Donald Fagen - Kamakiriad

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:45
Size: 117,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:33)  1. Trans-Island Skyway
(5:07)  2. Countermoon
(5:08)  3. Springtime
(7:11)  4. Snowbound
(6:19)  5. Tomorrow's Girls
(6:04)  6. Florida Room
(8:09)  7. On The Dunes
(6:11)  8. Teahouse On The Tracks

Donald Fagen's second solo album is a song cycle of sorts, following the adventures of an imaginary protagonist as he travels the world in his car, a brand-new Kamakiri. It is an odd concept, and one that is not obvious to the listener, but reflection upon Fagen's liner notes while listening to the album does tend to evoke a vision of a non-apocalyptic near future, where swingers sip cocktails and fresh vegetable juices as they groove to synthesized jazz-rock. Evocative or not, this is not Fagen's best effort. The songs on Kamakiriad are mainly static one-chord vamps, with little of the interesting off-beat hits or chord changes that characterized most of Steely Dan's corpus (although, it must be said, Two Against Nature isn't too far conceptually from what Fagen is doing here). There is a slightly antiseptic feeling to Kamakiriad. Although the drum tracks are not synthesized, they sure sound that way, and even the horns sound electronic at times, a far cry from the lush arrangements of Aja. Another shortcoming of this record is the fact that the verse melodies don't sound very developed. The choruses are as catchy and cryptic as you would expect from Donald Fagen, but the verses are less than memorable. Walter Becker, who produced the record, as well as contributing bass and guitar, also co-wrote "Snowbound." Perhaps not surprisingly, it does the best job at evoking classic Steely Dan. Kamakiriad is pleasant as background music, but in the end it doesn't provide enough interesting moments to rank as a must-have. The static grooves, coupled with the long song lengths, and general lack of dynamic movement makes this record one of the least essential of Fagen's recorded output. However, Steely Dan completists will certainly find enough here to keep them happy. ~ Daniel Gioffre https://www.allmusic.com/album/kamakiriad-mw0000392309   

Personnel: Donald Fagen (vocals, keyboards); George Wadenius (guitar); Lou Marini (alto saxophone, flute); Cornelius Bumpus, Illinois Elohainu (tenor saxophone); Lawrence Feldman, Dave Tofani (tenor saxophone, flute); Ronnie Cuber, Roger Rosenberg (baritone saxophone); Alan Rubin (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jim Pugh, Birch Johnson (trombone); Paul Griffin (Hammond B-3 organ); Walter Becker (bass, guitar); Leroy Clouden (drums, percussion); Christopher Parker, Dennis McDermott (drums); Bashiri Johnson (percussion).

Kamakiriad

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Donald Fagen - Morph The Cat

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:54
Size: 122,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:48)  1. Morph the Cat
(5:15)  2. H Gang
(6:01)  3. What I Do
(7:17)  4. Brite Nitegown
(7:37)  5. The Great Pagoda of Funn
(6:11)  6. Security Joan
(4:15)  7. The Night Belongs to Mona
(6:30)  8. Mary Shut the Garden Door
(2:56)  9. Morph the Cat Reprise

There are no surprises in sound and style on Morph the Cat, Donald Fagen's long-awaited third solo album, nor should any be expected ever since Steely Dan's 1980 masterwork, Gaucho, his work, either on his own or with longtime collaborator Walter Becker, has been of a piece. Each record has been sleek, sophisticated, and immaculately produced, meticulously recorded and arranged, heavy on groove and mood, which tends to mask the sly wit of the songs. When it works well as it did on Fagen's peerless 1982 solo debut, The Nightfly, or on Steely Dan's 2001 comeback, Two Against Nature the results go down smoothly upon first listen and reveal their complexity with each spin; when it doesn't quite succeed both 1993's Kamakiriad and the Dan's 2003 effort Everything Must Go didn't quite gel the albums sound good but samey on the surface and don't quite resonate. Morph the Cat belongs in the first group: at first it sounds cozily familiar, almost too familiar, but it digs deep, both as music and song. Sonically, at least superficially, it is very much a continuation of the two Steely Dan records of the new millennium not only does it share Fagen's aesthetic, but it was recorded with many of the same musicians who have shown up on the Dan projects. There are slight differences without Becker around, there's a greater emphasis on keyboards and the songs stretch on a bit longer than anything on Everything Must Go but this, at least on pure sonics, could have functioned as a sequel to Two Against Nature. But Morph the Cat is very much a solo affair, fitting comfortably next to his first two solo albums as a conclusion to what he calls a trilogy. If The Nightfly concerned the past and Kamakiriad was set in a hazy future, Morph the Cat is rooted in the present, teeming with the fears and insecurities of post-9/11 America. Fagen doesn't camouflage his intent with the gleefully enigmatic rhymes that have been his trademark: his words, while still knowingly sardonic, are direct, and in case you don't want to bother reading the lyrics or listening closely, he helpfully offers brief explanations of the songs (for instance, on "Mary Shut the Garden Door," he writes "Paranoia blooms when a thuggish cult gains control of the government," a statement that's not exactly veiled). 

On top of this unease, Fagen faces mortality throughout the album he talks with the ghost of Ray Charles, borrows W.C. Fields' phrase for death for "Brite Nitegown," writes about attempted suicides and every song seems to be about things drawing to a close. It's a little disarming to hear Fagen talk so bluntly although he came close to doing so on the deliberately nostalgic The Nightfly, the fact that he was writing about the past kept him at a bit of a distance but despite the abundance of morbid themes, Morph the Cat never sounds dour or depressing. In large part this is due to Fagen's viewpoint he never succumbs to mawkishness, always preferring to keep things witty and sardonic, which helps keep things from getting too heavy but it's also due to his smooth jazz-rock, which always sounds nimble and light. This, of course, is how Fagen's music always sounds, but here, it not only functions as a counterpoint to the darkness creeping on the edges of the album, but it's executed expertly: as spotless as this production is, it never sounds sterile, and when the songs start stretching past the five-minute mark two cuts are over seven minutes it never gets boring, because there's a genuine warmth to the clean, easy groove. More so than on Kamakiriad, or on the tight Everything Must Go, there is a sense of genuine band interplay on this record, which helps give it both consistency and heart something appropriate for an album that is Fagen's most personal song cycle since The Nightfly, and quite possibly his best album since then. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine https://www.allmusic.com/album/morph-the-cat-mw0000342064

Personnel: Donald Fagen (melodica, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, organ, background vocals); Donald Fagen (vocals); Ken Wessel, Frank Vignola, Hugh McCracken, Ken Emerson (guitar); Howard Levy (harmonica); Roger Rosenberg (bass clarinet, baritone saxophone); Walt Weiskopf (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Mark Patterson (trombone); Ted Baker (piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Tedd Baker (Fender Rhodes piano); Harlan Post, Jr. (acoustic bass); Art Smith (drums); Jennifer Battista, Candice Predham, Eddie Jackson , Camille Meza (clappers); Gordon Gottlieb (percussion, background vocals); Bashiri Johnson , Joe Passaro (percussion); Cindy Mizelle, Jerry Barnes, Amy Helm, Carolyn Leonhart (background vocals); Jon Herington, Wayne Krantz (guitar); Lawrence Feldman (flute, clarinet, tenor saxophone); Illinois Elohainu (flute); Marvin Stamm (trumpet); Phonus Quaver (vibraphone, marimba); "Ready" Freddie Washington (bass guitar); Keith Carlock (drums).

Morph The Cat

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Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill

Styles: Vocal And Guitar Jazz
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:16
Size: 96,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:57)  1. Do It Again
(3:10)  2. Dirty Work
(3:48)  3. A3 Kings
(4:12)  4. Midnite Crusier
(2:54)  5. Only A Fool Would Say That
(4:38)  6. Reelin'In The Years
(3:30)  7. Fire In The Hole
(4:22)  8. Brooklyn
(3:40)  9. Change Of The Guard
(5:00) 10. Turn That Heartbeat Over Again

Walter Becker and Donald Fagen were remarkable craftsmen from the start, as Steely Dan's debut, Can't Buy a Thrill, illustrates. Each song is tightly constructed, with interlocking chords and gracefully interwoven melodies, buoyed by clever, cryptic lyrics. All of these are hallmarks of Steely Dan's signature sound, but what is most remarkable about the record is the way it differs from their later albums. Of course, one of the most notable differences is the presence of vocalist David Palmer, a professional blue-eyed soul vocalist who oversings the handful of tracks where he takes the lead. Palmer's very presence signals the one major flaw with the album  in an attempt to appeal to a wide audience, Becker and Fagen tempered their wildest impulses with mainstream pop techniques. Consequently, there are very few of the jazz flourishes that came to distinguish their albums  the breakthrough single, "Do It Again," does work an impressively tight Latin jazz beat, and "Reelin' in the Years" has jazzy guitar solos and harmonies  and the production is overly polished, conforming to all the conventions of early '70s radio. Of course, that gives these decidedly twisted songs a subversive edge, but compositionally, these aren't as innovative as their later work. Even so, the best moments ("Dirty Work," "Kings," "Midnight Cruiser," "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again") are wonderful pop songs that subvert traditional conventions and more than foreshadow the paths Steely Dan would later take. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine http://www.allmusic.com/album/cant-buy-a-thrill-mw0000195859

Personnel: Walter Becker (vocals, guitar, electric bass, bass guitar); Donald Fagen (vocals, piano, electric piano, organ, keyboards); David Palmer (vocals, keyboards); Jim Hodder (vocals, drums, percussion); Clydie King, Sherlie Matthews, Venetta Fields (vocals, background vocals); Jeff Baxter (guitar, steel guitar, Spanish guitar); Denny Dias (guitar, sitar, electric sitar); Elliott Randall (guitar); Jerome Richardson (saxophone, tenor saxophone); Snooky Young (flugelhorn, horns); Victor Feldman (keyboards, percussion); David Paich (keyboards); Shirley Matthews (background vocals).

Can't Buy A Thrill

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Donald Fagen - Sunken Condos

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:44
Size: 100.1 MB
Styles: Jazz-blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[5:08] 1. Slinky Thing
[4:28] 2. I'm Not The Same Without You
[4:13] 3. Memorabilia
[5:25] 4. Weather In My Head
[4:33] 5. The New Breed
[4:51] 6. Out Of The Ghetto
[4:40] 7. Miss Marlene
[4:51] 8. Good Stuff
[5:33] 9. Planet D'rhonda

It took Donald Fagen nearly a quarter century to release his Nightfly Trilogy, which started with 1982’s ‘The Nightfly’ and wrapped up with 2006’s ‘Morph the Cat.’ ‘Sunken Condos,’ the fourth solo album by the Steely Dan singer, is a slightly looser record than its predecessors, with more emphasis on groove this time around. And it sounds like it could be the next chapter in the solo odyssey Fagen started 30 years ago. Maybe it has something to do with his recent tour with the Dukes of September Rhythm Revue, which included soulful old friends Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs, or maybe it has to do with the 64-year-old Fagen settling into his AARP years, but he doesn’t sound so uptight here. And let’s face it: Steely Dan were one of the ‘70s fussiest bands, so obsessed with getting every single detail right in their songs that they quit touring in the middle of their peak decade (they finally hit the road again in support of Fagen’s 1993 album ‘Kamakiriad’ and Steely Dan’s 2000 comeback LP ‘Two Against Nature’).

Either way, ‘Sunken Condos’ is jazzy, bluesy and as musically precise as anything Fagen has recorded, with or without Steely Dan. No surprise, since many of the musicians have played with him in one form or another over the years. And he still doesn’t take the short way around. Most of the nine songs make room for efficient solos, tasteful backing vocals and the cleanest production this side of the late 1970s. ~Michael Galucci

Sunken Condos

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Various - New York Rock And Soul Revue: Live At The Beacon

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 66:33

Size: 152.3 MB

Styles: Soul, Blues, Jazz, Rock

Year: 1991/2010

Art: Front

[0:52] 1. Donald Fagen - Intro

[4:18] 2. Donald Fagen - Madison Time

[3:55] 3. Michael Mcdonald & Phoebe Snow - Knock On Wood

[4:39] 4. Donald Fagen - Green Flower Street

[3:40] 5. Phoebe Snow - Shakey Ground

[5:31] 6. Phoebe Snow - At Last

[5:25] 7. Michael Mcdonald - Lonely Teardrops

[5:30] 8. Boz Scaggs - Drowning In The Sea Of Love

[4:08] 9. Charles Brown - Driftin' Blues

[6:28] 10. Donald Fagen - Chain Lightning

[4:24] 11. Eddie And David Brigati - Groovin'

[6:12] 12. Michael Mcdonald - Minute By Minute

[5:18] 13. New York Rock And Soul Revue - People Got To Be Free

[4:58] 14. Donald Fagen - Pretzel Logic

[1:08] 15. Donald Fagen - Madison Reprise

Ain't no crime in having a good time and everybody partied at the New York Rock & Soul Revue held live at New York's Beacon Theater; the lineup of Phoebe Snow, Donald Fagen, Charles Brown, Michael McDonald, and Eddie and David Brigati (the Rascals) saw to that. While some performances come off as perfunctory and there's nothing you could label outstanding, the soul is real and heartfelt. Top performances come from Brown (the oldest person in the show), Snow and McDonald, Boz Scaggs ("Drowning in the Sea of Love"), and Fagen (a jazzy "Madison Time," which he performs accompanied by Jeff & the Youngsters in a full-blown reprise that closes the concert). ~Andrew Hamilton

New York Rock and Soul Revue: Live At The Beacon 

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Marian McPartland & Steely Dan - Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz Radio Broadcast

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 51:09
Size: 117.1 MB
Styles: Jazz, Rock
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[1:39] 1. Conversation 1
[2:42] 2. Limbo Jazz
[5:07] 3. Conversation 2
[3:50] 4. Josie
[3:07] 5. Conversation 3
[3:07] 6. Mood Indigo
[0:13] 7. Conversation 4
[3:21] 8. Star Eyes
[3:38] 9. Conversation 5
[3:26] 10. Hesitation Blues
[5:17] 11. Conversation 6
[3:47] 12. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
[1:41] 13. Conversation 7
[4:44] 14. Chain Lightning
[1:51] 15. Conversation 8
[3:30] 16. Black Friday

It isn't hard to imagine how some jazz purists will react upon seeing the name Steely Dan on one of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz releases; they're likely to ask, "What, in God's name, is a pop/rock group doing in McPartland's presence?" But even though Steely Dan isn't a jazz act per se, they have always had jazz influences -- and it would be a mistake to think of this CD as strictly a pop/rock disc. Actually, the original material of Steely Dan leaders Donald Fagen (vocals, acoustic piano) and Walter Becker (electric guitar) takes somewhat of a back seat to instrumental straight-ahead jazz when they join forces with pianist McPartland, bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Keith Carlock. Some longtime Steely Dan enthusiasts might be disappointed to know that only three Fagen/Becker songs are performed: "Josie," "Black Friday" and "Chain Lightning" -- you won't hear "Peg," "Do It Again," "Rikki, Don't Lost That Number," "Deacon Blues," "Hey Nineteen" or "Reeling in the Years." Nonetheless, there are many enjoyable moments, and McPartland has no problem finding common ground with Fagen and Becker -- common ground that includes a healthy appreciation of Duke Ellington's repertoire. Between three songs associated with the Duke ("Mood Indigo," Mercer Ellington's "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" and the lesser known "Limbo Jazz"), W.C. Handy's "Hesitation Blues" and the standard "Star Eyes," Steely Dan's encounter with McPartland is dominated by straight-ahead jazz -- not the jazz-influenced, soul-minded pop/rock that made Steely Dan famous during their '70s heyday. This intriguing CD may not have as many Steely Dan classics as some of their die-hard fans would like, but their appearance on Piano Jazz is full of pleasant surprises and reminds us just how much jazz means to '70s pop/rock icons. ~ Alex Henderson

Marian McPartland (piano); Donald Fagen (vocals, piano); Walter Becker (guitar); Jay Leonhart (bass guitar); Keith Carlock (drums).

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz Radio Broadcast

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