are you with me, dr. wu?

the LA concession

as i begin to settle in the city of angels on the "left" coast, i finally had the chance to spend time this weekend digging around some local music venues.

the internet is an amazing thing, providing a unique and efficient way to meet people of all stripes.  my music writer cyber-friend gina vodegel put me on to public relations specialist lorna chiu as a contribution to my los angeles rolodex.  of course what has now become the inevitable steely dan connection reared its serendipitous head yet again because lorna just happens to be married to john beasley.  john is a steely dan alum of high regard and a fine musician in his own right.  in any event, lorna was able to hook me up with a client of hers who made an appearance on the nightly newscast i executive produce here in los angeles.  then came the invitation to meet and hear john play at charlie o's, a van nuys jazz haunt in the san fernando valley.  john's quartet performed three sets of incredibly monster jazz featuring heavy doses of john coltrane.  amazing musicians those cats.  john and lorna introduced me to some friends and they were all warm and welcoming ... a much appreciated gesture.

the following night's music agenda played out at the catalina jazz club on sunset boulevard in hollywood.  i had visited this club a couple of years ago to hear mike stern.  this time the headliner was bobby caldwell, whose music i've enjoyed over the years but had never heard/seen live.  the wait was worth it.  caldwell's septet was definitely a world class bunch and the high energy 80 minutes+ set was chock full of those bobby caldwell tunes we've all heard and recognize ... and still hold up very well today.  and by the way, caldwell was hitting all those high notes just as he was in the late 70's so there was no cheating on the vocals.

all 'n all a rewarding music weekend that lays the foundation for future forays as i become "localized" and routinely drive west on sunset to the sea.

major jane street sunrise

as i discovered in my most recent trek to the city that never sleeps over the past few days, things are a-ok at the home base.

saturday at the 55 bar in the west village it was k.j. denhert and the ny unit. they are never a disappointment but on this particular night k.j. and her boys were in truly rare form ... simply a quartet, with ray levier on drums, mamadou ba on bass and peter vitalone on keyboards, the group delivered arguably the most stunning, energetic, tight and most intense three sets these eyes and ears have ever witnessed. some major label (or labels, as the case may be) is missing the boat big time and maybe someone should wake up, but then again, k.j.'s music is at its best when it's "her" version instead of some corporate a&r bigwig's who would likely micromanage her act ... maybe it's just as well they remain independent and therefore, accessible to those who like her for what she is.

an interesting anecdote of the evening at the 55 was that we were graced by the presence of carolyn leonhart who joined our table to enjoy her first-ever k.j. denhert live set. i've been bugging carolyn to catch k.j. for a couple of years now so finally, success! before she bopped back uptown, carolyn picked up one of k.j.'s cd's and traded for a second one by offering k.j. her new cd, a collaboration with wayne escoffery titled "if dreams come true". wouldn't it be a trip if carolyn hooked up k.j. and the band to open for a steely dan tour?  nice thought, huh?

the other music item on the agenda was a jaunt to blue note for the jane monheit show. i'd heard all the monheit buzz and some of her releases but i'd never seen her live and wasn't too familiar with her musical repertoire. monheit has a wonderful voice with a wide range and a great deal of control. she mixed jazz and brazilian standards, originals, and creative arrangements of recognizable pop tunes. her version of stevie wonder's "overjoyed" was tastefully done, as was her delicate treatment of henry mancini's "moon river", performed only with pianist michael kanan. her sidemen were excellent, all solid jazz players with a good feel for the nuances of monheit's re-worked tunes. bassist neil miner owned his instrument masterfully and was a stalwart during the show; drummer rick montalbano had the touch and jazz chops to go with his apparent command of stage operations; guitarist miles okazaki was terrific and showed a nice touch and feel for his guitar; and saxophonist ari ambrose showed musical depth by blending in or taking solos with utmost expertise and quite a set of lungs. you may recall ambrose's tour participation in the steely dan horn sections at the turn of the century.

all in all another fruitful trip to the crossroads of the world, as even this soon after returning i begin to plot my next trip.

daddy don't live in that NYC no more

but he should. every time i visit new york the overwhelming sense that i should be living, working and playing there seems to intensify.  this latest foray into the bustling pool of diversity that is my birthplace resulted in a wide variety of experiences. the music scene was chock full of surprises.

starting with guitarist peter mazza's terrific trio at the bar next door on thursday, followed by a visit to the comedy cellar where an outrageous lineup of seven comedians underscored the meaning of the term "to split a gut".

friday evening was reserved for a visit to smoke on the upper west side where wayne escoffery and his most excellent quartet played a steller first of six sets over two nights that once cherry picked, will result in the release of a live cd. wayne's wife carolyn leonhart was in the house and as usual it was great to hang with her for a while.

saturday evening it was 55 bar night for all three k.j. denhert sets and typically, they rocked, funked and urban-jazzed the house. made some very nice new friends there, including two wide eyed nine year-olds who along with the mother of one were treated to great music and an unexpected photo op with k.j. herself. also on hand were two subjects of the british empire who were also experiencing k.j. at her very best.

can't wait for the next return visit, and hopefully at some point i will instead of flying, drive my car into town with a moving trailer in tow.

frisky on the left coast

donald fagen and his band shook l.a. with a 9 on the richter scale tonight. the show at the wiltern (the classic theatre named after the intersection of wilshire and western where it resides) hit on all cylinders and rocked the house to the rafters.

a definite highlight of the evening was one of two known fagen love songs, maxine, from the nightfly album. df was in rare form for his l.a. gig, keeping the band in a tight pocket in which loose change could not ever hope to jingle.

at the end of the evening, carolyn leonhart's backstage pass hookup yielded excellent conversation with brother michael, backup vocalist sister cindy mizell, bass player freddie washington, keyboardist jeff young and tandem guitar players jon herington and wayne krantz.

carolyn herself was classy and gracious as always. i appreciate and value her friendship.

meow mix

great night at the beacon in new york tonight.  unusual to see fagen without becker but it was still a classic evening.

here is the setlist:

here at the western world, nightfly, green flower street, new frontier, third world man, home at last, bright nightgown, fm, h gang, what i do, the goodbye look and i.g.y.  for the the encore pretzel logic and chuck berry's long live rock and roll.

backstage after the show was fun.  carolyn leonhart was gracious as ever by providing the necessary and much coveted passes.  got to chat with her, cindy mizell, keith carlock, freddie washington and jon herington.  by the time I got there, fagen has long made tracks to his upper east side digs, possibly to feed morph. the band has a day off tomorrow and moves north to boston for their next tour stop.

cat's out!

this final chapter of a musical cd trilogy that began with "the nightfly" and followed by "kamakiriad", donald fagen's morph the cat is due to be released in the states on march 7, 2006.

according to fagen in a pre-release article in the new york times - http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/26/arts/music/26kapl.html - he apparently flexes his social commentary muscles on this cd, taking the opportunity to say what's on his political mind - already some are bristling, but that's a good thing. 

the cd's release will be supported by a spring/summer tour and i plan on attending the shows at the beacon in nyc and the wiltern in la ... let you know how that goes.

have you heard

about the boom on MIZAR5? 

greetings to gina and her friends in belgium and surrounding countries.  i stumbled onto her neat site books.dreambook.com/mizar5/mizar.html  a couple of days ago and found more fans under the steely dan influence lurking about that part of the world ... such a small planet as it is.  we've been in touch now and can only look forward to exchanging more music discussion and sharing site clicks.  welcome and sign in, (not) strangers.

in memoriam - cornelius bumpus

 

very sad to hear of the passing of cornelius bumpus on tuesday, february 3, 2004.  condolences to his family and circle of music colleagues.  i consider myself very fortunate to have been around to hear his work over the past 30+ years, and to see him perform live in concert with steely dan.  we will miss him.

photo ©2000 amanda parks

celestial theft

if the idea of stealing the moon ever struck me, the first two accomplices i’d recruit would be carolyn leonhart and rob bargad. their collaboration on the cd “steal the moon” blends a mix of five standard jazz songs and five bargad originals that take you on a polished, sensitive and tasty journey through the musical heavens.

two of bargad’s originals, the instrumental “juju knows” and the bluesy “little man”, are delivered delicately yet dynamically ... the former showcases bargad’s well-honed keyboard chops and the latter his well-measured voice ... both tunes also introduce you to the considerable talents of three of the cd’s musicians – bassist daniel sadownick and drummers jimmy cobb and billy drummond.

“all because of you”, “yesterday’s a dream” and the title tune “steal the moon” - featuring guitarist david gilmore - are also outstanding bargard compositions. these three songs show off leonhart’s ability to weave her finely tuned voice with a degree of control and phrasing that is rare in a young singer.

as you can read in his articulate liner notes in reference to leonhart's cd release "steal the moon", - sunnysidezone.com/Artists/Carolbio.html - award winning reviewer bob blumenthal writes that bargad never hesitated to give those songs to leonhart … and apparently doing so wasn’t much of a gamble for bargad as leonhart lets her jazz background take over to deliver on bargad’s originals in a way that reminds us of great singers past and present.

the selection of standards for "steal the moon" is presented in an equally impressive manner … “nature boy”, “it didn’t turn out that way” - you can listen to a sample of this song at carolynleonhart.com - and “sunday kind of love”, allow leonhart to highlight her vocal skills that can go in a new york second from a subtle and mellow mood to the definite domination of a phrase … yet in either case, she never loses the feel for the lyrics and somehow manages to let the song and music continue to be the stars. “i’ve grown accustomed to his face” is presented with interesting arrangement nuances to alter the familiar tune just enough to make you listen carefully to make sure it’s the song you thought it was … dare i say it is my favorite on the cd. finally “moonglow”, which coincidentally ends the cd, pairs up leonhart with her father jay on bass … and man are they locked in!

“steal the moon” is literally a steal … if you like jazz and enjoy standards, pick it up, confidently toss it into the cd player in a random mix along with other standard jazz cd's, stare up at the night sky, and you too will wonder if this bargard-leonhart musical match wasn’t made in heaven.

clear as glass

check out the tracks from the album reviewed below at lynleon.com

i will try to convey in words what it is i think i’ve found … a very fresh collection of music presented in a most unusual way emphasizing percussion and glass. 

in lyn leon’s cd “glass lounge”, swiss musicians and composers stephan diethelm and matthias eser collaborate with new york singer and composer carolyn leonhart to present a meticulously crafted collection of songs that take the listener on a soothing yet haunting musical journey. 

"glass lounge" features compositions penned by these three creative musicians who use an instrumentation ix of glass, rhodes keyboards, mallets and bass … resulting in mellow mood music which coaxes the listener into a relaxed state while making one wonder how and why it is that the unique sound just seems to gently get under the skin. 

lyrically, “glass lounge” is a vehicle for leonhart’s collection of love songs that run the emotional gamut from confusion and uncertainty to relationship definition and ecstasy.  combined with the gentleness of the sounds generated by the instrumentation, leonhart's lyrics express the myriad feelings evoked by the many phases of a love relationship ... and her soothing and finely controlled voice allows the lyrics to snuggle into the comfort of the musical cradle crafted by these sensitive musicians.

“never” opens the cd and immediately identifies the musical and lyrical intent of “glass lounge”.  once the concept is established, the frantic “stronger than that” comes along to introduce a protagonist that has been spun around in confusion following a failed love affair, and then eventually falls into acceptance and even defiance.  the mood remains in play as you reach “would you catch me”, a tune that skips along happily like the prospect of a new love relationship … then “66th street” lays back and takes a look at lost love.  the song sequence rolls into a definite head-bobbing blues groove which serves as the foundation for “childish".

then a hard and quick turn is on the horizon as the cd flows into “priquer” (co-written by leonhart and her brother michael, an accomplished trumpet player and jazz musician in his own right), the quirky tale of a young girl seemingly awed by the world around her …and leonhart handles the tricky vocal phrasing delightfully.  “glass lounge” continues with “marimba lounge”, a spicy and musical time challenging piece, “the answer”, “everywhere and nowhere”, “anytime” and “photo” … the cd concludes with “silver storm”, a mostly instrumental finale.

lyn leon is currently on tour in europe and apparently plans are in place for more from this unique group … we can only hope.  at lynleon.com you can hear the tracks from “glass lounge”, as well as the entire collection of songs from lyn leon's first cd release, “glass songs”.   

my thanks to stephan diethelm for making lyn leon’s “glass lounge” cd available to me by way of carolyn leonart, who i was fortunate to hear and meet at “smoke” in new york earlier this month.

"glass lounge" is a 2001 release produced by percords and recorded and mixed at luckymusic in luzern ... session credits for "glass lounge" also include bassist wolf zwiauer and drummer and percussionist kaspar rast, who leonhart, diethelm and eser thank for their creative and inspirational contributions.

smiling phases

music is such a fine "drug".  i'm happiest when listening to music, be it live, recorded or "in the making". 

i've also discovered another wonderful way to get a dose of the good stuff ... writing about it.  i have a golden opportunity to use this weblog as a vehicle to share with you my musical experiences so i intend to make the most of it. 

i was in new york last week and was fortunate to not only hear very special music, but also to meet and talk with the talented artists who are dedicated to following their hearts to develop their chosen art form. 

as i gather my thoughts on the musical works of carolyn leonhart, the yellowjackets and the moutin brothers, i invite you to visit this weblog over the next week or so to read more about these special musicians and the manhattan venues where they engaged their audiences in a short four day span.

i will also tell you about a lyn leon, a swiss group who uses percussion to forge a truly fresh and distinctive sound, collaborating with carolyn leonhart in the process.  i think you will find the approach rather fresh, to say the least.

this time around it's iridium, smoke, jazz standard and switzerland ... from midtown and uptown to the east side and across the atlantic ... outstanding talent and big apple jazz venues ... all coming up very soon.  this is just a start.

spicy new attraction

steely dan colleague-fan dan o'malley has updated The Steely Dan Dictionary with entries from "everything must go".  you may want to check out the dan's use of otherwise ordinary terms and names as lyrics on the songs in their latest cd.  thx for the update, dan!

trading fours

one the essential live rock concert traditions is the solo.  i don't think there has ever been a live concert where the drummer or guitar player didn't play a solo, so if you've ever been to a show where this didn't happen, please let me know.

friday night's steely dan concert in atlanta certainly was no exception.  dan session and tour drummer keith carlock keithcarlock.com took center stage for his solo on "josie".  i've seen tons of drummers in my life and i can tell you this guy has it going on big time.  very strong and solid, carlock is so comfortable he makes his job look easy but don't think it's not a workout.  all night long carlock presided over his set with precise meter and a demeanor which had the endurance of a long distance runner and the catlike quickness of a sprinter.  carlock is strong and solid and you will continue to hear and see more of him in the future.

lead guitar player jon herington (jonherington.com) handled several solos during the evening, but his brightest moment came towards the end of the show when he played back to back solos on "kid charlemagne" and "don't take me alive".  steely dan always has top of the line lead guitar players and herington certainly fits in that list without exception.  clean, quick, tasty, funky and with a very bright and biting sound, herington's playing is more than complimentary to walter becker's signature steely dan guitar riffs.

keyboard player ted baker's  brief musical intro/interlude to encore song "my old school" may have sounded out of context at first but at a certain point in the arrangement, it became very apparent there was a direct tie-in to the song from the "countdown to ecstasy" album.  if donald fagen is steely dan's eccentric raconteur extraordinaire, baker is the mad professor of the keyboard.

steely dan fans are very familiar with the very important role the horn parts have played in defining the band's sound over the years.  once described in a review as "blue note-like", the classic yet fresh arrangements have always been a mainstay of the dan mode.  on this fine atlanta evening the horn section was really cooking.  the touring members of the dan's four piece horn section, sax players cornelius bumpus corneliusbumpus.com and walt weiskopf, trombonist  jim pugh and trumpet player michael leonhart sunnysidezone.com/Artists/mikeleon.html were very busy on this night, with pugh and weiskopf waltweiskopf.com getting a fair share of the work throughout the two sets.  often on selections where in the original you will hear a guitar solo, the horn players substituted with their solos ... a very nice change of pace.  each horn player is a master in his own right with more than enough credentials, but collectively these players are truly one solid unit.

just as tight and dissonant horn arrangements are a steely dan tradition, so are the background vocals.  steely dan's sound over the years is so distinctive and the background singers are very much the "silver key that opens the red door", to quote a line from the song "here at the western world".  the current "emg" tour and cd both feature carolyn leonhart carolynleonhart.com, cindy mizell and cynthia calhoun cynthiacalhoun.com on choir duties.  at one point in mid-set on this night, fagen honored the ladies by presenting each one with their very own georgia peach.   the trusty angel girls had two very specific moments in the show - as the opener for the second set of the evening, they sang lead on a little ditty called "at the steely dan show", and as the lyrics flashed on the big screen behind the stage, the singers encouraged the audience to join in.  later in that same set, they collectively sang the lead vocal on "parker's band".

bass player tom barney did not solo during the show in the traditional sense, although during the warmup selection and band member introductions, he had a chance to show his stuff over several measures.  make no mistake here - barney is very funky, smooth and on musical point with jazz-R&B savvy featuring a great deal of range and feel for all styles of music and complete command of his instrument ... he brings all of these fine attributes to the dan's charts in addition to a very tight musical relationship with drummer keith carlock ... that connection between bass player and drummer is essential to the foundation of any band.

bottom line is every player in this show is a world class musician in his or her own right.  for more in-depth information on steely dan, including the current tour and musicians, go to steelydan.com.

bad sneakers

break over ... i would swear everyone in the band was wearing sneakers tonight.

anyway, set two started with a couple of dan tributes to those young ladies that are just edgy enough to be considered off limits ... "janie runaway" and "hey 19", the former a "two against nature" track and the latter a "gaucho" cd selection and top 40 radio fixture.  walter becker again adeptly handled the vocal on "haitian divorce" but a fresher treat was soon to follow ... back-to-back tunes from the new cd "everything must go", "lunch with gina" and the title track,an ode to the dot com crash some say, but perfectly applicable to any rollercoaster business venture.

the trusty angel girls provided a real concert high point (and what a treat it was!)when they took over the lead vocal for the fast-paced and very tricky "parker's band".  "josie" continued the musical flow (including a very strong drum solo by keith carlock) and finally a one-two punch from "the royal scam" cd to close the set, "kid charlemagne" and "don't take me alive".  encores were "my old school" and the classic "fm".

a nice time was had by all ... definitely a memorable show.

throw down the jam

steely dan's first set in atlanta tonight was a fine mix of old and new.  the classic "aja" opened the festivities, followed by "time out of mind" and "godwhacker".  standard greetings were delivered at this point and the band was met with a rousing wave of applause. 

digging back into the dan's 70's archives, the music continued with "caves of altamira", "black cow" and "babylon sisters" ... the latter tune getting lots of attention from the more vocal fans in the crowd when the trusty angel girls sing ... "you gotta shake it, baby" at the end.  "slang me" from the new cd provided the bed for band member introductions, followed by "peg" and "home at last". 

breaktime.

any world that i'm welcome to

here at hi fi buys amphitheatre, i'm locked down and ready in combat mode for tonight's steely dan show. 

the venue is somewhat similar to pine knob in clarkston and very typical of a modern day outdoor music venue so there's nothing special to say, with one exception ... i didn't have to jump on a flying aluminum tube to get here.  interesting mix of concertgoers tonight ... lots of diversity and at this early point in pre-show time, a wide range of age groups represented.

opening number is about one hour and fifteen minutes away.

chain lightning

how perfect is atlanta weather forecast for tonight's steely dan show?  top of the line i'm happy to report - clear sky, low humidity and very nice temperatures in the low 70's are on tap.  matter of fact, the weather tonight should be eerily similar to what we had for the dan's clarkston, michigan show about one month ago.

i'm looking forward to updating this blog tonight from the concert, including detailed setlists and any other interesting little ditties.  while i'm at it, i'll be part of the brother/sisterhood ... yes it's chain lightning and it feels so good!

here at the southern world

high expectations for atlanta steely dan fans who are anxiously awaiting the band's arrival for their emg tour stop here at 8pm on friday evening, september 19th, 2003.

the last steely dan appearance in atlanta was during the 2vn tour, when they played shows on consecutive evenings at chastain park amphitheatre.  this time around the dan will play a single performance at the freshly named hi-fi buys amphitheatre, a venue located south of downtown atlanta, not too far east from the i-75/i-85 connector that winds its way through the center of the city. 

it's countdown to (ecstasy) concert time so as with the clarkston, michigan concert, i plan some moblogging on the day of the show.  expect some notes on the venue, a brief weather report, impressions of the assembled crowd, even perhaps some short pieces during the show (if i can tear my eyes away from the stage and onto my blackberry) and for sure a final review once the evening is done.

then the shutter falls

photos make all the difference in the world.  thanx to amanda parks who graciously gave her permission for me to use some of her shots of steely dan live shows - see photo album "dan pix" in right nav bar. 

the selected photos are from amanda's work during the dan's 2VN tour in 2000.  i anxiously await amanda's gallery from the current EMG tour - i'm sure the fresh shots will be as amazing as her work which you can now check out in my "dan pix" photo album.  if you'd like to see additional work by amanda check out her website at amandaparks.com

thx amanda!

do it again

how obvious is this title?  i am in fact, doing it again ... now holding tickets to the steely dan tour atlanta concert on september 19th.  i figure they won't tour forever, although given their new found "mainstream" status (they would deny this in a heartbeat that you can turn over again), the dan may follow up their next cd (if there is one planned) with another tour in the next year or so, who knows?

i am guessing they may somewhat alter their playlists a bit as they move from city to city.  their clarkston concert encore rendition of "my old school" plays well to crowds everywhere because the tune is a college party anthem so using that logic, once they hit the southern states i suppose tossing in "deacon blues" wouldn't be a bad idea since the lyrics mention alabama being called the crimson tide.  and when in florida, the set list could contain "dr. wu" and its biscayne bay and cuban gentlemen references, "florida room" (from fagen's solo cd "kamakiriad") or even "the nightfly's" "walk between the raindrops", where fagen lyrically paints a vivid picture of a late afternoon thunderstorm that rolls off the atlantic over miami beach's alton road hotel strip.  in any event, even if the atlanta playlist is the exactly the same as it was in  clarkston, michigan, that would be ok by me.

listening to the recent cd "everything must go" ("emg") following the live concert, it's very apparent that the feel of that retro analog recording session is much earthier than i first felt.  while the high tech digital recordings of today are truly amazing, pristine and clean, the gut thumping audio (especially those thick and grinding bass lines played by becker) of an analog recording has its own particular merits.  if you want to try a little experiment for comparison, listen to a song from the previous steely dan cd release "two versus nature" (i recommend "gaslighting abby" or "what a shame about me") and alternate them with tracks from "emg" (like "godwhacker" or "green book") to hear if you can detect the difference in feels ... one caveat, you must play them loud to hear all the audio nuances.

true companions

they really are, you know ... the dan.  just returned from my detroit trip to visit family and attend the steely dan concert last night at pine knob in clarkston, michigan.  great weekend, awesome weather and very smooth travel logistics were all enhancements on a fine evening of music.  i am already scheming to find tickets for the atlanta tour stop in september ... i really wouldn't mind seeing them again.  in the meantime i'll roll with the cd's and knock on wood they will suffice until the next live shot.  where's that cuervo gold?

kingpins - part 2

following a shameless plug for the "promo stuff available at the checkout counter", fagen apologized but quickly and cynically added that they were as embarassed to sell their souvenirs as much as they were to play the next two songs ... "hey nineteen" and "janie runaway", dan anthems to the forbidden fruit of the just underage female objects of their attention.  dirty old men?  absolutely.  surely in real life fagen and becker have taken their own lyrical advice from "century's end" to "look, maybe touch, but beyond that not too much".

the band played on, feeling calm and crisp and strong ... tight horn lines punctuated by incredible pinpoint accent timing, finger lickin' good guitar pickin', ace keyboards, smooth and funky bass lines, strong percussion and very precise three part, tight interval dissonant vocal backgrounds blended with fagen and becker magic to end the night.  the encore said it all ... the band returned onstage and slammed the motor city crowd with "my old school", which was greeted with cheers when the reference to "when you put me on the wolverine up to annandale" was sung.  the evening ended with the back alley bluesy and very funky "fm".

that's right.  the girls don't to seem to care tonight, as long as the mood is right ... all in all a night to remember.  i may just have to do it again in atlanta in september.

kingpins - part 1

the band bopped onstage sans donald and walter to play an opening warm up instrumental ... as the tune was ending, the trusty angel girls smoothly glided onto their platform where they would perch for the evening, immediately followed by the main protagonists who jumped in as the band rolled into arguably one of the dan's signature tunes, "aja".  once the lofty and musically crafty piece concluded, donald fagen warmed up to his "dirty old man" image by greeting the crowd at "pine knob amphitheatre!", with the emphasis on the word knob.

it didn't take long.  with that bit of anticipated and expected sleaze, the evening was off to a rousing start.  it turned out to be most true.  the rumored promise of dusting off the old tunes was an understatement for sure, as the dan focused the evening on many of the 70's and 80's songs that probably were rarely played live, since the dan wasn't touring in those days.

with only five total songs from their two recent albums, "godwhacker", "janie runaway", "things i miss the most", "jack of speed" and "slang of ages", the modality for the 24 song, two-set evening was pretty much retro, but what a rocker! from "josie", "peg" and "don't take me alive" to "time out of mind", "parker's band", "black cow" and even a most rare becker vocal on "haitian divorce", the tunes colored the evening with a precise groove and funky-jazzy bounce like only the dan can deliver.  these are world class jazz, rock and blues musicians, not to be taken lightly ... so if they seem eccentric, they are!  they've earned it ... if anyone in the music biz paid their dues it was fagen and becker.  frankly, for a few moments during the show it dawned on me that i was experiencing showmanship and musical quality a la cab calloway and duke ellington, 21st century style.  the charts for these arrangements are not straightforward rock and blues my friends, but rather complicated yet very danceable jazz pieces ... no beginners here please.

- to be continued in kingpins, part 2

el supremo

for the moment, just a tasty lick. 

the detroit concert tour stop for steely dan just let out.  donald fagen wasted very little time uttering nefarious words that underscore the dreary architecture of the dan's modality.  yes they did dust off the oldies and did so in a fabulous way.  it was everything anyone could have wanted.

a bit more chapter and verse later.  definitely no static at all tonight!

the venue

pine knob amphitheatre is in clarkston, michigan.  a smallish and cozy spot which is a favorite venue for many detroit area concertgoers.  the venue is outdoors but covered, with a healthy dose of lawn seating areas to the rear.  our seats are center section about three quarters of the way back from the stage, pretty good view.

the dan's road crew is just now finalizing the sound check so the opening number is not too far away.  the weather is nice and my ears are clean.

concert wrap later.

those trusty angel girls

if it's one thing steely dan has going for them 'lo these many years, it is their knack for selecting the most talented and visually stunning background singers ... they always absolutely rock!

tonight my fellow concertgoers and i will are in for a treat as cynthia calhoun, cindy mizell and carolyn leonhart will lend their considerable talents to the evening's musical proceedings.

cindy and cynthia have incredible, soulful voices and neverending energy onstage.  both have credits on the current emg cd.  cynthia was also on the 2vn cd and its accompanying tour last year, as well as the vhs and dvd releases of the "evening with steely dan" concert.

but then, there's carolyn leonhart.  hey, cindy and cynthia are truly awesome but i have become a huge carolyn leonhart fan since first becoming aware of her via steely dan, so please bear with me as i pour my soul out.  carolyn comes from solid jazz stock.  her dad is a bass player, mom a jazz singer, and brother michael a trumpet player who coincidentally also is on the stage tonight as part of the dan's blue note-like horn section.  carolyn is a jazz diva in the making ... a throwback if you will, somewhat in the diana krall vein.  her first cd "steal the moon" is excellent and on it she gives a serious hint of greater things to come by very adeptly handling a few recognizable standard jazz tunes ... my personal favorite is "sunday kind of love".  frankly she is something else, and, definitely like perhaps her counterpart in the green book, she has the mood and the moves!  at carolynleonhart.com you can get more information on this truly outstanding talent and order your very own copy of "steal the moon" on the sunnyside label. 

next, a little bit of a first look at tonight's venue, pine knob amphitheater.

throw back the little ones

there is somewhat of a hint out there in the netherworld-land of the dan fandom that our "boys" have dusted off some of the old tunes for this current concert tour.

the last time i saw steely dan they did a few standards "a la dan", but the songs were very recognizable by most casual steely dan listeners.  they didn't really strike that deep and dark chord for the truly steeped by including a tune that only an astute dan fan would be able to cherish in a more personal way.  this by no means indicates any disappointment on my part with their performance at atlanta's omni arena on that september evening in the mid-90's.

so in these few hours remaining before tonight's concert, my nephew and i have been guessing what may be in store ... my feeling is that the band will perform tunes from the current cd (it really doesn't take a genius to figure that out) and maybe a dash of a 2vn tune or two.  however, hopefully the real gems lurking in tonight's playlist will be from the dan days of olde ... i'm hoping for "only a fool would say that", "show biz kidz", "any major dude", "sign in stranger", "babylon sisters", "maxine", "tomorrow's girls", and if mars has any influence, a dose of "dr. wu" would surely personalize the night for me in a huge way.  we'll hear what happens.

in my next moblog post, allow me to wax a bit about the dan's background singers.

stay blogged on!

high time for a walk on the live side

looking forward to tonight's steely dan concert at pine knob/dte.  i hear the tour is rolling very well and receiving rave reviews.  reading the local detroit area paper i caught a glimpse of a review of the dan's latest cd, "everything must go" (a.k.a. emg) ... the reviewer made a few respectful and positive comments about the group but ended the brief opinion by stating that the "catchy hooks" steely dan had been known for in the past were absent from this new cd ... the reviewer apparently hasn't listened to the new cd enough ... if those catchy hooks are absent, why am i and many of my steely dan friends hearing consistent replays in our heads?

reality check

cruising through the streets of downtown detroit yesterday afternoon was surreal, really.  a reality check for sure but, some things just don't make sense. 

you can see honest and commendable attempts to revive the once thriving now blighted area, but somehow these are mere drops in the bucket ... and incongruous at that.  the new tigers baseball stadium and adjacent ford field, home of the nfl lions, are stunning and majestic structures but what happens when there are no events, which amounts to over 200 days per year?  the myriad dilapidated old office structures with their somber gothic appearance add a foreboding feel to the mix, and when compared to the few and far between newer construction efforts, seem to be staring in disdain at those soon-to-be modern buildings ... as if feeling the pain at the thought of losing their status as keepers of the city skyline.

casinos seem to be the choice as the sure-fire bet to get detroit off its duff and join other great american urban centers as a vibrant and exciting city.  there are about half a dozen of these gambliing joints and the marketing is everywhere to be seen, including compelling billboards for 2 cent slots.  yes that is correct, 2 cent slots!  ladies and gentlemen, detroit will be saved by nickel and dime gambling revenues.  maybe it will work and maybe it won't, who am i to say.  one thing i can tell you for sure is the irony that bops you over the head when you see a city that is broke rolling the dice in an effort to secure its future.

i don't have a connection with detroit beyond superficial knowledge of its history and my respect for the city being the birthplace of the motown sound.  that soulful music was born at a time when there was social turmoil and cultural revolution all over the land and the motown sound became a bookmark for those stirring historical events. 

i truly hope the city can bounce back.  tall order and tough task but some fresh ideas would be good contributions.  it also wouldn't hurt if the urban population took a personal interest in the efforts to revive the city.  there is quite a bit of work to be done and money doesn't solve everything.

travel day

hello one and all.  the motor city beckons so i begin my detroit journey to visit family and eventually wind up at the steely dan concert on monday evening.

for the next few days my nephew promises quite a bit of action after dark, as well as perhaps taking in a tigers game on sunday afternoon.

i have not been in detroit since the late 80's so i look forward to seeing the changes.

stay tuned for more moblogging about my trip and concert journal come monday.

motor city music

as the current steely dan EMG tour makes its way across the country, i will be heading to detroit to catch the dan's appearance at pine knob ... yeah, the tour stops in atlanta so why don't i just wait to see them here?  well, my nephew called recently and said he'd buy my concert ticket if i came up to visit him.  how could i pass up such a tempting concept? 

if the technological gods allow, i will be mo-blogging via my wireless blackberry during my detroit stay to share tidbits of my weekend in motown, and of course, as close to a note-by-note diary of concert evening ... at least as much as i can without becoming too distracted from the concert itself.  if for some reason i am not able to mo-blog, i will definitely post a "post" concert piece upon my return.

i haven't seen the dan since mid-90's when their tour brought them to atlanta.  previous to that, my only experience seeing them live was in the early 70's when the band played at pirates world in dania, florida.  my brother and i had no idea who steely dan was but about two minutes into the first tune we were quite mezmerized and stayed that way for the duration! 

needless to say, my relationship with steely dan over the years has far outweighed any kinship i may have had with chicago or pretty much any other band except the beatles and maybe earth, wind & fire.  yes, i am big time hooked ... from "thrill" to the fresh "EMG" release and everything in between, steely dan is been a constant musical thread in my life. 

so i look forward to sharing my detroit experience and welcome your comments about steely dan or music in general ... and by the way, if you plan on catching a steely dan concert near your hometown during this recent tour, let us know!

a blast from the past

those days were definitely behind me ... or so I thought. i had done it tons of times. packing up my belongings, cleaning the "old" apartment (to have half a chance of getting some of your deposit refunded), loading up the rental truck, driving long distances, off loading the truck, and reconfiguring the new apartment ... sheesh, when will it end!

however this past weekend's moving experience was not "same as it ever was". it wasn't my stuff or my sleeping venue that was changing, it was my son's move from athens, ga to birmingham, al that i was asked to coordinate. actually coordinating was the least of it, turned out i was one of two primary "heavy lifters" as well because the expected assist from some of his closest associates didn't materialize. to my son's credit, he did recognize that his friends had basically blown him off and what a good thing it was that i was around - nice to know he's growing up and getting a real taste of what good friends are really all about.

some of the anecdotes from this most recent moving experience probably are not notable per se, i mean, most moves are accompanied by the same "issues, regardless of who is moving. the poorly maintained rental truck that you only hope makes it to the new domicile destination, let alone beyond that, to the drop off point the rental contract requires; thinking on your feet to make sure everything fits (tip: always rent the truck that is one size bigger than what you think you need), finding the best and safest route to your destination, not necessarily the shortest one, driving carefully enough so the contents in the back of the truck aren't thrashing around like wild animals in an enclosed space, then hoping that once you arrive at the new apartment, the current residents have somehow magically known you're coming and have conveniently left open the parking spaces closest to the front door of your unit (like that ever happens?).

loading and unloading the rental truck is a ritual fraught with, well, potentially terror. the dropped appliance, the nicked furniture, the endless stream of boxes that i swear reproduce inside the truck while you're taking one of their brethren into the new house and return to find more in the truck bed, the angles game ("hey, turn that sofa sideways so it fits through the door"), that heavy, oversized television set that has absolutely no comfortable grab-location ... gee whiz, you would think that paying so much for a tv would at least assure that it came with handles!

then there is your personal physical safety piece of this experience. pulled muscles, metal cuts, bruises from leaning on anything solid to get your footing, twisted ankles, thirst and sweat (you should try moving in the south of the u.s. during the month of august), and the exhaustion factor to deal with once it's over, but then you have to drive back!

have you recently moved? do the things i describe have any similarity to your experience? i'd like to read your story. open season for comments!

the steely dan dictionary

The Steely Dan Dictionary

if you ever wondered what the hell they were talking about ... this will be extremely helpful. enjoy!

here is the intro on the site:

Ever wondered what a bodhisattva is? Or how to gaslight somebody? Then this site is for you! You're looking at an A-Z dictionary of obscure words, people and places — all taken from the lyrics of Steely Dan songs.

not quite flexing ... yet!

i've been gently prodded to add a typelist here so although a bit crude and apparently direction-less, it has been started ... and viewable in the right margin.  admittedly this weblogging thing is rather soothing and fun so the push forward will continue.  yes i should, and will, do more along the music lines.  hopefully share some insights about my favorite artists, albums, songs and other music related items ... i may even attempt to sing a song "blog style".  stay tuned to the tunes, as they say.

getting started

well i suppose i should post "something" as a starter opportunity ... admittedly i am a blog newbie so i will proceed slowly and cautiously - pls accept a little reluctance on my part. 

no real wisdom to share at the moment (see above) but very soon brain matter content will begin to form on these pages.  there may be an initial inclination to talk things music and as time goes by, that may very well be the prevalent subject ... but more adventurous writing will emerge.

so here goes, clicking the "publish now" thing-y