SoundNexx

NAJEE...MASTER OF THE SAX!
Unfortunately, I have been slipping on my jazz music posts lately! I’m definitely a jazz fan, but the truth is I am normally not interested in most of the new stuff that comes out week after week. My personal jazz collection is pretty much set right now. It’s about finding the old jazz classics these days, so I rarely go into the jazz bins at the local music stores anymore. However, there is one exception when it comes to me keeping current with a certain jazz sax player’s music and his name is Najee! He is definitely a jazz legend in my book and this dude hasn’t lost a step in over 20 years. His signature smooth playing style is unmistakable amongst his peers. The only sax player that I ever put right up there with Najee was George Howard. Sadly, Mr. Howard passed away in 1998, so that only leaves Najee to fill the void. Recently, he has just released his 12th album entitled “Rising Sun” and it’s definitely on the smooth tip. Jazz like this is for chillin’ out at the house on a lazy afternoon, or even better for getting too sleep. The soothing sound of Najee’s soulful horn definitely eases the mind, which helps to relax the body. It works better than Nyquil I promise you. If you get a chance to check out this album you should.

Check out this track off his new joint:

Najee - Romance The Nite

Now, I get asked about jazz music a lot for some reason by my family, friends and blog visitors. That’s cool to me because it shows that with maturity typical music fans that thought they hated jazz are now getting interested. As a teenager was not into jazz either, but as I got older I realized that some of the songs that I enjoyed listening to on the radio back in the day was actually jazz tracks. Today, I wanted to speak on the album that totally converted me into a jazz lover for real. It was Najee’s first album “Najee’s Theme” that still gets heavy rotation even today! A lot of rappers have sampled plenty of these tracks over the years, and I totally understand why. With tracks like “Feel So Good To Me,” “For The Love of You,” “Can’t Hide Love,” and the highlight of the album for me “Betcha Don’t Know” you can’t go wrong with this one! If you enjoy contemporary jazz then you definitely need this one in your collection. I encourage you to put your ears on this one for sure, if you haven't already. It's never too late when it comes to jazz. If you listen to it and like it, dig a little deeper and find some other artists and albums to check out. Even if you think you hate jazz listen to these Najee samples and hear what you think…

Check out tracks from Najee's Theme Here!