Walter Becker’s New Year’s Funk

Having recently subscribed to Maui resident, Walter Becker’s newsletter, today’s email included an apparently re-mixed recording from his latest album “Circus Money.” This track is called, “Circus Money Hammerhead Remix.”

I had the pleasure of meeting Walter and his Steely Dan partner Donald Fagan one night after their concert at Buddokan in Tokyo. I liken that experience to maybe how it would have felt to meet Basie or Ellington for someone else back in the day. Growing up in Hibbing, Minnesota, I considered these guys the deans of hip–never mind that bard-guy with the funny voice..

Attendance by the ever polite reserved Japanese people from their record company meant that among the 15 or so people assembled in the Budokkan’s green room, there seemed a rather wide berth in which to talk story with these two hepcats.

After talking about avocados and internet with Becker, and Horace Silver and Brazilian bass lines with Fagan, the two departed in their individual Lincoln Towncars and into the Tokyo night. (I would have somehow preferred ‘74 Novas– not sure why.)

On the way out, I had the chance to duck into the more plebeian bus carrying the other members of the group–said hi to the late great saxophonist Cornelius Bumpus. What a genuine cat–softest hand I ever shook. I wonder if that is a sax-player thing?

Anyway, nice radio contest opportunity. Heh, speaking of which, the radio station interviewed those guys, with the typical DJ-voiced guy asking, “Hey. You guys – Steely Dan guys! Tell our listening audience what it takes! – to make groovy hits! that the kids all like! ..maybe you had to be there.. Anyway, at the end of the interview the DJ asks Fagan if he has any advice for the up and coming! wanting radio hits! crowd out in radioland! Without missing a beat, Fagan answers, “Don’t buy a hat through the mail-order.”

DJ and fellow UHH alumnus Vance K kindly steered that radio contest prize my way. Turns out he and I have both worked at the same school in Hilo too–weird coincidence. I still haven’t actually met him.

Before I regress any further, here’s Walter’s New Year’s offering. (Oh. One last thing. I actually lowered the bitrate to 128kbps..’cause..er, at Island Notes we ain’t exactly swimming in bandwidth, if ya dig.)

Circus Money Hammerhead Remix(@5.5mb)

Those with bandwidth Towncars rather than Novas, you can go to Walter’s site here to download higher fidelity versions.