"Aja" is the sixth studio album by American jazz rock band Steely Dan, released on September 23, 1977, by ABC Records. With band leaders Donald Fagen and Walter Becker at the helm, the album showcased their signature blend of jazz, rock, and pop, as they experimented with a diverse array of session musicians—nearly 40 in total. This pursuit of sophisticated compositions and intricate arrangements marked a significant evolution in their sound.
The album achieved impressive commercial success, peaking at number three on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart and number five on the UK Albums Chart. It produced hit singles such as "Peg," "Deacon Blues," and "Josie."
At the 20th Annual Grammy Awards, Aja won the award for Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical and received nominations for Album of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Renowned for its high production quality, it frequently appears on lists of the greatest albums, and in 2010, the Library of Congress recognized it as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant," selecting it for preservation in the National Recording Registry.
The album Aja was produced by Steely Dan's longtime producer Gary Katz, with master engineering by Roger Nichols. It features contributions from a roster of prominent session musicians, enhancing its sophisticated sound. The title track, an eight-minute exploration, showcases a jazz-based chord progression and features a notable saxophone solo by Wayne Shorter. Interestingly, co-composer and co-band leader Walter Becker did not perform on the tracks "Black Cow" or "Peg," highlighting the collaborative nature of the album's production.
The title Aja is pronounced "Asia," named after a Korean woman who married the brother of one of Donald Fagen's high school friends. The album cover features a striking photograph by Hideki Fujii of Japanese model and actress Sayoko Yamaguchi, designed by Patricia Mitsui and Geoff Westen. Inside, the photos of Fagen and Becker were captured by Becker himself along with Dorothy A. White, adding a personal touch to the album's visual presentation.
