It’s nearly seven years since I’ve been to a gig in J.J. Smyth’s and, neatly, we’ve stumbled upon what is announced by lead singer John Graham as the seventh anniversary of Aja, Ireland’s premier Steely Dan tribute band. Not of course that we stumbled upon Aja. Being inveterate listings scourers, their name has been popping up for a long time – to be precise, the last Wednesday of each month in J.J.’s. – and myself and a couple of friends had often floated the idea of attending, given varying levels of appreciation of the sardonic genius of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker.
Our party’s expectations about attendance – based, in all likelihood, on a distinct lack of familiarity with this Dublin jazz institution – are miles off, and we are told to get there early. ‘Doors are at nine but you want to get your spot in the queue before then,’ comes the warning from the dad of one of our party, corroborated when I ring ahead to make sure it’s OK to take photos of the band later on. ‘We’re expecting it to be *very* busy tonight,’ says Brian from J.J.’s on the phone.
Hustling in out of an evening of disgusting showers, we are still somewhat incredulous to find the queue actually snaking down the stairs from the gig room and into the main bar as we arrive punctually. The long, thin room is lined with fresh posters for their busy schedule. It’s busy, as promised, but we find a table near the bar (a Guinness and a Smithwicks reassuringly well under a tenner) halfway back amongst a crowd that, admittedly, does have its fair share of table-drumming dads and air-bassing uncles, but is generally a mixture of men and women, younger and older, all, we assume, in on this secret. Diehards, not neophytes and interlopers like us.
In the short hubbub of anticipation, my companion’s dad swings back to our table from his spot nearer the front to declare, ‘If you walk out of here without saying, “My god!” at least once… you’re cloth-eared!’ But that’s all the fanfare Aja get: they breezily strut into the first of two hour-long sets – plus encore – without delay.
It’s quickly apparent that there is no danger of us leaving without making such an exclamation. I briefly wonder what these guys do with the rest of their time, when not learning the mu chords and F#7#11s of the Dan’s back catalogue, but was then am quickly absorbed by the wit of these tunes, the tautness of the playing, and the general air of people losing their shit to this wicked display of auld lad virtuosity.
Jazz can at times seems cut off from the rest of the music going on around the city, and it’s hard to tell who is doing the cutting off at times. Either way, it’s well, well worth peering behind the curtain to catch this show.
Aja next play J.J. Smyth’s on Wednesday 29th April.
Jazz at
J.J. Smyth’s
12 Aungier Street, Dublin 2
t: 01-475 2565
w: www.jjsmyths.com
Words: Ian Lamont
Photography: Killian Broderick
