Aja

Aja was recorded between 1976 and 1977 at several Los Angeles studios, primarily Village Recorder and Producer's Workshop, and was produced by Gary Katz, who had served as Steely Dan's producer since their debut. The album was engineered by Roger Nichols, a longtime collaborator of the band, whose meticulous approach to capturing pristine sound became legendary, and it was mixed by Elliot Scheiner. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, the core duo of Steely Dan, employed an extensive roster of elite session musicians, including guitarist Larry Carlton, drummer Steve Gadd (whose performance on the title track is widely celebrated), and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, often recording numerous takes and auditioning multiple players for individual parts to achieve their exacting vision. The production reflected Steely Dan's perfectionist studio methodology, with heavy use of layered overdubs, jazz-influenced harmonic complexity, and an emphasis on audiophile-quality sound that pushed the boundaries of contemporary recording technology. Released in September 1977 on ABC Records, Aja became one of the defining albums of the late 1970s and is still regarded as a benchmark for recording excellence, earning a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical.