Dear forum friends, this is a tribute song (seems like I've been doing a lot of them lately) to 2 of what I consider an elite group of a dozen or two true geniuses of modern pop/rock music. One is still with us. The other tragically has passed. I tried to honor their musical vibe and their rather unique style of writing lyrics. I would love to hear what you think. Been loving what I've been hearing here on the forum. Take care all. Greg


https://soundcloud.com/gjohnson-2/trumpet-playinman

What a great song. Loved the lyrics and clearly the Steely Dan influence/homage. I'm guessing Michael Leonhart as the alive trumpet player.

Like John, I read the title and thought you were referring to two Steely Dan session horn players.

But on re-reading I see you're referring to Walter Becker (RIP) and Donald Fagan. Especially since you reference Becker by name at the start of the song.

Really nice work - building a song from bits of lyrics, and a cohesive arrangement from bits and pieces. Great singing, excellent mix. No doubt a few Mu chords as well.

The end result is a song that stands by itself without knowing the references, which is tricky with this sort of work.

I love your songs, and this one is no exception.

This is simply stunning. Bravo.

Greg

That was masterful! Superb vocal as usual excellent imagery and a beautifully arranged backing.
You are producing some truly wonderful work.

Peter

Oh, I thought it was Baker Street.
Glad it wasn't a reference to that album though.
differing interpretations for different ears & tastes I suppose - not much of an SD fan knowing only a couple of songs - though the lyric snippets do give it away after a while - even to a Philistine like myself.
Smooth, richly arranged and mellowly sung - that'd be fitting as a tribute.

Exceptional performance, composition, and production. This song takes the listener on a gentle glide through the clouds. Thanks!

Wow - what a tune! Flows smooth as butter, and those tones are so silky. Your vocals and the instrumentation sound passionate and lush. The horn solos add a whole other dimension. Got me swaying from the get go, and the groove is fantastic.

Talk about a soulful tune - you should be proud of this one, thanks for sharing

Excellent composition & production...
You certainly have a knack or creating pleasant & great sounding pieces...
It makes me wonder about you background in music...
And your musical history.

Greg,
Smooth,beautifully sung and well produced. The references escape my limited knowledge of the band, but the tribute feeling is warm and lyrics interesting.
Your songs have sophistication with heart - this is another fine example!

Robert

Hi Greg,

Although jazz is not really my cup of tea (got an overdose of jazz with my father on a festivall years ago and never overcome), I listened concentrated to your song. The composition is very good and I liked the vocal part. A very catchy voice. Well done. Very nice.
I wished the singer comes in earlier, but that's mainly because I like these vocals.
So it is a good song with an excellent swing.

Hans

shoot, I grew up thinking this was rock

Deacon Blues groove is excellent here, was just talking about Aja with a friend the other day.

I was greatly saddened to hear that Walter Becker had passed.

This arrangement and mix are so damned good

with your always super good vocals.

this one sets a pretty high bar!

Really enjoyed that creative choices made with this song. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us!

Greg,
That was excellent in all respects!

Thank you for sharing!

Misha.

I would have had no idea here in my cave without the comments of others and a few bits of familiar lyric. All I can say is this is beautifully written, arranged, sung and mixed. And if all that is not a fitting tribute, then I'm at a loss to imagine what might be.

Excellent! Certainly has a Steely Dan type groove. Nice to hear the song references in your lyric!

Nice arrangement and mix, and of course vocals are top notch as per usual.

Good stuff, Greg, very much enjoyed!

Very Nice!

Awesome tribute Greg. Another awesome vocal and lyric. Just love your music. Well done

Excellent, I love this song, so mellow, BIAB is so amazing, you can sound like you were in a full production studio!!

I really enjoyed this Greg. Very smooth vibes on this and quite a treat to listen to. The vocals are very lush too. Thanks for sharing!

We like music from that period but don't have much depth of knowledge regarding the players. So thanks Kenny for your informative response along with thanks to you Greg for the tribute.

If there is a niche on the forum for classy and sophisticated vocals you OWN it.

In addition to the vocals, the outstanding band , the write and arrangement are perfect for the lyric. You have a way of always nailing that.

Lovely!

J&B

Very nice, Greg! Vocals sound as good as ever, and good use of the brass and trumpet.

Really like this one! (Nice tribute.)

Steve

Sounds great Greg.

Very Donald Fagen! Totally Steely Dan. Mission accomplished great.

Love all the clever allusions.

Absolutely beautiful, melody, chording and vocals are smooth as silk. This reminds me of Tower Of Power ballad with all those great sounding horns and the soulful instrumentation. Although I don't recognize the references, this is definitely a great tribute, another hit in your creative collection.

Janne

Greg,

A Big WOW! for this!! You seem to raise the bar with every new song.

A stellar write in all regards. Excellent lyric. Gorgeous melody!!

Might be your best recorded vocal! So "present". Awesome.

Super production. You got those horns working perfectly. Everything else is oneof those mixes "so good you don't hear it"...

Everyone hear Steely Dan (rightfully so), but I also hear Joni Mitchell's Hejira...

Exceptional start to finish.

fj

Man!!! This style suits your vocals so very well! The groove, the vibe, the composition, the lyric!


Super job all around.


And the mix is sublime!!!


Robert said it best - Beautiful!!!


You are in the zone here!!!

Thanks John! Actually, I was talking about Fagan and Becker, with the former still being here. I would still see SD live because if Fagan was gone, the vocal could not be adequately replaced. Thanks for the listen! Take care. Greg

Thanks David! Appreciate the nice review! What's a Mu chord? Take care. Greg

Hi Greg,

this is simply one of the best songs I've heard for quite some time. Having been a Donald Fagan fan for decades I must say, you really caught the vibes. An excellent song, greatly arranged and flawlessly produced. And boy - your singing: top-top-top-notch.

A TREAT.

Regards,

Stefan

hi greg super good stuff here great blend of instruments loving the vocal and trumpet sounds great really nice work thanks for sharing eric

What a great vocal Greg!! Lovely jazz/pop tune that puts me in mind of something Paul Simon would have come up with in the 80's. I love it man!! Thanks, Torrey

This is your best to date! Although many mention Steely Dan I think it was more of a Tower Of Power ballad.

Regardless this is one excellent piece of music!

Hi, Greg.

It's basically what Steely Dan called an add2 chord. See: http://www.hakwright.co.uk/steelydan/mu-major.html

See also: https://www.guitarplayer.com/technique/steely-chords-the-pretzel-logic-behind-steely-dans-signature-voicings-and-chord-progressions

There's even a Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu_chord

LOVE THIS!!!!

Steely Dan is my favorite band of all time, and I resoundingly approve of this tribute (and LOVED the references)!

RIP Walter Becker.

Coming back to add that I've had this on repeat for hours now as I take in the weekend to the Eilat sunset.

This hit me in so many places.

Thank you so very much for sharing this, friend.

I haven't been around much for a while, but this one alone was worth looking in again. Wow!!

Greg,

Terrific tune—tremendous vocal. You’ve picked up the vibe so well, such a fine tribute. I was never a huge Steely Dan fan, but “Can’t Buy a Thrill” is among the best albums I’ve ever heard. Brings me back to days cruising down the road listening to that album. Production wise, it’s brilliant—that horn to finish the song is so, so sweet. Killer stuff, Greg. Enjoyed it a ton!

My best to you,

Deej

Thanks James! Really appreciate you listening and commenting! Take care. Greg

Thanks Peter! I always enjoy hearing from you guys too! Take care. Greg

Thanks Ray! You should check out more of "the Dan"....amazing band! I'd check out Aja and Katy Lied, both amazing! Thanks for listening and commenting! Take care. Greg

Hi Greg ...

What a simply superb song and performance! This is just so freaking good! Love this style of music and you have mastered it in this production. What a listen! So good!

Alan

PS: I'll have that package I promised you a couple of weeks ago on the way this week. Di just got out of the hospital after a nearly two-week stay. Some pretty serious stuff - had her in isolation for 5 days. Anyway ... I have the stuff in hand and will send it before the week is over.

Thanks so much! Really glad you enjoyed it!! Take care. Greg

Thanks Deryk! Always wanted to write a Steely Dan style song but BIAB gave me the tools to finally do it! Take care. Greg

Thanks Jim! Really appreciate your kind words! Take care. Greg

Thanks Robert! You should check out some Steely Dan.....it is fantastic music. I would check out Aja or Katy Lied, although they are all good. Take care. Greg

Thanks very much Hans! You've been posting some really cool stuff! Take care. Greg

Thanks Kenny! Yeah, it is so sad to lose so many of our great heroes...irreplaceable! Take care. Greg

Thanks Ember! Haven't heard one of your tunes in a while.....better get going! Take care. Greg

THanks Misha! Just listened to your latest.....fantastic!! Take care. Greg

Thanks so much for those very kind words! Much appreciated! Take care. Greg