Steely Dan used well over 100 session musicians. They admitted one was “a real virtuoso”

Steely Dan’s Walter Becker and Donald Fagen shifted towards using session musicians after deciding that touring did not suit their creative process. The change let them record complex songs without keeping a permanent band or arranging regular rehearsals, while giving their studio sound room to evolve.

The article says the pair worked with well over 100 musicians, but singled out guitarist Larry Carlton as a “real virtuoso”. Carlton played on several records and performed the solos on ‘Kid Charlemagne’: the middle solo combined parts from two takes, while the final one was improvised. Fagen said the duo sometimes guided players towards ideas that better suited a song.