STEELY DAN'S MUSIC IN HARPA

Steely Dan was one of the most influential bands of the 1970s. Their music was a unique and original blend of jazz and pop that captivated music lovers and musicians of all ages and has done so ever since.

Donald Fagen and Walter Becker formed the band and named it after a sexual aid in William S. Burroughs' novel, The Naked Lunch. From 1972 to 1974, Steely Dan was a full-fledged band, releasing the albums Can't Buy a Thrill, Countdown to Ecstasy and Pretzel Logic, but starting with the album Katy Lied in 1975, Steely Dan was essentially a two-man band with Fagen and Becker assisted by the most talented session musicians available. The wonderful The Royal Scam was released in 1976 and the masterpiece Aja was released in 1977, an album considered by many to be one of the greatest albums in music history. The supposed swan song Gaucho was released in 1980. Donald Fagen then released the magnificent The Nightfly in 1982, without a doubt one of the better albums of the 1980s.

To everyone's surprise, Fagen and Becker resumed touring in the mid-1990s and released two new albums in the early years of the new century, for which they won Grammy Awards.

Steely Dan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and their albums have sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.

On Saturday, May 24th, a group of acclaimed Icelandic musicians performing as Reykjavik Tribute Orchestra will take to the stage in Harpa’s North Lights Hall and perform the music of Steely Dan in concert. The band of die-hard Steely Dan fans has performed several times before and received wonderful reviews. Also, the views of the band’s concert material on YouTube are starting to number in the tens of thousands. The program will include songs from all Steely Dan albums from 1972 to 1980 as well as songs from Donald Fagen’s solo album, The Nightfly. Expect to hear songs such as Do It Again, Reelin’ In The Years, Aja, Rikki Don’t Lose That Number, Kid Charlemagne, Black Cow, Peg, Josie, Babylon Sisters, Hey Nineteen and I.G.Y.

The band:

Eiður Arnarsson - bass

Karl Olgeirsson - keyboards and vocals

Friðrik Karlsson - guitar

Pétur Valgarð Pétursson - guitar

Þórir Úlfarsson - keyboards and backing vocals

Una Stefánsdóttir - vocals and backing vocals

Hildur Vala Einarsdóttir - vocals and backing vocals

Jóhann Hjörleifsson - drums

Björgvin Ragnar Hjálmarsson - saxophone

Ívar Guðmundsson - trumpet

Jóel Pálsson - saxophone

https://youtu.be/dsNJ2Hqc0BQ?si=eTF5PJSongGJvfEw

https://youtu.be/KgcwSfZKLFA?si=gPTNS12G2yQn-qw_

https://youtu.be/LzECG54oTZo?si=Jlt6zC6bc7LUtH2z