Managing Creative Teams

LOS ANGELES, CA - This is an unbelievable deconstruction of a hit song ("Peg" by Steely Dan) played by the world's greatest session musicians in the 1970's.  These players knew they were great, too.  Big budget record.  High expectations.  Lots of egos in the room.

Yet check out how Walter Becker and Donald Fagen allow the individual personalities to shine while preserving their own creative vision of what the final product should be.  A fine of example of what is meant by the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.  Also a great example of how to manage creative teams.

The discussion of the make-or-break guitar solo (at 4:22) is especially interesting.  Clearly, Becker and Fagen weren't afraid to make personnel changes -- even when they knew they were already dealing with some of the best players in the business.  Their creative standards were that high, yet they weren't assholes about it.  They simply knew what they wanted and pursued their creative vision in a way that was hard on the issues and soft on the people.

Listen to the final, famous solo (at 6:00).  My goodness.  Just the right mix of personality, edge, and accessibility.  Steely Dan's "Aja" = serious artistry combined with great creative management.

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