If you haven't already heard by now, Jeff Porcaro, the ace L.A. session
drummer died of a heart attack in early August. A full story appears later in
the issue.
On a brighter note, Metal Leg's extended N.Y. Rock & Soul Revue tour is
also featured later in the mag. So now, on to the news...
The release of Donald Fagen's upcoming solo album, "Kamakiriad" has
been pushed back to April from February. The year is still believed to be 1993,
but we'll let you know if that should change also.
We've also found out three additional song titles from the album: "Springtime,"
"Florida Room" and "Counter Moon." This is in addition to
the others: "The Trip," "Tomorrow's Girls," "Snowbound,"
"On The Dunes" and "Tea House on the Tracks."
As of early November, Walter Becker is back in New York working on Donald's
album as co-producer, bass player and guitarist.
On this album, you shouldn't expect to hear the same army of session players
Donald and Walter have used in the past. Since Donald is playing all keyboard
parts and Walter seems to be playing many of the bass and guitar parts, that
automatically cuts down on the number of players needed.
Some of the horn players who have been in the sessions recently include saxophonist
(Blue) Lou Marini and trumpet player Alan Rubin, both of Blues Brothers fame.
In the past, background singers have always played an important role in Donald
and Walter's music. The girls continuing this tradition are straight off the
stage of the N.Y. Rock & Soul Revue tour: Brenda White-King, Catherine Russell
and "Metal Leg" pinup girl, Mindy Jostyn. Another favorite of our
readers, the lovely and talented Jenni Muldaur also made some of the sessions
at River Sound.
While in Hawaii, Donald talked more about the album to Jon Woodhouse of the
Maui News: "The project is something I conceived and I wrote all the songs,
except for one I wrote with Walter some years ago. Walter's helping me get it
on tape. When we started I didn't know who was going to play bass, but I asked
him and he's been doing all the bass and will probably do some guitar work as
well."
Talking about working with Walter again after a long layoff, Fagen said: "We
fell into a very easy working relationship. We had both changed a lot, but we
went back into the same mode, having fun and joking around. Walter is very funny
and has a lot of energy, which keeps everything buoyant."
On the theme of the album, Fagen continued: "Much like 'The Nightfly' it's
a concept album in the sense that all the songs are related. The story is in
the form of a journey taken by the protagonist. In 'The Nightfly'. the songs
came from the viewpoint of someone in the late '50s and early '60s, and were
pretty much autobiographical. This journey takes place a few years in the future,
looking towards the millennium. The literal action concerns this guy who's about
to embark on a journey with a steam-driven, kind of new age auto with a hydroponic
garden in the back."
Suggesting that this odyssey works on a number of levels, Fagen continues: "It's
kind of a psychological and social history; too. And it will work on the level
of just being fun to listen to. I've been trying to strip down a bit. The music's
maybe a little simpler than I've written in the past and they're fewer instruments."
Just because he's examining the future, Fagen says we shouldn't expect to hear
any spacey, industrial beats: "I didn't want to create a science fiction
landscape. The music has a lot of influence from soul music, the music I listened
to in my young adulthood."
When asked if the music is danceable, Fagen replied, "I hope so. The kind
of music people dance to now seems so horrific to me, I don't know if they'll
want to dance to it. I like everything to have a great-sounding groove. I couldn't
work on anything that didn't have a swing to it."
While information on Donald's record is starting to appear, not much is known
about Walter's solo project. According to Roger Nichols, Becker is recording
his songs at a much quicker pace than Donald. Nevertheless, Donald's album will
still be released first. So Walter's record is currently scheduled for release
in mid-summer 1993. Incidentally, Walter's album will be released on Giant Records,
the same label that released the N.Y. Rock & Soul Revue's "Live At
The Beacon." Giant Records is also run by Steely Dan's former manager Irving
Azoff.
So what does this bode for the future? The scenario is this: Donald releases
his album in April and Walter releases his album in July. The timing seems to
make sense for both artists to support their new records with an August tour.
There has been a lot of speculation about this duo-tour and Fagen and Becker
haven't ruled it out, either. It's easy to imagine the format: Donald does some
of his new songs; Walter does some of his own. And the icing on the cake could
be some Steely Dan tunes that weren't performed at the Rock & Soul Revue
tour. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Although Walter is quite busy working on his own album as well as Donald's,
he is also producing an album for the N.Y. band The Lost Tribe for Windham Hill.
The band plays a lot at the Knitting Factory and their music is hybrid of jazz,
funk and rock.
Another side project of Donald Fagen has appeared on the soundtrack to the movie
"Glengarry Glen Ross." It's an instrumental composition called "Blue
Lou," written for saxophonist Lou Marini. The song is performed by The
Joe Roccisano Orchestra which also features Blue Lou himself. Joe Roccisano,
if you don't remember, was the conductor and arranger of The Hoops McCann Band
and also did a big band version of "The Goodbye Look" at one of the
"N.Y. Nights" gigs at the Lone Star. The "Glengarry" soundtrack
is excellent and features other jazz artists such as Wayne Shorter (Aja title
track sax soloist), Little Jimmy Scott (another "N.Y. Nights" veteran),
Shirley Horn, Take 6, The Bill Holman Big Band, Georgie Fame, David Sanborn,
Al Jarreau and Dr. John. The soundtrack was produced by Tommy LiPuma and is
available on Elektra.
In award news, almost one year after its release, "The New York Rock and
Soul Revue - Live At The Beacon" won "Best Rock Album" and "Best
Rock Group" at the N.Y. Music Awards. Donald Fagen accepted the awards
at the ceremony which was coincidentally held at the Beacon Theatre. Bring on
the Grammys!
Now that the baby boomers will be storming the White House in January, they
will apparently be taking their music with them. President-elect Bill Clinton
utilized '70s rock music to give his supporters the warm fuzzies at his campaign
rallies across the country. While Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop" was
the main battle hymn, the Dan tune "Reelin' In The Years" followed
a close second. In fact, "Reelin"' was played right before "America
The Beautiful" at Clinton's victory speech in Little Rock, Arkansas on
election night. CBS anchorman Dan Rather even closed his nightly report with
a story on what music will now be heard in the White House and a picture of
Donald and Walter (circa 1980) appeared on the the screen of millions of American
television viewers. Word also has it that "I.G.Y." was another Clinton
campaign fave. And we all thought that people from Arkansas were just a bunch
of drunken hillbillies.
The soundtrack to the 1970 movie "You Gotta Walk It Like You Talk It"
which Becker and Fagen composed pre-Steely Dan in their starving artists days,
has been released on CD on See For Miles Records in the U.K. Obviously, the
company is trying to make money off of Fagen and Becker's name, but given their
motives, the company has actually put together an attractive package. The sound
quality is top-notch, apparently from the original masters. The CD itself is
a picture disc with black and white screened photo of Donald & Walter from
1976-77. The CD cover features the original artwork from the 1970 record release.
The liner notes were written by Fred Dellar and also include lyrics to the songs
"Dog Eat Dog" sung by Fagen, "Roll Back The Meaning" sung
by drummer John Discepolo, "If It Rains" sung by producer Kenny Vance
and the title track sung by everyone.
To tell you the truth, this album isn't really Fagen and Becker's best work
and they aren't really proud of it. The movie was supposed to be pretty crummy
also. The movie featured Richard Pryor and was about a N.Y. loser who attempted
to fulfill his sexual needs but merely got his share of nosebleeds, also flunking
out on suicide, marriage and a nifty Madison Avenue job. It was a cheapo disaster
that ran for only two weeks in Manhattan. The CD would be of interest if you're
a hard-core collector since it is only available as an import.
In the cover version department, two CD releases feature a Steely Dan composition
each. On saxophonist Michael Paulo's "One Passion" release on MCA,
he covers "Home At Last." Another saxophonist Rastine, covers "Peg"
on his "Afrodisiac" release on Zoo Entertainment.
In other CD news, MCA has released the rest of the remastered Steely Dan discs
in the wake of their now-infamous CD scandal. The
new discs are marked with a sticker.
Steely Dan producer Gary Katz, along with his work at River Sound Studios is
shopping a new band from Boston, "The Swinging Steaks," to record
company executives. The band's music is sort of a country rock style and appears
to be a '90s version of The Eagles. The are currently playing showcases around
the New York City area including the Lone Star Roadhouse.
At Fagen and Katz's River Sound Studios in NY, The Allman Brothers and John
Scofield are some of the artists who have been working there recently.
Larry Carlton has a new album out, "Kid Gloves," on GRP Records. The
record includes a cover of "Just My Imagination" with a voice-box
synthesized vocals a la "Haitian Divorce." Carlton recently played
two nights at B. Smith's restaurant in Manhattan to sold-out audiences. The
first set was brodcast live on CD101.9-FM and Larry was faced with a number
of audience members who were shouting out for Steely Dan songs. Carlton started
laughing and said, "I think New York City is the only city that keeps yelling
Steely Dan at me. So you're the last hold outs. Fifteen years ago we cut those
records -- time to get a life." He then proceeded to go into his composition
"Room 335" which copped parts of "Peg." And during the next
set, Larry played "Josie" from his "On Solid Ground" album.
Another Steely Dan guitarist, Steve Khan, also has a new release. It's called
"Headline" and is on Bluemoon Records.
Jimmy Vivino, the guitarist from the now-defunct Little Big Band, along with
his saxophonist brother Jerry Vivino have just released their debut CD "Chitlins
Parmigiana" as the Vivino Brothers on the DMP label.
The record also features two other Little Big Band veterans Catherine Russell
and Ronnie Cuber. In his syndicated record review column, Kevin O'Hare was impressed:
"On their sizzling debut album, New Jersey's Jimmy and Jerry Vivino get
a whole lot of help from their friends while ripping through a white-hot set
of clean, crisp, soulful jazz and R&B.
The key contributor is veteran keyboardist Al Kooper who serves up some vintage
Hammond B-3 work on an assortment of cuts. The Vivinos, who've worked with artists
ranging from Donald Fagen to Phoebe Snow and Johnny Johnson through the years,
trekked through 13 mostly self-penned titles. They run the gamut from several
instrumentals, powered by Jerry's saxophone work, to the disc's vocal centerpiece,
Jimmy's soul-stirring "Miss Mona."
There's a reason the Vivinos have been among the most sought after musicians
in and around New York and it's readily apparent here. First class from start
to finish."
Donald Fagen gets special thanks in the liner notes. And it's kinda funny that
although we're a Steely Dan fanzine, we still get letters about how great Jimmy
was in the Hades, China Club and N.Y. Nights shows. Again, the Vivino Brothers
CD is on the DMP label, catalog number CD-492. Check your local record store
for "Chitlins Parmigiana" or write DMP, Park Square Station, Box 15835,
Stamford, CT 06901.
For those of you in the N.Y. area, you might be able to see some of the sidemen
and women who have played with the N.Y. Rock and Soul Revue and The Little Big
Band at a club on W. 57th Street between 8th and 9th Avenue called Le Bar Bat.
This nightclub was formerly the Media Sound Recording studios and upcoming shows
feature Mindy Jostyn, Drew Zingg, Kevin Bents, Catherine Russell, Harvey Brooks
and Cornelius Bumpus. Le Bar Bat's phone number is 212-307-7228.
A Steely Dan Book? Brian Sweet, the British founder of "Metal Leg"
is currently approaching publishers in London for the go-ahead to start work
on his life-long dream project, a book on Steely Dan.
We do not know at this time if Brian's book will be authorized by Becker and
Fagen, but we know that Brian has already conducted several interviews with
others who played a role in the Steely Dan story.
The New York-based editor and publisher of "Metal Leg" wish Mr. Sweet
the best in achieving his goal. Hopefully in his book, Brian will be able to
answer some of the deep, dark questions that we at the N.Y. office of "Metal
Leg" have been trying to answer for many years like, Did Denny Dias ever
sleep with Stevie Nicks and did Jeff "Skunk" Baxter ever sleep with
Elton John? (Just kidding Brian!)
Metal Leg contents | The Steely Dan Internet Resource
Last modified on 1/20/2003