I really want to like this record. The idea of producer/arranger Mark Masters to put together a jazz ensemble dedicated to the music of the highly creative and influential jazz-rock group Steely Dan was a stroke of genius. The band that is put together has some wonderfully heavy hitters as well: Billy Harper/ts, Tim Hagans/tp, Hamilton Price/b, Peter Erskine/dr , Oliver Lake/as and Gary Smulyan/gs are just a few of the names on the tunes. Some of the tunes work amazingly well, and as better than you’d hope for: a muted brass frame on “Do It Again” that has Sonny Simmons’ English horn sounding delicious and the jamming “Chain Lightning” is a wonderful tour de force. But, the sad fact is that except for the above mentioned, and a sleek “Josie,” you really have to lend your ear to the tune with a translator to make out the original melody in most of the pieces. I’ve got the first 6 Steely Dan albums committed to memory, and I still had problems figuring out “Show Biz Kids” and “Bodhisattva.”I’d love to know how Fagen and Brecker would fare if they heard it. Maybe they’d like the variations. The music itself is actually impressive, with Brad Dutz’s vibes making some hip impressions, while Anna Mjoli’s voice blends wonderfully on “Black Cow.” If you think it’s original material, you’ll probably like it a lot more than if you were expecting something more like a jam on “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number.”
Capri Records