Less a band than a concept, Steely Dan was one of the most advanced, successful and mysterious pop units of the 1970s. Combining pop hooks with jazz harmonies, complicated time changes and cryptic, often highly ironic lyrics, the band sounded like no one else. Producer Gary Katz became Steely Dan's "third member," as much because of Walter Becker and Donald Fagen's insistence on pristine sound quality as for Katz's role in forming the band.
The 2000 release of Two Against Nature resurrected the band as a viable recording unit and also won Steely Dan several Grammy Awards.
The band holds forth for two nights at the Taft Theatre, playing their classic album Aja in its entirety Nov. 10 and The Royal Scam Nov. 11.
