Metrotix, Fox Theatre offering presale of Steely Dan tickets on Friday, March 4

Metrotix and the Fox Theatre are offering online buyers a presale of tickets to the concert by Steely Dan on Wednesday, August 24 at the Fox. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10:00 a.m. this Saturday, March 5; the presale begins at 10:00 a.m. Friday, March 4 and continues until 10:00 p.m. that evening. To access the presale, go to the Metrotix site and use promo code HEY19.

For a band whose musical output is usually categorized as "rock," Steely Dan has always had considerable numbers of fans among jazz listeners, too. Both pianist/vocalist Donald Fagen and bassist/guitarist Walter Becker have spoken frequently in interviews of their appreciation for jazz, and early in their career they paid direct homage to jazz heroes like Charlie Parker and Duke Ellington, recording the original song "Parker's Band" and a cover of Duke's "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" on the Pretzel Logic album.

Over the years, Steely Dan also have used well-known jazz players such as Phil Woods, Wayne Shorter and Larry Carlton as guest soloists on record, and employed numerous other jazz musicians as part of their touring band. Their 2011 tour group includes Jim Beard (keyboards), Keith Carlock (drums), Jon Herington (guitar), Michael Leonhart (trumpet, keyboards), Jim Pugh (trombone), Roger Rosenberg (baritone sax), Freddie Washington (bass), Walt Weiskopf (saxophone), and Catherine Russell, Cindy Mizelle and Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery (backing vocals).