New York's favorite summer jazz series continues with… *NAJEE* Najee is one of contemporary jazz’s true pioneers. Creating a fresh and pulsating “rhythm and jazz” dynamic in the early days of the smooth jazz format, the native of Jamaica, Queens, New York is often compared to Kenny G, George Howard, and Dave Koz. Najee is a versatile saxophonist—whose first two recordings, 1986’s Grammy nominated _Najee’s Theme_ and 1988’s _Day By Day_, went platinum—inspired the whole urban vibe that took over the instrumental world throughout the ’90s. His subsequent releases, _Tokyo Blue_ (1991) and _Just an Illusion_ (1992), went gold and earned him Soul Train Music Awards for Best Jazz Artist in 1991 and 1993. Following _Share My World_ in 1994, Najee paid brilliant homage to another one of his favorite R&B influences, Stevie Wonder, on 1995’s _Najee Plays Songs From the Key of Life: A Tribute to Stevie Wonder_. He also stretched his straight-ahead jazz muscles on a tour and follow-up live recording (_Live at the Greek Theatre_, 1994) with a superband featuring Stanley Clarke, Larry Carlton and Billy Cobham. He later signed to Verve for one album, 1998’s _Morning Tenderness_, which went to #1 on the contemporary jazz charts. For Najee, the late ’90s were marked by extraordinary international experiences, from performing at Nelson Mandela’s birthday celebration in South Africa to playing as a special guest of President Clinton at the White House at an event honoring President Jerry Rawlings of the Republic of Ghana. Over the years, Najee has worked with numerous pop legends, from Quincy Jones to Patti Labelle and Lionel Richie, but creatively and artistically, no other career highlight has quite matched his incredible association with Prince, with whom he recorded and toured for three years at the beginning of the current decade. Najee later returned to the recording studio in 2003 to record _Embrace_, which featured two other longtime heroes, vibist Roy Ayers and gospel legend BeBe Winans. He joined the Heads Up International label with the release of _My Point of View_ in the summer of 2005. The album’s critical and artistic success helped him score an NAACP Image Award in 2006 in the category of Outstanding Jazz Artist. _Rising Sun_, his most recent album, was released in 2007. Always the innovator, Najee blends various shades of straightahead as well as contemporary jazz, classic R&B and even indie rock on this album. 2009-06-23T12:23:36-04:00 false #<Genre:0x2a9b301c70> 1 Smooth Cruise - Najee 16 Come here the smooth sounds of contemporary jazz pioneer Najee! true 2009-06-23T12:18:00-04:00 Smooth Cruise - Najee false 2009-09-24T17:51:43-04:00