Steely Dan

Donald Fagen and Walter Becker are the latest to jump on the recent trend of recreating live entire classic albums, all songs in their proper sequence. The resurrected artifact for this performance will be Steely Dan's 1977 album Aja, a then-relatively innovative blend of rock, jazz, pop, and R&B, featuring guest shots from the likes of jazz-oriented saxophonist Wayne Shorter, keyboardist Joe Sample, and guitarist Larry Carlton. Aja has held up well over the years: sleek, cool, hipsterishly obscure lyrics, its melodicism delightfully subverted with sly, tricky arrangements, subtle textures, and impressive instrumental work. Reports from the road suggest Fagen and Becker, plus an 11-piece band, aren't slavishly reproducing every note from the original, but are coming close enough to please hardcore fans. This so-called Rent Party tour is billed as Aja plus, the addition invariably consisting of songs from the Dan's '70s heyday.
Sun., Nov. 8, 7:30 p.m., 2009