Steely Dan

Donald Fagen and Walter Becker and their creation Steely Dan were musically the best thing to come out of the 70's. I know Eagles fans will object to my verdict but here's why I believe this. The Eagles were an extension of bands like The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and Poco. Steely Dan was an original.Fagen and Becker's creation of jazz/rock was much more sophisticated than the horn backed bands (which were actually spawned in the late 60's) like Blood, Sweat, & Tears or Chicago. The playing on Steely Dan records was flawless. It was one of my great regrets that the band only toured for three years in the early 70's and by 1981 this dynamic duo had quit.

Fast forward to 1993 and a much anticipated reunion and tour. Fortunately thanks in large part to Lew Jetton, a fabulous musician in his own right, I got to catch Steely Dan in 1994 at a concert in Nashville. It was pure heaven.

Ten years later the Czarina and I went to Tampa for another Steely Dan concert and another fabulous show. That brings us to last night and another epic performance in Fort Myers. This event helped mark the tenth anniversary of getting hitched to my Russian princess. The actual anniversary falls on Friday.

It was great to see this band in an intimate venue. The one thing that struck me is Becker's improvement on guitar. He's light years better than when I first saw the band in Nashville. Becker's got a smooth, uncomplicated style, that's complimented by Jon Herrington who can hold his own ripping through classic's like "My Old School." Now it's a four month wait until our next big concert, U2!