https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9g-Z5nFg5Y

The death of Steely Dan’s Walter Becker a few weeks ago got me to thinking…  everyone knows “Reelin’ In The Years” or “Peg” or “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”, but what are some of those under the radar numbers that deserve further attention?  As a fan there are quite a few to choose from outside of those radio cuts, but the one that’s popped into my mind since Becker’s death is the jazzy bossa nova smoothies of Countdown To Ecstasy’s “Razor Boy”.  Vibraphone, stand up bass, piano, and…  Hawaiian steel guitar?  Yeah, throw all that into the mix with a cryptic lyric and typically cool Donald Fagen vocal and it’s a major winner.

Countdown has always been my favorite Dan album as my preference for the band has always been their more “rock driven jazz” sounds than their latter period full blown jazzier experimentations, but their entire career consists of excellent material.  That said, “Razor Boy” definitely leans more toward their post Katy Lied period considering the instrumentation but it still has those quirks that were part of the early days:  a more looser, somewhat laconic overall vibe courtesy of that laid back flow and subtle percussion plus Fagen’s strong piano hand topped off by Jeff “Skunk” Baxter’s bluesy steel guitar solo.  These guys were always off on their own tangent and “Razor Boy” showed off another element of the band-  not only could they rock but they could write a wistful and beautifully poppy tune to catch you off guard, kinda like that knuckleball in a strong arsenal of pitches.  Countdown starts with the fastball rock of “Bodhisattva” and just when you think you know what’s coming next yer whiffin’ on that second pitch of “Razor Boy”.  So just play it…  I know you’ll be humming that catchy chorus shortly thereafter.

Funny tho…  I know this post was somewhat prompted by Walter Becker’s death, but…  oddly enough, Becker didn’t even play on “Razor Boy”!  Bass duties were handled by Ray Brown, a jazz great who played with artists ranging from Ella Fitzgerald to Dizzy Gillespie to Frank Sinatra.  It’s to Becker’s credit that he often stepped aside and relegated bass or lead guitar duties to other musicians depending on the song-  a selfless act in an art form full of often over the top ego.  Becker’s passing leaves a deep void in the music world and he’ll be greatly missed.