Steve Gadd: The DRUM SOLO That Changed Popular Music

In this episode I discuss how Steve Gadd changed Pop music with his drum solo on Steely Dan's Aja.

#stevegadd #drumsolo #steelydan

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[jashton]

Steely Dan was a genre of music and they were the sole occupants. A brilliant collaboration of rock, jazz and blues.

[soyounoat]

I remember when Aja was released in late 1977. I was 16 years old, and was surrounded by people with great musical taste, and so Aja was being cued up often. Being young, I just accepted that music like this was *normal*. As years passed and I ventured into learning about music and playing instruments, the majesty and complexity of Aja, and Steely Dan in general, was gradually revealed to me. My respect and awe has grown for it ever since.

[masonaxenty]

Aja is hands down the greatest album of all time. The amount of pure talent and musicianship put into these 7 songs is absolutely phenomenal!

[samgoldsmith]

Rick is one of the true greats of air drumming

[FrankieBagdonuts]

Steve Gadd's work on Aja never gets old.... the song itself belongs in the Smithsonian as a national treasure.

[tomfisher]

Best thing about this video is seeing how happy Rick is throughout it. ✊🏼

[oaktadopbok]

Rick has the uncanny ability to get me excited about music that I've been listening to since it first came out, and played hundreds of times, and give it a new meaning, a new twist, and show me things I never knew or heard before, and get me all overjoyed again, and it's like I'm hearing for the first time after all these years I feel young again. Not many people on earth can do that for you, my friends.

[briantlougan]

Aja, the whole album, is a masterpiece. You can listen to it casually indefinitely. If you dig deeper, it's so much richer. You're right: who is going to bring together all those top quality elements on an album of popular music? Wayne Shorter and Steve Gadd really injected killer solos in that circumscribed but fertile Steely Dan space. Thank you for calling attention to the song, the drum solos and the album. Brilliant!

[jeffreyjordan]

IMHO, the Gadd/Shorter solo is one of the greatest pieces of music ever recorded. It raises the hair on my arms every time I listen to it.

[thewebmaniacs]

That is the track I use to compare speakers and sound equipment. One of my all-time favorites. RIP Walter!

[brucewarner]

Music like this is craftsmanship neither mass produced or even repeatable. This is a gift, Thank you

[jamescassidy]

Every Steely Dan song & album blew our minds - the playing, musicianship, arrangements, lyrics, imagery, melodies, tones, artwork… untouchable.

[ishgumi]

Rick, I've followed you for a long time, this is my first comment. This is why we love you man. Like a kid in a candy shop, your enthusiasm, still after all these years, is contagious. We all know what a genius Steve Gadd is. Listening to it together and sharing your passion for the music, just takes it all to a new level. Cheers man!

[johnpatitucci]

I love your videos! You're doing something that schools lack today; teaching music appreciation. Not just "hey listen to this, it's awesome", you show us WHY it's awesome.

[jjmalaprop]

When Rick says, “I want you to listen to this with headphones”, I do what I’m told.

[WhizMitchell]

Steely Dan's Aja is undoubtedly IMO the greatest Jazz/Pop/R&B record ever made. In fact, I was highly influenced by this album as a musician. It was innovative for it's time. I highly recommend it to anyone with open ears when it comes to musical development. The title track itself is an absolute masterpiece. When I listen to the title track, to this day after all these years, it gives me chills when I hear both steve gadd and wayne shorter's solos....it's so damn good.

[ClarenceHW]

True, not just the drum solo, but a whole album which changed everything from production values to songwriting.

[quick]

Steve Gadd is a true player's player. His work on Al Di Meola's Elegant Gypsy is different, yet it is equally mind blowing.

[gingerdent]

All these “hearing a song for the first time” videos are fun but seeing the enthusiasm for a song you’ve listened to 100+ times is so more uplifting. I share your joy of this song totally Rick!!

[thomashybiske]

I'm 68, have lived and played through the greatest years of music, and in my collection, Aja sits atop; a masterpiece.