''Kamakiriad'' is the second solo album by Steely Dan artist Donald Fagen, released in

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

. It was his first collaboration with Steely Dan partner

Walter Becker Walter Carl Becker (February 20, 1950 – September 3, 2017) was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter of the jazz rock band Steely Dan.Russonello, Giovanni,Listen t ...

since 1986, on Rosie Vela's album '' Zazu''. Becker played guitar and bass and produced the album. The album is a futuristic, optimistic eight-song cycle about the journey of the narrator in his high-tech car, the ''Kamakiri'' (Japanese for

praying mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They ha ...

). It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year 1994.

Music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

s were produced for "Tomorrow's Girls" (starring

Rick Moranis Frederick Allan Moranis (; born April 18, 1953) is a Canadian actor, comedian, musician, songwriter, writer and producer. He appeared in the sketch comedy series ''Second City Television'' (''SCTV'') in the 1980s and several Hollywood films, inc ...

) and " Snowbound" (using stop motion animation). Fagen and Becker embarked on their first tour as Steely Dan since 1974 to support the album.

Track listing

All songs written by Donald Fagen, except where noted. #"Trans-Island Skyway" – 6:30 #"Countermoon" – 5:05 #"Springtime" – 5:06 #" Snowbound" (

, Fagen) – 7:08 #"Tomorrow's Girls" – 6:17 #"Florida Room" (Fagen, Libby Titus) – 6:02 #"On the Dunes" – 8:07 #"Teahouse on the Tracks" – 6:09

Bonus tracks, from ''The Nightfly Trilogy'' MVI boxed set

"Big Noise, New York" – 5:21 #"Confide in Me" – 4:15 #"Blue Lou" – 7:01 #"Shanghai Confidential" – 4:54

Personnel

* Donald Fagen – keyboards,

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

– bass,

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was born on No ...

–

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

, flugelhorn *

Cornelius Bumpus Cornelius Bumpus (May 7, 1945 – February 3, 2004) was an American woodwind, brass and keyboard player and vocalist from Santa Cruz, California. Biography Bumpus began his musical career playing alto saxophone at ten for his school band, and by ...

–

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

*Angela Clemmons-Patrick – background vocals *Leroy Clouden –

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

, drums *

Ronnie Cuber Ronald Edward Cuber (December 25, 1941 – October 7, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. He also played in Latin, pop, rock, and blues sessions. In addition to his primary instrument, baritone sax, he played tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet ...

– baritone saxophone *Illinois Elohainu – tenor saxophone (a fictive musician, actually Fagen himself plays a saxophone sample on the keyboard) *Lawrence Feldman – flute, tenor saxophone *Frank Floyd – background vocals *Diane Garisto – background vocals * Paul Griffin – Hammond organ * Amy Helm – background vocals *

Bashiri Johnson Bashiri Johnson (born May 12, 1955) is a New York City-based percussionist, whose work has appeared on many records, as well as in commercials, films, television, videogames, and concert performances. He is known to be one of the most recorded ...

– percussion * Birch Johnson –

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

*Mindy Jostyn – background vocals *Brenda King – background vocals *Curtis King – background vocals *

Lou Marini Louis William Marini Jr. (born May 13, 1945), known as "Blue Lou" Marini, is an American saxophonist, arranger, and composer. He is best known for his work in jazz, rock, blues, and soul music, as well as his association with The Blues Brothe ...

– clarinet, flute, alto saxophone *Dennis McDermott – drums *Jenni Muldaur – background vocals *

Christopher Parker Christopher Parker (born 24 August 1983) is an English actor and television presenter, best known for portraying Spencer Moon on BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' between 2002 and 2005. Early career Christopher Parker's career began at an ...

– drums *

Jim Pugh Jim Pugh (born February 5, 1964) is a former professional tennis player from the United States. He grew up in Palos Verdes, California and at age 10 began taking tennis lessons from John Hillebrand. He played tennis at UCLA. He became a doubl ...

– trombone *

Tim Ries Timothy M. Ries (born 15 August 1959) is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, band leader, and music educator at the collegiate/conservatory level. Ries is in his year as a professor of jazz studies at the University of Toronto. His un ...

– tenor saxophone *Roger Rosenberg – baritone saxophone *

Alan Rubin Alan Rubin (February 11, 1943 – June 8, 2011), also known as Mr. Fabulous, was an American musician. He played trumpet, flugelhorn, and piccolo trumpet. Early life and education Rubin was born in Brooklyn. He began attending Juilliard S ...

– trumpet, flugelhorn * Catherine Russell – background vocals *Dian Sorel – background vocals * Fonzi Thornton – background vocals *

David Tofani Dave Tofani is an American saxophonist and woodwind player, and composer. As a session musician he has performed on over 500 jazz, pop, and rock recordings such as the clarinet solo on "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" by Soft Cell.AllMusic Dave Tofani ...

– flute, tenor saxophone *

Georg Wadenius Georg "Jojje" Wadenius (born 4 May 1945) is a Swedish multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was particularly active during the 1970s and 1980s as a studio and session guitarist and bassist, as well as for a series of albums of childr ...

– guitar

Production

*Producer: Walter Becker *Engineers: Phil Burnett, David Michael Dill, Tom Fritze, Andy Grassi, Troy Halderson, Bob Mitchel, John Neff, Roger Nichols, Dave Russell, Jay A. Ryan, Tony Volante, Wayne Yurgelun *Mastering: Scott Hull, Glenn Meadows *Sample editing: Craig Siegal *Digital technician: Phil Burnett *Digital delay: Craig Siegal *Horn arrangements: Donald Fagen *Rhythm arrangements: Donald Fagen *Design: Carol Bobolts *Photography: James Hamilton *Liner notes: Donald Fagen, Tim White

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control Donald Fagen albums 1993 albums Concept albums Reprise Records albums Albums produced by Walter Becker