Steely Dan – Aja
In 1977, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen came out of the musical closet and fully embraced the jazz yearnings that had begun to infuse their tunes since Katy Lied was released two years before. Gone were Skunk Baxter and Denny Dias, the brilliant but bluesy guitarists of the earlier albums, replaced by a large handful of jazz session greats for the band’s Aja effort. For consummate perfectionists like Becker and Fagen (who eschewed touring because, among other things, it was counter-productive to go through several takes of a song during a live performance until that bass line was just right), working with professional studio giants allowed for the kind of precision and complexity for which the songwriting duo were ready to tackle.
Raucous hits like “Peg” and “Josie” were custom made for FM radio play, and would be the highlight of any of Steely Dan’s previous albums, but these songs are mere appetizers for large plate offering of “Black Cow,” “Deacon Blues” and “Aja” itself. The music is precise but soulful, respectful of its jazz roots but unafraid to stretch themes into alternate routes. How else could the story of Ulysses, a torch song to an Asian lover, or a reference to Alabama’s Crimson Tide make their way onto a jazz disc?
There’s vinegar, and then there’s Modena vinegar aged in oak casks for 30 years. One adds a complimentary bite to the smoothness of good olive oil; the other is a rich foodstuff that transforms everything to which it is added. Such are the background vocals of Michael McDonald on Aja. No other voice would do to merge with Donald Fagen’s narrative rasp and carry the songs into an ethereal realm. In all, the album is the perfect storm of songwriting experience, a willingness to allow studio professionals to contribute their expertise to a new direction for the band, and a strong willingness to pay homage to the jazz influences of their youth. Aja still is as fresh and important as it was when it was released thirty-five years ago.
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