It’s a mindset: The jazz musicians Steely Dan listed as their heroes
Though Steely Dan are a massive act who have sold out stadiums in their career and have many hit albums, when you start considering their approach to music and what they achieved during their time as a band, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that they are a bit underrated. They had massive creative potential, and how they went about songwriting and music creation was unparalleled.
Often, when we listen to older music, we find that it may not have aged as well as the artist would have liked. This isn’t usually their fault; times change, and genres become more convoluted and complex, meaning a lot of artists who set the foundation for a style of music don’t progress with it. Steely Dan don’t fall victim to this. Sure, some lyrics they have used might not have aged well, but the sound they achieved remains as relevant today as it was when they first recorded it.
Why? Well, it’s because their commitment was less to the song and more to the craft. They wanted to be creative and continue to push themselves. That mindset remains just as prevalent today as it did previously, which means when people listen to their works, they hear two musicians pushing themselves to the limit, being experimental in their approach to writing and recording, and that is something which doesn’t expire with time.
One genre that attests to this mindset is jazz. It isn’t like many other genres, which have strict parameters as to what a song is, when it starts, and when it ends. Jazz has fewer songs and more backbones, backbones which can provide a performance with structure but don’t bind the track too much. This means that many modern jazz bands still use the same stencils that artists had decades ago, and we, as listeners, still connect with them because we are drawn to the mindset and the craft.
Because of the parallels between the two types of music, it is hardly surprising that Steely Dan were big jazz fans. It could be hard to pin their sound down to one specific genre as an influence, but the attitude of jazz players is similar to the mindset that the members of Steely Dan had.
They were such big jazz fans that when asked who their musical heroes were, they didn’t hesitate to offer two big names in the world of jazz music: Charlie Parker and Duke Ellington. “I’d rather be Charlie Parker than anything,” said Walter Becker when asked about his musical heroes. “Everyone would like to be possessed of genius,” agreed Donald Fagen.
The two continued discussing their influences before agreeing on who could be who. “Do you mind if I’m Charlie?” Asked Becker. “No, I’ll be Duke Ellington,” said Fagen, coming to a compromise.
Parker and Ellington were two of the most innovative minds in jazz, with styles combined with soul and technical brilliance. Parker, a saxophonist and Ellington, a pianist, were able to deconstruct rhythm and play in a way that was both accessible and completely original. Audiences would be stunned into silence at their playing style, and the way they continued to push themselves as musicians still resonate today.
“We have other heroes, other jazz musicians, but those two are particularly outstanding examples,” said Becker. Their love for jazz is evident when you consider their approach to making music, as the way they approached sound and pushed themselves as musicians isn’t far removed from those they call heroes.
