The Steely Dan catalog contains some of the most exacting and technically difficult music ever to grace the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
From the minds of songwriters Donald Fagen and the late Walter Becker, the music — at once recognizable to Baby Boomers and Gen Xers — is a challenge to musicians who dare cover it live.
The Hilo Jazz Orchestra, which is connected with the University of Hawaii at Hilo, has never shied away from a challenge. For local Steely Dan fans, that means the dandiest holiday gift of all — a concert of the legendary band’s music.
Showtime is 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, at the historic Palace Theater in downtown Hilo. Doors, the box office and concessions open at 6 p.m.
Opening are special performances by HAASTILE from Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science in Pahoa and Hot Potaytahs, arguably Hilo’s best cover band.
“I’ve wanted to do this show for years,” said Trever Veilleux, director of both Hilo Jazz Orchestra and HAASTILE, as well as Hot Potaytahs’ lead guitarist. “The inspiration was (the late) Dr. John Kusinski. Back when I was a student at UH-Hilo, Dr. John was my professor. He was, to this day, the biggest Steely Dan fan I’ve ever met.
“So a lot of songs that we’re playing were songs I played when I was in the UH jazz band. But there’s never been an entire evening devoted to the music of Steely Dan before, and never one with a band this large, about 20 members — and I thought it was about time.”
In addition to Fagen, a lead vocalist and keyboardist and Becker, a guitarist, bassist and backing vocalist, the original Steely Dan lineup consisted of guitarists Jeff “Skunk” Baxter and Denny Dias, drummer Jim Hodder and vocalist David Palmer. New York session player Elliott Randall — who nailed the searing guitar solo on the band’s first hit, “Reelin’ In the Years” in one take — reportedly declined an offer to be a band member.
It wasn’t long, however, before Steely Dan morphed into Fagen and Becker with hired guns, both in the studio and on the road.
“Steely Dan is famous, at least among musicians, for employing some of the best jazz-rock musicians in the world,” Veilleux said. “The original Steely Dan band were all virtuosos. And later, when Walter and Donald took over and started working with session musicians, they would hire just the best players for any particular song. On any album, you might have three or four different drummers, based on who played any given song the best. So it’s not easy music. These students are being asked to duplicate some of the best musicians in the world, like Larry Carlton and Bernard Purdie.”
The band has risen to the occasion before, delivering what have become legendary tribute shows to the Beatles, the Blues Brothers and Frank Zappa.
“Steely Dan’s music is jazz-rock so the chords are extremely difficult and the grooves are super precise, so rhythmically it’s a big challenge,” Veilleux said. “It’s a very different challenge from Zappa, who had all these odd meters and really fast kinds of things. The challenge with Steely Dan isn’t necessarily speed or weird time signatures; it’s pursuit of perfection — trying to get the grooves as perfect as possible.”
Asked his favorite Steely Dan guitar solo, Veilleux quickly replied, “Larry Carlton, ‘Kid Charlemagne.’
“He’s a jazz guitarist, so he had no problem navigating those jazz chords — and he made it sound very rock ’n’ roll. It’s got a rock ’n’ roll feel; it’s got a nice, aggressive tone, but the sophisticated jazz harmony is there too.
“It’s a great solo.”
Sophia Allen, a 17-year-old senior at HAAS, is a bassist and vocalist in both HAASTILE and the Hilo Jazz Orchestra. She thanks Veilleux for his belief in her as a musician.
“I actually started bass when I first got in to HAASTILE,” Allen said. “I was a guitarist before, but I didn’t play in the band. I took guitar class with Mr. Trever the year previous. I thought I would play guitar when I got into HAASTILE, but there were a lot of guitarists who were super good, so I played bass.
“After I played bass on my first song, ‘Should I Stay or I Should I Go,’ thought, yeah, ‘This is what I want to do.’”
As for influences on bass, Allen named Victor Wooten, known for his association with Béla Fleck, and über-funky British bassist and educator Charles Berthoud.
“My dad purchased his master class for me, which is really cool,” she said.
HAASTILE has opened for the Hilo Jazz Orchestra before, and many East Hawaii music lovers consider the shows “must see” events.
“We’ve gotten a lot of support from the community and that’s just great,” Veilleux said.
“I am so lucky to get to work with these kids. They are incredible musicians. Sophia is unreal. She plays guitar and sings and plays bass. She’s super talented. Her brother, Oakley, is also in HAASTILE. In HAASTILE, he plays keyboards, but in his own band he plays drums. Turtle (Giancarlo Barsotti), our lead guitar player in HAASTILE, is just a little shredder. And Tom Yoes, who plays drums in both HAASTILE and UH, has skills way beyond his years.
“That’s just to name a few. The list goes on.”
Admission is $20 general, $10 students with ID, and $30 for special orchestra seating, available now online at hilopalace.com. All tickets, except student tickets, are $5 more the day of the show.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.