Posted on 03/06/2023 12:28:56 PM PST by nickcarraway
It was a jazz nerd’s dream come true: legendary Miles Davis and Weather Report saxophonist Wayne Shorter was coming into the studio to record on a song. Even better, it was a song that you wrote. Most rock musicians probably wouldn’t have known Shorter from a hole in the wall in 1977, but Walter Becker and Donald Fagen were no average rock musicians, and Steely Dan were no average rock band.
Raised as jazz snobs on the east coast of the United States, Becker and Fagen had worked hard to push Steely Dan beyond their initial 1970s soft rock sound. By ditching most of the musicians from the band’s original lineup and getting the best session players available, Becker and Fagen began incorporating more complex arrangements into their music. By the time the pair were in the studio creating Aja, Steely Dan had transformed into either rock’s version of a jazz band or jazz’s version of a rock band.
Either way, the band had the proper pedigree to begin reaching out to true-blue jazz musicians. Legendary players like Plas Johnson and Larry Carlton had already contributed to albums like Pretzel Logic and Katy Lied, but Aja would be the apex of Steely Dan’s fusion of rock and jazz. Since they were pioneering their own brand of fusion music, why not ask a fellow pioneer to play some sax on the title track?
While talking with Dick LaPalm, owner of the Village Recorder studio which was one of Steely Dan’s many recording spots at the time, producer Gary Katz came in with a request. “During the session, I was in my office sitting at my desk one day when Gary came up,” LaPalm told writer Marc Myers in 2011. “He said, ‘Dick, are you still tight with Wayne Shorter?’ I told him that I was and that Wayne and I had spoken just a few weeks earlier.”
“Gary said, ‘Well Donald and Walter need a favour. They want Wayne to do the solo on the title track,” LaPalm continued. “‘Will you call him? They’d appreciate it so much.’ I said, ‘Sure, Gary, happy to.’ But on his way out of my office, Gary wheeled around and said, ‘Oh, I guess I had better tell you that Wayne turned us down a couple of days ago.’ Gary told me that Steve Diener, president of ABC Records, Steely Dan’s label, had called him.”
“After Gary left, thought about what he had said and realized that Steve must have called Wayne and proudly said something like, ‘Wayne, will you do an overdub for Steely Dan?’,” LaPalm said. “Now from Wayne’s perspective, that’s like saying Iron Butterfly or the Purple Cabbage. It’s just another odd-named rock group to him, nothing special. Wayne didn’t realize who Steely Dan was and how good Donald and Walter were.”
“So I picked up the phone and called Wayne. I had known him for years and loved his writing and playing. We chatted for a bit, and I said, ‘Listen, are you available to come into the Village Recorder and do an overdub for me this week in Studio A?’ That’s where we recorded all of our top acts,” he added. “Wayne asked me who the group was. I said, ‘I don’t remember. But you’re going to love the music.’ He said, ‘When? I said, ‘You tell me.’ He said, ‘How’s Friday at 1 p.m.?’ I said, ‘Great.'”
“When Wayne arrived at the Village Recorder, I met him before Donald and Walter. Wayne asked if before he got started he could chant. I said, ‘Sure’ and sent him into Studio C. When he was done, he came into Studio A,” LaPalm concluded. “I introduced him around and then walked out. Wayne did his solos—six passes in all. He loved the music, and was gone in 35 minutes. The guys were sitting around watching, stunned. After he left, Donald and Walter spliced together the six passes, and that’s what you hear on the album. Donald and Walter couldn’t thank me enough.”
According to LaPalm’s recollections, Becker and Fagen made sure that they were dressed to impress when Shorter arrived. “Donald was dressed in a starched striped shirt—white with blue stripes—pretty spiffy compared to the T-shirts he customarily wore in the studio,” he claimed. Although he was reticent to work with rock groups, Shorter’s experience with Steely Dan obviously softened his stance as he would later play with everyone from Joni Mitchell to Don Henley and The Rolling Stones. In a significant way, Steely Dan provided the bridge for Shorter to peer into the world of rock music.
Check out Shorter’s solo on ‘Aja’ down below.
By the time they got to touring again, I was married with a child and no money to spend on frivolous entertainment..............
Mine too. In 1978, my friend gave me his Aja album because he told me it sucked. It was not like prior Steely Dan albums. More sophisticated if you will.
Can't replace his monologues: https://youtu.be/SsDWQsEgsqg
More ‘Jazzy’...................
Exactly.
At the 4:42 mark...Wow!
Shoot, to me they get better with age.
The Royal Scam album was a masterpiece too. Kid Charlemagne, great lyrics and guitar.
Carlton on Guitar: https://musicaficionado.blog/2018/08/29/larry-carltons-sessions-with-steely-dan-and-joni-mitchell/
It was tougher in the old days when they never went on tour. They did start sometime around...199 I think
Nope...it was 1993. Before that...not much at all.
Can’t Buy A Thrill is one of the best albums of all time.
Thanks for that on Aja. I have never seen Rick Beato so excited. I always dismissed Aja. But it it is quite a put together tune. Once again proving all artistic masterpieces are done when the artists is young. In this case Steely Dan and their musicians. Steely Dan don’t play sheeet on their records. They arrange and produce their musicians.
Like directing a movie.
I had to bring up the song Aja again to hear the solo. I had the album and always slipped that song because its so drawn out and boring. Wayne is an incredible player but unfortunately had little to play against on that solo.
I agree. After Shorter's death I tracked down and played Aja just to remind myself of his solo. It slightly improved a mediocre song.
On the other hand, listen to this solo from Miles's "In a Silent Way":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHesqaMhh34&t=1650s.
Miles starts playing directly afterward.
Yeah - I have that Miles album - in a silent way. Seriously heavy music. Thanks for the specific link and re-listen.
Wayne has this thing where he holds notes and changes the timbre. infectious and rich. He doesn’t always have to play a lot of notes to get across this vibe.
He did it in the Aja song as well. What a loss seeing him go.
Aja released on September 23, 1977
I was in high school and nobody had a tattoo.
I miss the 70’s
I like the Aja album ok, but I always prefer the more guitar-driven era of Steely Dan.
Yes I hear that. I was able to see them live for reeling in the years tour. They had a good band then.
They then got very sophisticated which I appreciated but no longer a band. Ridiculous stories of going through whole bands to record each song. Great sounding but almost sterile at that point.
I wore that 8-track out!..................
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