Denny Dias

I've been listening to Steeley Dan since the mid 1970's and while I enjoy all their albums as well as Donald Fagen's solo albums, my favorite Steeley Dan albums are from  Can't Buy A Thrill through  Gaucho.  IMHO that was when these talented musicians were in their prime and creating a sound that was distinctly their own. No other band at the time sounded like the Dan, and as was the case with Denny Dias, Donald and Walter always selected incredibly talented musicians to join them in the studio.  More than fifty years on I still love their music! 👍

Thought it was interesting to discover the part about the guitar solo on Do It Again and how that came about.   And if you watch vids he does not use the DanElectro.

https://youtu.be/CAULJtP4sj0

Thanks for the heads up.  I’m watching it now. Very cool.  

@yoyoyaya Thank you so much for drawing attention to this interview.  As a guitarist and record maker myself (as well as a SD fan), I found it fascinating in ways that most listeners might not.  I learned more about Steely Dan than I'd ever learned before, too.  I'd never heard about Walter Becker kicking over Denny's Kustom amp during a performance--that must have been hysterical (and probably well-deserved--if you've ever played guitar through an old Kustom amp;  I'm not surprised Kustom had to give them away to bands).

I agree with @frogman that there's nothing wrong with Denny.  He just strikes me as a mellow, low-key kind of guy, unlike many more flamboyant musicians. He succinctly nailed his contribution as playing jazz guitar in a rock context.

@drmuso - +1 on everything you say above. I also found his insights about Walter Becker comping his (Becker's) solos fascinating.