memories man?! 🥰
@@StrateleStudios Indeed
yes! aahahah I KNEW you were gonna eventually cover this Jeff. you've got the *shirt* ..and impeccable taste of course. **^.~** Gadd *_FTW_*
Finally I did it! It was such a treat to do this one. ❤️
You can't go wrong with Steely Dan. So much talent allowed to shine on every track with encouragement from Fagen and Becker!
I so agree. They’ve always been one of my top fav bands. 😊👏
@@StrateleStudios The Marcus King band totally nailed Home At Last on their LIVE from Greenville concert from 2019. They opened with it and was totally unexpected coming from a bluesy southern rock genre. It's a must listen IMO
@@scott2425 LOVE that tune!
@@StrateleStudios 😍
Yep 😍
😁
Actually, that was a marimba-not vibes at the beginning. This album was so amazing! My friend of 60 years, Jim Keltner, was the drummer on “Josie”. He told me that when he went into the studio, he was faced with a 6-page drum part! That was really unusual in those days. Wayne took a lot of flack doing this song from jazz purists which was so provincial of those people. And I’m a jazz pianist, and I so hate people who love our genre, but are so biased. Keltner and Steve Gadd are good friends, by the way!
You are absolutely right, it’s a marimba! Ya they ran the sessions like a jazz ensemble hahaha. I bet Wayne could care less about the flack he got for doing this…he seems to be like that. I’m a huge Weather Report fan so you can imagine my glee to know Wayne played on this. 😊😊😊
Josie is my favorite cut from the album!
@@peterkoeppl1186 love that intro on Josie! 🥰
@@StrateleStudios yes
Beautiful analysis, thank you! Of course Wayne Shorter was the great founder of Weather Report, and his hard-bop work as both front man and session player with the likes of Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Lee Morgan et al throughout 60's and beyond was absolutely brilliant.
Thank you Rich! 😁😁😁
It's about ex President Nixon going back to China in 1976. Two years after resigning due to Watergate. I was living in a major city on East Coast when the album came out in '77. A newspaper reviewer broke down the song line by line. It made perfect sense.
P.S. I was very active in the anti Vietnam war movt. 1970-75.
Oh Jeff, I should have expected that a day you would react to Donald Fagen! Just jumping to my 20s playing Maxine a summer in a club in Sorrento in the south of Italy!
Yes!!! 😃😃😃 love it!
The thing about these guys is I get the feeling that they did what they wanted to do artistically and still were a hit machine! Amazing! Love Wayne shorter!
Yes!!! Man what a feat!
Great band, great song and great reaction!👌🙏🏼😊
Thank you my friend!
Marimba, not vibes -- lots of people get that one wrong because the vibraphone is so much more common in jazz and commercial music than the marimba.
Love your content, Jeff! Forgive my nitpick!
Ahhh thank you! Yes you are so right the vibraphone is so prevalent in jazz it’s easy to make that mistake. Thanks for the correction! 😃
Yep... again and again. But the thing is... I really like the earlier LPs more - more flow and more concentrated.
"Aja" is refined musical storytelling and... the recording quality was sooo ahead of it´s time. It was analogue, not digital and on Vinyl. Well done Jeff.
Great song! Peg has been my cellphone ring signal for at least 15 years. This album is one of my absolute favorites since I discovered Steely Dan 2002. I was not born when it came out.
You, sir, have great taste in music then!
After hearing this....No one should wonder why we dont listen to top 40 "so called" radio music of today..
Half a century ago I started listening to those two weird guys. They wrote the funkiest music with clever and sarcastic lyrics. Today, I am still listening and I keep discovering new sounds. Isn’t that just amazing ?
I am so with you on this! 👏👏👏
I always say Steely Dan is your favorite bands favorite band ✌🤘
Hahahaha yes!!!
Awww Jeff, that personal story together with your walk-through while listening again - both re. your memories and all the technical elements (and there are many in this one🌈)✨)+ the stories and explanations afterwards …. that was so touching, heart-warming as well as educational to me🥺❤️🎶💚🌱😃🤗.
I haven’t heard this song before! (maybe too young at the time or just the fact that we can’t have heard everything, right😄), but I really really liked it, and knowing myself as a kid I would have Loved listening to all these various magical and very rhythmical sounds soooooo clean individually and together weawing the most beautiful and imaginary carpet to fly away discovering new adventures and stories on …… ahhhh🙏🏼🌈🎶🤗. Just Great! Just Great! And now downloaded the album to listen …. and listen😃😄👍🏼.
I, for one, would really like for you to do some of these personal sharings/reactions/analysis again once in a while - if you want to ofcourse and can find the time😉🤗.
Also, I enjoyed reading all the throw-backs, memories, experiences etc. in the commentaries here, wonderful people🤗 - such a joy and example of what music can do and bring us throughout our lives!🎶🌈❤️💚☺️.
🌸 Btw. re. the good Mr. Gadd in very present time:
If interested Michael Blicher shared a wonderful little documentary 1 year ago about their trio “Blicher/Hemmer/Gadd” (Gadd loves this constellation), and I think it’s a beautiful perl showing their love and passion for music and how much they appreciate playing with each other😍❤️🎶🤗:
Michael Blicher (DK): Saxophone/composer/bandleader etc.
Dan Hemmer (DK): Hammond Organ.
Steve Gadd (US): Drums.
Eddi Jarl (DK): Percussions etc.
ruclips.net/video/WgZ9OP-IdPQ/видео.html
Thank you🙏🏼💜☀️🤗.
Love your comment Lise! (As always 😊) Thank you so much!!! That documentary is cool! I’m watching it now! 😁👏👏👏🤗👍❤️
Thank you, Jeff!☺️🤗
Oh, you were watching it?!😃🥰💚 I really hope that you enjoyed it!🤗 A really special event 🤩 in totally down-to-earth-surroundings at Eddi Jarl (great drummer himself btw.) - actually quite close to where I live💚😄 - I love these settings and sometimes miss being part of arranging/helping/“housing”💚😌😊.
A big shout out to every single one of them here!!!!🔥🔥🔥🔥😍🥰
Actually, because I couldn’t get on that planned trip to Norway anyway🇮🇸😷😢😉, but wanted to keep the spirit high, I just watched this doc. again+another little documentary they made 3 years ago more digging into their creative process (a bit more nerdy), but I’ll share it here if any interest💚🤗:
ruclips.net/video/GIFDrn4EqzI/видео.html
I loved the process. I loved the outcome. I love these guys!🥰
Denny Dias has commented on that solo before. All he could do was pick a few notes out of the chords and play them. He kinda just winged it and he could 'cause he's that good. I hate that we didn't get more Denny solos. They always called in other guys for that sort of thing, though I do think he tried one on "Peg" they didn't use.
That’s just crazy because those solos are so damn good!
Love your joy
Sweet man
Awww thank you Linda! ☺️☺️☺️
Nice background visually And good Adio. The narrative is very 🤑.
💙
Snarky Puppy set to tour with Steely Dan...
Ya saw that, hot damn!
THE DAN NEVER DISAPPOINTS ME NEVER BORED.
NO SUCK MUSIC
Hahaha “No Suck Music” I gotta used that term now 😄
It’s a musical masterpiece 😎🙏♥️👍
Yes! 👏
@@StrateleStudios outstanding review BTW 🙏😎♥️
@@stony2494 thank you my friend! 😊
For 42 years, no other group has been able to reach my top shelf where Steely Dan sat alone..................until I found Dirty Loops a few weeks ago. Would you or could you suggest to Dirty Loops to cover a Steely Dan piece. I bet it would be great
I am with you 100 percent on this! 👏👏👏
Yes, I'm agree, Aja is a great song. But I can't say if it's one of my favorite. I don't think there is a Steely Dan song that's bad. I love them all. And also the solo albums by Donald Fagan is great.
Love Fagen’s solo stuff too. “Maxine” is brilliant.
@@StrateleStudios I think maybe I like I.G.Y from the same album best. I also like Snowbound from Kamakiriad very much. Love the official video.
@@toreg.nyhammer6328 “On the Dunes” for me off that album but the whole thing is GREAT!
@@StrateleStudios Yes, you're right, the whole album is great, and now I had to listen to it in my car on my way to work 😍
@@toreg.nyhammer6328 now *I* have to listen to it again too! 😄
Please listen to Eva Cassidy, Over the Rainbow.
The funny thing to me is that Steve Gadd was a great disco drummer also!...lol
Hahahahaha! Dang
Steve was at the top of his game regardless of the genre. Rock, jazz, disco, etc. He did what a studio cat is supposed to do. Play the hell out of whatever the producer puts in front of you.
Mathrock. Don't know if you heard of it, but...... Just try to count the measures and transitions. Good Luck! Lyrical tones are unique as well..
It may be nitpicking but as a percussionist I have to note that in the beginning it's marimba not vibes. Later the hook you refer to is a little tougher to tell but I think it's upper range marimba or possibly xylophone. I'm thinking it's still marimba.
Right, others have made the same comment 😊
It’s funny I immediately thought vibes because they are so prevalent in jazz but you are totally right! 😄