The announcement of 2021’s Northeast Corridor: Steely Dan Live! was an unexpected treat. As concerts had yet to resume full-throttle, given the fact that we are still dealing with the most extensive health crisis in modern times, anything to temporarily give us joy was a welcome relief.
If you read previous entries on Donald Fagen’s The Nightfly Live album, released concurrently, you are already aware of my thoughts on the lack of significant liner notes and photos, and generally lackluster packaging. That plagues Northeast Corridor, too. Of course musically, both are strong – though I did have a few less than flattering thoughts on the arrangements on Fagen’s album.
One can’t help but compare the new release to the only other official Steely Dan concert recording, 1995’s Alive in America. The obvious difference is that the sublime Walter Becker is no longer with us. Here, the versatile Connor Kennedy makes his recorded debut with the Steely Dan Band.
Only Donald Fagen and Catherine Russell appear on both Alive in America and Northeast Corridor. Still, this band has played together longer than any incarnation of Steely Dan (sans Kennedy and sometime stand-in Jamie Leonhart). So, the results overall are excellent. Five of the songs on this album were recorded on Alive in America, and invite side-by-side comparison.
The album-opening “Black Cow” has been a concert staple for a number of years, having been added to the setlist on the 1996 Art Crimes your. This standout from 1977’s Aja is a fantastic way to get the mood of the concert, with Jim Beard providing touches of synthesized clarinet. At the same time, Donald Fagen contributes a rhythmic Fender Rhodes part.
Keith Carlock’s high-hat work is prominent in the mix, though I’d prefer Freddie Washington’s slinky bass was slightly higher. The horns parts are nearly identical to Tom Scott’s original arrangement. Why change a great thing? The Fender Rhodes solo, handled by Beard on his synth, doesn’t attempt to copy the Victor Feldman original, as Beard injects power and elegance into his improvisation.
The tag of the song reflects a shifting mood as it morphs from R&B to jazz. The shift isn’t as prominent as it seems on Aja, but the last minute of “Black Cow” is brilliantly tied together by the Roger Rosenberg’s preaching on baritone sax. My only quibble is that the solo is a tad too short.
