Najee | Mind Over Matter

Najee | Mind Over Matter
by Peggy Oliver

Whether Najee‘s music is labeled as sophisticated R&B, smooth jazz, or slick pop, his saxophone’s melodic quality is fresh as the summer breeze, and he also knows when improvising is in the best interest of the song. His reputation in contemporary jazz circles still remains indisputable after all these years as being one of the innovators of the ‘rhythm and jazz’ movement; a decade after Bob James, Grover Washington, Jr., Stanley Clarke and others set the tone during the jazz fusion era of the seventies. Since he bowed on the charts in the mid-eighties with Najee’s Theme, he has utilized his double-edged jazz and R&B sword that has generated a series of crossover hits and chart-topping albums, a recorded tribute to a Motown R&B genius, and a three year gig with alongside a funk genius. During this current decade, Najee still knows how to wet the R&B appetite with cool jazz riffs on his latest release, Mind Over Matter. Through his illustrious career, Najee has shared with some of the best players in the urban world, and a very profitable partnership with his guitarist/producer brother, Fareed. Thanks to his mother, jazz was a steady diet in their household in both Najee and Fareed’s childhood.

His mother also encouraged a healthy dose of jazz in his musical diet as she played recordings ranging from Duke Ellington to Miles Davis. Najee and Fareed listened intently to these jazz legends that eventually fueled their long-standing musical partnership that started when they were teenagers as music students and professional musicians. Najee had plenty of big name mentors teaching him about big band jazz including The Heath Brothers saxophonist Jimmy Heath and pianist Dr.Billy Taylor. His big band training continued at The New England Conservatory Music under the tutelage of veteran eclectic jazz artist Jaki Byard and others. What started the musical wheels fully spinning was a local jazz mobile in Harlem, New York that perked Najee’s interest in studying the full spectrum of jazz music even while he was digging the urban grooves on the side: “I was mainly into Kool & The Gang and James Brown.”

In the post-NECM days, Najee and Fareed was playing jazz in the New York City area when Najee got the call, followed later by Fareed, to back R&B superstar Chaka Khan in 1983. Eventually a connection was made through one of Khan’s backing vocalists which lead to Najee signing on the dotted line for a long relationship with the EMI/Capital Records family. His popularity with urban audiences has remained steady since releasing Najee’s Theme, and he has been honored with many top rankings on the Billboard charts for contemporary jazz, R&B/hip-hop and the top 200 throughout his two-decade plus career. Some of his hit singles through the nineties include “Tokyo Blue,” “For The Love of You,” “Sweet Love,” “Knocks Me Off My Feet, “Noah’s Ark and “All I Ever Ask.” Besides his solo efforts, Najee also unleashed some jazz fusion power, touched up with doses of Miles and (Charlie) Mingus on Clarke’s 1994 Live At The Greek Theater super band session with Billy Cobham, Larry Carlton, and Deron Johnson, and has toured with successful vocalists in their own right: Freddie Jackson, Patti LaBelle and BeBe Winans to name a few. However, there were two landmark moments with R&B icons that ignited Najee’s career to further heights.

The first was a contemporary jazz interpretation of Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key of Life, considered by many critics as a step in the right direction from his previous glossier productions. The 1995 release was anchored by a stellar supporting cast including Clarke, George Duke, & Paul Jackson Jr. A few years later, he landed a three-year gig with a passionate fan of Najee’s brand of R&B generated jazz: his royal purpleness Prince. Najee was always able to relate in how the innovative guitarist/vocalist’s constantly feeds off his audience: “I saw that he looks for fresh inspiration from other people and feeds off their energies.” In the meantime, Najee continues to manage his solo career including a series of projects in the millennium; the latest being Mind Over Matter.

From this ten-track release on Heads Up International, there are some memorable moments, especially when there a few unexpected twists: “Whenever I go into the studio, I try to make a record that is a little different from the last one.” “Love You A Lifetime” showcases his effectiveness with the saxophone and flute, complete with the laid-back funk lines that Najee excels with. The title track thrives on co-writer Will Brock’s dancing keyboard solo and Najee’s simplistic but efficient improvising. Besides leaning on up and mid-tempo pieces, Najee can pull off mellower moments without sounding hollow; case in point – the exquisite soundtrack-like painting of “The Journey” which was also completed in one take, a rare feat in the age of digital technology where re-do’s and overdubbing are the norm. “Moon Over Carolina” features R&B vocalist/instrumentalist Gary Taylor’s understated voice which perfectly matches Najee’s musical personality. The ultimate highlight, though, belongs to “We Gone Ride”, based off a horn arrangement by Roy Hargrove with modifications by fellow sax player Mike Partlett and producer/keyboardist Demonte Posey. This hip-hop/blues/funk ride presents a different feel in a loose sense for both Najee and Eric Benet, an engaging vocal choice I might add.

If I am really being honest, those unexpected surprises are the keys that make Mind Over Matter tick. While Najee is a great musical technician with a knowledge of the R&B and jazz language, this project is his strongest work; especially compared to the Stevie Wonder tribute, the genuinely personal Morning Tenderness for Verve Records in 1998, or his solo spots on Live At The Greek. That aside, Najee still masters that rhythm and jazz flair with a natural flow; always willing to creep out of the box to make the overall content interesting. Recommended.

Peggy Oliver
The Urban Music Scene