Najee New CD

Feature

Najee. Need I say more? For those familiar with him, you understand. For those of you who are not familiar, he is a Grammy and NAACP Award-Winning Multi-Platinum selling saxophonist and flautist who has sustained the test of time and he keeps adding flavor to his repertoire of songs. In this interview we talk about his latest album, and we get to understand who Najee is on a little more personal level. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed conducting the interview!

Feature

By: Lexi Lewis SJM: Najee, thank you for joining me today!I was so excited to interview you so let's get right to the point - you have a hot new CD out titled “Savoir Faire.” I have a few favorites that I've picked out but first, tell me a little bit about a few of the songs on the CD and what influenced them. Najee: Well, as an artist I'm somewhat all over the place. And it's only because of my experience as a musician. I've been blessed to play so many different genres of music that, for me, to just devote myself to one genre of music is kind of difficult when I'm doing a project. But there are certain expectations that my audience and, of course, the label has to be able to promote for radio, so we put a little bit in to make sure that was satisfied but not lose my identity. And let me make a quick statement here, it really was a COVID record because you had to be home (during the pandemic). So, I was able to connect with a lot of my friends and take contributions and this is what we ended up with. I can't say it was on any plan. We ended up with two songs that were actually recorded in Brazil. Two of the songs on there are produced by Rob Herbert. One song was written by Brenda Russell and Terri Lyne Carrington called Modern Lovers that features Frank McComb. And the other one is A Felicidade featuring Antonio Carlos Jobim which was in the movie Black Orpheus. SJM: Nice. How did you orchestrate the recordings? Did you do your parts then send tracks? Or did they do theirs and then you did yours? Jul/Aug Let the music take you… SmoothJazz Magazine | 27

Feature

Najee: It was a combination of both. In the case of the Brazilian tracks, yes, they recorded everything down there in Rio and Sao Paulo. They sent me the tracks for me to play flute over on A Felicidade. I put my flute parts down at home and Curtis Kingput his parts down at home as well. I did travel to St. Louis, Boston, and London. If it made sense to go, I went.

SJM: I had I had three favorites from Savoir Faire. First was “Happiness (A Felicidade).” I loved the way you played the flute on that. It just spoke to me. Second was “Bottom To The Top” featuring David Dyson. What I really liked about that was, in certain parts, the sax and basswere completely in sync. Third, I really enjoyed “Modern Lovers” featuring Frank McComb. I liked that one because of the flair that it had to it. When I listened, the first thing I imagined in my mind was two dancers dancing this very sexy dance.

Najee: Well, you chose the two songs recorded in Brazil - that one and Happiness (A Felicidade). David Dyson and I go back so many years and he actually wrote Bottom To The Top so I can't take credit for the writing part of it.

SJM: What ’s your favorite song on this CD?

Najee: I hate to sound detached because I'm not detached at all, but I don't really have one. When I listened to the stuff, I go back, and then I always have this self-criticism thing I go through which most artist go through, I'm not the only one. But, you know, it's like, I should have done this or maybe 28| SmoothJazz Magazine Let the music take you… Jul/Aug

Festival Feature

played a different tenor saxophone than the one I played on there. My head goes through this whole process of redoing. I really don't have a favorite but if I had to say the performance that I'm most proud of would be…..I don't know [we laugh]. They call me Smooth Jazz but I'm really a real Jazz musician

SMJ: [Laughing] See, you had me all set up for an answer! I was like, okay, okay, which one is it going be? And then you said, “I don’t know.” That was not right, Najee [Laughing]. You're a man of many gifts and talents so how do you bring balance to your life with all that you do?

Najee: I’ve been doing it for so long. I was 18 years old when I did my very first tour. I toured half the world right out of high school with a group named Area Code and we did USO tours. We went all over Europe, Northern and Western Europe. Then we went to Central America, South America,all these different places around the world. Ever since then, I've been on the road. I’m a real road dog so it's really a lifestyle for me and I balanced it out. You know, people ask me where I go on vacation. I go home! [Laughs]

SJM: Who was the most influential person to you as a child?

Najee: Oh, that's easy. I'd have to give that to my Mother. Now don't get me wrong I'm pro Dad, I really am. But my father was a very prominent classical musician who, unfortunately, died when I was very young. He was in the New York Met, NBC orchestra, the New York Philharmonic and when he died, he was a member of the San Francisco orchestra.

Dave Koz

He was high up in the food chain, and as a matter of fact, just recently I found an article in The New York Times about his passing back in 1964. He wasn't much of a direct influence. But my mother had such a great ear for different kinds of music. She was a West Indian lady, but she listened to gospel and more. I remember waking up, on Saturday when we had to clean the house, we'd have to listen to Edwin Hawkins singers, or we'd have to listen to Mongo Santamaria. Miles Davis was one of our favorites. I grew up listening to George Coleman playing the tenor saxophone. And to this day, they say, a young saxophonist generally keeps the sound that he first heard when he heard the instrument and that is true for me. You know, I remember all my life trying to play fast like George Coleman in Miles Davis’ band and until this day, I always sneak in these fast passages but it ’s because of how I was raised. I have to actually slow myself down and listen to the songs and say no, you don't need to try to do these Lydian chro matic things over everything just slow down. So, I would have to say my Mother because she really gave me the first exposure to Jazz. Absolutely.

SJM: Who is the most influential person in your life today?

Najee: I’d have to say my brother Fareed. He's not only my brother, but a protector, friend, and advisor. Very wise man. We started out as kids playing in the local bands in New York and that evolved into touring together with Chaka Khan in 1983. He went on to have a touring career with Jeffrey Osborne and others and eventually he decided to retire from the road and since then, he's been managing me. I get my inspiration from many people. Musically, I still love listening to Michael Brecker and his untimely death was not a good one for a lot of us. John Coltrane of course is still one of my favorites, Hubert Laws on flute, James Galway on classical flute. You know, I'm a little schizophrenic when it comes to different things; I really don't lock myself into as we say 30| SmoothJazz Magazine Let the music take you… Jul/Aug

“Smooth Jazz” but that's what the world calls me. I go to a lot of places.

SJM: What kinds of music do you listen to outside of Jazz? Najee: I listen to James Galway. I listen to classical and different kinds of music. I've been listening to a lot of Brazilian artists and a lot of R&B, Jared Lawson. You know, I even listen to rap sometimes. I still love Biggie I'm sorry. I hate to apologize, but I love Biggie, I can’t help it…I’m from New York! [Laughs]

SJM: Name a person who is no longer here that you wish you could have worked with and why.

Najee: Mmmm….Minnie Riperton. I know you weren't expecting that, but I think she was very unique. I like unique people. And to be honest with you, I've been so blessed to work with everybody. I could never imagine that I would work with Al Jarreau, George Duke. I never ever thought I would have been on the same stage or shared some kind of light with them. We actually ended up being friends, touring and recording. But I would have loved to work with Minnie Riperton. I listened to some of her earlier works, and I just thought she was brilliant.

SJM: Let's go opposite of that. Who is still living today, that you have not worked with, that you would just absolutely love to work with and why?

Najee: Oh, I would love to work with Robert Glasper. I think he's one of those people, I admire, that crosses all the bridges. We have played together once, unfortunately, during George Duke’s funeral. I would like to work with him and record it because Jul/Aug Let the music take you… SmoothJazz Magazine | 31

Feature

he stretches across R&B. He can play straight ahead and really play it. Some guys try to play but they don't really play but I can see myself doing something with someone like that.

SJM: Is there a dream that you haven't lived yet that you want to do?

Najee: I hope this doesn't sound arrogant but honestly, I have been blessed to live so many things that I could have never imagined. As a kid, I used to listen to Chaka Khan records when she was with Rufus and never imagined she would actually hire me to be in her band and go on tour with her. Later on, Prince – I would never have thought he and I would ever have any association, but I went out to Minneapolis to hang out with him for two weeks and ended up being with him for three years.

SJM: That ’s incredible. Okay, you're composing a new song and the title describes your life. What's the title?

Najee: Oh! That's a good one! I hate to sound so generic and cliché but “Blessed.” I cannot complain about my life at all even with all the struggles and all the things that I've been through. A lot of people look at your success and think that you've always been there. My brother and I always talk about how we came from behind the eight ball. We were poor kids in New York City and would have done this stuff for free. I’ve just been blessed to do so much.

Feature

SJM: For the title “Blessed” that you mentioned, what kind of rhythm would it have?

Najee: I have no idea. I wish I could be honest and say I had a beat in my head, but I don’t think it would be a commercial song, I can tell you that. [We both laugh] You won’t hear it on smooth jazz radio! [Najee laughs harder] So there you go.

SJM: I want you fill in the blanks. I really dislike it when… Najee: When you’re put into a category as an artist. SJM: I love it when…

Najee: When you're free to think freely, I guess. I know that sounds corny, but you know, I think a guy like me, the worst thing you could ever do is lock me in the hole mentally and physically.

SJM: I believe... Najee: I believe in progress. I believe in change.

SJM: What does the human experience mean to you?

Najee: Multi-dimensional. I'm going to be a little detailed and maybe a little too philosophical, but I hope not. I really believe each human being is blessed with a tremendous amount of gifts, some we never discover, but I really believe we are spiritual creatures in a physical dimension for a short period of time. The life we had before and after is one life - I believe that. This physical dimension we experience is really for a reason.

Feature

SJM: What today's Najee say to the young Najee? What advice would you give him?

Najee: I would say don't be afraid to be honest with yourself. That's the worst lie you can tell is the lie that people tell you that you should be this and you should be that. No matter what level you are, develop from where you are. Trust the voice that's given to you as an individual because sometimes you don't have to have the greatest ability, but you grow and the more you experience, the more you grow in ability. Sometimes you try to live a pattern that you think you should live based on somebody else's dream or whatever. I'll give you an example of what I mean.

As a kid, I wanted to play like John Coltrane on Turner, I wanted to be Charlie Parker on alto, I wanted to be Grover Washington. I wanted to be all these guys. I wanted to be David Sanborn. But at the end of the day, every time I learned something technically, I still sounded like Najee. It wasn't until I was an adult, I began to appreciate that voice that is only unique to myself, you know? Because no matter when I tried to imitate what others do, I still sounded like me. I say trust that. I could play note per note. You could ask me to play John Coltrane’s Countdown up tempo. I could rip it off, read it down and play it. But I still sound like Najee.

SJM: I guess you just put your Najee stamp on it. Najee: You have some good ones! [Questions] I mean, that's a unique approach.

Feature

SJM: Thank you. I try. Najee: It's refreshing. I really appreciate your approach to interviewing, I really do.

SJM: Thank you, that makes me feel really good. I’m blushing now but I’ll continue on with the last set of questions. What is the best piece of advice you would give to a music student?

Najee: Make up your bed in the morning. I learned back in college that if I made my bed in the morning, I liked the way it looked, I wasn't going back. I was going to focus on whatever I had to do that day. On a serious note, just focus on what it is you want to do and don't worry if you think you're not making progress. Most importantly, part of your education as a young student is having fun with what you do. Don't get frustrated, learn to do the difficult things, but also have fun doing it. That ’s a big part of development.

SJM: Earlier we talked about a song title that you were composing that describes your life but which one of your song titles describes you best?

Najee: There's a song that never really surfaced called “ The Journey ” on one of my previous albums. And another song called “Alfie” and I’ll tell you why – and everybody knows that song. It has a personal attachment to me because my mother loved that song and used to play Dionne Warwick’s version all the time when I was a kid. I remember saying to myself one day I want to record this song because I thought it was such a brilliant melody. I ended up recording this song and everybody that's heard it said they love that version. It's because I really feel as if there's a real attachment to that song for me based Jul/Aug Let the music take you… SmoothJazz Magazine | 35

Feature

on the memory of my mom. SJM: Najee, if you have one do over in life, what would it be?

Najee: I got a few of those. People I wouldn't have married…[We laugh]. You know, the morning after feeling everybody hates that. [Continued laughter] If I had to do one do over…I can't think of one. I really can't. At the end of the day for me, and I hope this doesn't disappoint you, but when I look at everything in its totality, everything had a purpose. There is a saying that some people meet their destiny while traveling on a road when they were trying to avoid it.

Feature

I met him the next day and he gave me his alto saxophone and started calling me for all these gigs. Before I knew it, I was making more money than I was at the bank. I went home to my wife to tell her I quit the bank and that was the end of our relationship! I then moved to New York. After I got to New York, three days later, Chaka Khan hired me. So, there you go - that's a true story.

SJM: If you were a cartoon character, who would it be and why?

Najee: Let me think about that one for a quick second...probably Road Runner because he could never get caught. [We’re laughing] He was always fast and smarter than everybody, but he wasn’t deceptive like Bugs Bunny.

SJM: I just want the readers to know some of your favorite things. What ’s your favorite place to visit in the United States?

Najee: I would probably have to say that I love Colorado, California and the state of Washington is beautiful.

SJM: What is your favorite place to visit outside the USA?

Najee: I can’t name just one. I love going to South Africa and there are some parts of Nigeria that absolutely gorgeous that people don't know about. I love Europe, Spain and I like Brazil.

SJM: What's your favorite food?

Feature

Najee: My mother was Caribbean, from St. Thomas so I like somewhat spicy foods. I love Thai food. I love Indian food. I love Jamaican food. I have to eat Jamaican food at least once a month and I can get my jerk chicken where I live in Orlando. When I go to Europe, in London I always go to where the Middle Eastern restaurants because they are the tastiest places.

SJM: What's your favorite color? Najee: I don't have a favorite color. SMJ: Favorite movie?

Najee: Favorite movie until this day is The Godfather series. And I like Forrest Gump as well.

SJM: Favorite book?

Najee: There are several books, but one that I really l like is titled “Black Folks Guide to Making Money in America.” That book is written by a guy named George E. Trower. I met him in Detroit in 1983 when I was walking down the street and he was on the streets selling the book.

That book was a very powerful to me. It had a line in it that I’ll share “you’re only wealthy when you can either respond to either opportunity or emergency.”That one statement in that book changed my life forever. If you can't respond to either one, you're not wealthy.

Feature

And then there was the book “Why Should White Guys Have All The Fun?” written by a guy from Baltimore named Reginald Lewis.I know these books have racial titles, but they don't deal from a racial point of view. It wasn't like oh black man go get your money or anything like that. It's really educational in terms of helping people understand that things of wealth shouldn't really be a secret. It's accessible to white folks but it's accessible to others as wellso that's really the beauty I carried away from all those books. That particular guy ended up owning Avis and Beatrice foods before he died. His book was very powerful for me as well.

SJM: If this was your last interview to speak to your fans, what would you say?

Najee: I would have to borrow a line from Muhammad Ali which says, “service to others is the rent you pay for your room in heaven.”

I want to thank Najee for his willingness to be open and honest in his answers and allowing fans/readers to get to know him. We had a blast during the interview, and I learned that he’s really a funny guy too! Please make sure to listen to his new album – you’ll be glad you did!