Aja! A Steely Dan Tribute

Aja! A Steely Dan Tribute brings 90 minutes of Steely Dan to Jazz Bar, starting with “Black Cow” and charging through to “Reelin’ in the Years” for a funky finish. This Sunday night show was the final of five sellouts, and the Jazz Bar was full to the brim of people who knew these numbers very well.

So the band had little room for error. Josh Davy had the difficult job of taking on some very familiar Steely Dan guitar solos. Fans know the originals, so there is nowhere to hide. Not every solo lands exactly, but plenty come remarkably close to the originals. Chris Small switches between saxophone and vocals, adding another layer to an already busy arrangement, while Carter Skillicorn holds the eight-piece together from behind the drum screen.

Those eight musicians make for a tight squeeze on the Jazz Bar stage. That said, everyone gets their chance at a solo, including Stephen Jack on bass, who gets one whether the arrangement needs it or not. When the soloist can’t be seen, the players at the front duck down so he can, before popping back up like meerkats.

Steely Dan also comes with a lot of lore, but Aja! wisely leaves most of that alone. They just play the music.

The bigger issue was the way the Jazz Bar was laid out. It was a seated show at 7pm, and most people stayed in their seats. That changes the feel of some of the funkier numbers. There was energy in the room, but not much movement. By “Reelin’ in the Years”, a few people were finally shifting about. I kept wondering what this would have been like at 11pm.

An enjoyable end to the Fringe, though I suspect Aja! would have been a very different show with a later slot and fewer chairs.

Aja! A Steely Dan Tribute by Aja! A Steely Dan Tribute. Credit Edinterval.