A friend told me recently about a new live version of the Donald Fagen album “Nightfly,” and I listened, slack jawed, at the perfection of the performances and production. I just have such respect for the level of musicianship and engineering need to pull that off. It’s award winning, but you don’t put in that level of effort for awards. Re-listening drove me to seek out the sheet music, and looking it over, I was most impressed at how Fagen, through this and his Steely Dan work, managed to take sophisticated jazz elements and somehow craft hook-laden tunes you can’t stop humming. I con’t think of anyone worse who is done it better or for longer.
It reminds me in one sense of Gene Kelly, who revealed that he considered his life’s work to be bringing respect to dance as an athletic art, not just a feminine thing. I’m not sure that effort had legs, as it were, but there’s no doubt that at the time he proved the athleticism of the form. It just never found longevity in culture outside Broadway.
Fagen, I think, had more success melding jazz and pop. THere’s so much to learn from him, but it takes concentration, and determination to internalize anything near his level of sophistication. But that’s one of the joys of music; there’s always something to learn and enjoy, and appreciate, slack jawed.