Bass player Chuck Rainey pulled off a muted slap-bass effect on the bridge without Donald’s or Walter’s knowledge, crouching behind a partition during the recording sessions to hide his thumb action. „Aja“ was released during the height of the disco craze, and Becker and Fagen wanted absolutely nothing to do with that genre, but Rainey succeeded in adding an underlying funk edge to what is easily the album’s best groove track. Combined with the drumming of Rick Marotta, with his subtle high hat slips and syncopated bass drum, the sick guitar solo from Jay Graydon, and the 4-part overdubbed vocal harmony of Michael McDonald, Rainey’s playing helped make „Peg“ my favorite cut on „Aja.“