NAJEE EXERCISES MIND OVER MATTER ON NEW HEADS UP RELEASE
Includes guest appearances by Eric Benét and Jeff Lorber
Sometimes making music is all about the mechanics – balancing the melody with the harmony and the rhythm, making sure the tempo is right from the beginning of the song to the end, matching the right vocalist to the story within the lyrics, knowing when to come in with the solos and when to hang back…the litany of technical details to consider in crafting a piece of good music can be endless.
But sometimes the process is much more intuitive and effortless. Sometimes the planets line up and the right groove emerges on its own, and all anyone needs to do – musicians and listeners alike – is get on board and ride into a realm of limitless possibilities.
That intuitive approach is at the heart of Mind Over Matter (HUCD 3156), the new recording by saxophonist Najee set for release on August 25, 2009, on Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group. In addition to Najee’s fine balance of songcraft and musicianship, the album also includes songwriting and guest appearances by keyboardist Jeff Lorber and vocalists Eric Benét and Gary Taylor.
The album title, says Najee, is inspired by Miles Davis’ approach to songwriting, especially in the latter part of his career. “In his later years, he took a very loose and improvisational approach,” he says. “He would start with nothing more than a groove that Marcus Miller or some other member of his band would lay down. And from there he would just develop these melodies that were very simple but at the same time very compelling and very memorable. It was a creative process that bypassed the nuts and bolts of the song and just got right to the essence of it.” read more
1. Love You A Lifetime
2. Sweet Summer Nights
3. Mind Over Matter
4. Love Forever and A Day After
5. We Gone Ride
6. The Journey
7. Stolen Glances
8. Needless to Say
9. One More Thing
10. Moon Over Carolina
NAJEE EXERCISES MIND OVER MATTER ON NEW HEADS UP RELEASE
Includes guest appearances by Eric Benét and Jeff Lorber
Sometimes making music is all about the mechanics – balancing the melody with the harmony and the rhythm, making sure the tempo is right from the beginning of the song to the end, matching the right vocalist to the story within the lyrics, knowing when to come in with the solos and when to hang back…the litany of technical details to consider in crafting a piece of good music can be endless.
But sometimes the process is much more intuitive and effortless. Sometimes the planets line up and the right groove emerges on its own, and all anyone needs to do – musicians and listeners alike – is get on board and ride into a realm of limitless possibilities.
That intuitive approach is at the heart of Mind Over Matter (HUCD 3156), the new recording by saxophonist Najee set for release on August 25, 2009, on Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group. In addition to Najee’s fine balance of songcraft and musicianship, the album also includes songwriting and guest appearances by keyboardist Jeff Lorber and vocalists Eric Benét and Gary Taylor.
The album title, says Najee, is inspired by Miles Davis’ approach to songwriting, especially in the latter part of his career. “In his later years, he took a very loose and improvisational approach,” he says. “He would start with nothing more than a groove that Marcus Miller or some other member of his band would lay down. And from there he would just develop these melodies that were very simple but at the same time very compelling and very memorable. It was a creative process that bypassed the nuts and bolts of the song and just got right to the essence of it.”
It’s not hard to find the groove in Mind Over Matter. It’s evident from the opening bars of the midtempo “Love You a Lifetime,” a song that positions Najee’s smoky sax lines alongside the solid horn arrangements charted by fellow saxophonist Will Holton (who also shares the writing credit with Najee on the track). “This song has a bit of the neo-soul element,” says Najee. “That’s a groove that works very well when we play live. People love to get up and dance at our shows. Will was able to bring that spirit to this song.”
The upbeat followup track, “Sweet Summer Nights,” is co-written by Najee and Darren Rahn, “one of the most under-utilized songwriters in this genre,” according to Najee. “He’s a well-kept secret who has written for Wayman Tisdale and many others. He’s very good at writing songs that contemporary jazz radio likes to play.”
Equally upbeat and breezy is the title track, a composition that showcases not only Najee’s ability to build a sophisticated solo on a simple riff, but also the engaging solo work of keyboardist and track co-writer Will Brock.
Eric Benét provides some whimsical and suggestive vocals on “We Gone Ride,” a track that balances his distinctive voice with the work of a carefully layered horn section. “When I recorded that song with Eric, he said to me, ‘I had Roy Hargrove do the original horn arrangement.’ Then producer Demonte Posey and saxophonist Mike Parlett (Solar Radio) took Roy’s charts, made some modifications and came up with the arrangement you hear on this track. It’s complex, but it allows plenty of room for everyone in the section – Mike on tenor and alto, John Papenbrook on trumpet and Andrew Lipman on trombone.”
“The Journey,” co-written by Najee and pianist Darryl Woodson, is a gentle, introspective piece that sets up a softer dimension to the overall recording. “That’s a song that follows a very simple melody, but it speaks a lot in terms of how it comes across,” says Najee. “The track is so full of opportunities for a soloist, and I had to control my urge to play all over it. For me, it is the most personal song on this record. One take, and that was it.”
Jeff Lorber lends a hand with writing/producing and keyboards on the playful “Stolen Glances” and the insistent “One More Thing.” Although they’ve shared numerous festival dates in recent years, Mind Over Matter was the first opportunity for Najee and Lorber to collaborate in the studio. “I ended up spending a lot of time at Jeff’s house and recording there,” says Najee. “I really didn’t expect to spend as much time working with him there as I did, but we ended up having a lot of fun with these songs. We recorded six to seven ideas and ended up with these two”.
Laid back and easygoing, “Moon Over Carolina” closes the set with mellow vocals by Gary Taylor – who also provides all instrumentation aside from Najee’s saxophone work. “Gary’s a very prolific R&B writer who has written with Anita Baker and Will Downing,” says Najee. “He brings that same great R&B sound to this song as well.”
Whatever the groove – be it R&B, neo-soul, contemporary jazz or an intriguing blend of all these styles and more – Mind Over Matter adds another layer of sophistication and polish to Najee’s substantial and diverse body of work. “Whenever I go into the studio, I try to make a record that’s a little different from the last one,” he says. “I want people to get the same Najee that they’re familiar and comfortable with, but at the same time, I want them to hear something fresh, something interesting, something unpredictable – with a couple extra voices in the mix that they haven’t heard on my records in the past.”
Dig into the groove that is uniquely Najee’s. Experience Mind Over Matter.
In the ever changing music world, consistency is a much-treasured quality. Over ten albums (including two platinum and four gold sets) and a two-decade-long career, renowned saxophonist, flautist, songwriter and producer Najee has distinguished himself as one of the most consistently popular instrumentalists among both jazz and R&B audiences worldwide. Indeed, he quips with typical modesty, “People say I’m reaching the ‘legendary’ stage in my career. I just feel very fortunate to have been an instrumentalist in this business for this long.” The native New Yorker continues to provide quality music, which is evident in Mind Over Matter, his August 25, 2009 release on Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group. “I started out in the R&B world,” he comments, “and I made R&B-flavored records with the saxophone. Over time, some of that audience crossed over to jazz. In fact, I’ve had people tell me that my music was like a bridge from R&B to jazz, and that’s something I’ve been credited with since the start of my career. With this new album, I want to reconnect with my early audiences as well as appeal to the smooth jazz market with which I’ve been associated for a while.”
Najee’s goal is fully realized in Mind Over Matter, a ten-song set that features three special guests whose own appeal ensure an immediate and warm response from urban and jazz audiences alike. “I’m bringing associations with artists I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years,” says the genial music man, whose diverse credits include a two-year touring stint with Prince. Specifically, neo-soul star Eric Benet contributes as writer, producer and featured vocalist on the sexy, finger snappin’ jam, “We Gone Ride”; smooth soul stylist and songwriter Gary Taylor brings his own brand of vocal magic to the standout urban ballad, “Moon Over Carolina,” one of his own compositions; while music vet Jeff Lorber lends his stellar artistry to two tracks on the album, the funky head-bopper “Stolen Glances” and “One More Thing.” For Najee, all three represent different aspects of his own musicality: “Eric and I have known each other since we were label mates (on EMI) in the ‘90s. We’ve done some shows together, and he definitely brought that neo-soul vibe to the record. Gary and I have known each other for many years, and I love the song he did for the record. Jeff Lorber? I remember listening to his music when I was in college and he brings such a wealth of experience with the retro-flavored tracks he did.”
Najee produced the balance of the album working with his touring band, and the result is a record that the energy and excitement his audiences experience onstage has faithfully been recreated in the studio. “There’s a natural energy we have together,” says Najee, “and I haven’t done a record with my own band since Tokyo Blue in 1991.” Mind Over Matter brims with highlights from the funky yet soulful sound that is Najee’s trademark on a cut like “Sweet Summer Nights” to the beautifully stirring and moving, “The Journey,” on which Najee is accompanied by keyboardist Darryl Woodson. “Forever And A Day After” has the mellow and warm feel of past classic Najee recordings while the opening cut, “Love You A Lifetime” is a pure and simple straight-up groove. “I’d like to think this album will appeal to audiences across the spectrum from smooth jazz to those folks who started out with me in the late ‘80s,” Najee adds.
Indeed, justifiably called a pioneer for creating a brand of music that fuses jazz and soul into something distinctive and unique, Najee first achieved international recognition with his GRAMMY®-nominated 1986 hit Najee’s Theme and 1988’s Day By Day, both million-selling albums. His trademark soulful soprano with dynamic touches of flute and alto helped the New York born musician – who grew up listening to the likes of Miles Davis, Mongo Santamaria and Junior Walker, among others – establish himself as a mainstay in the music world. After studying with legends such as Jimmy Heath, Frank Foster and Billy Taylor at Jazzmobile in Harlem, Najee’s “break” came when he auditioned for soulful diva Chaka Khan and began touring with her in the early ‘80s. It wasn’t long before he landed his first recording contract with EMI, and with radio-friendly cuts like “Sweet Love” and “Betcha Don’t Know,” Najee found himself on the road with Freddie Jackson, Bob James and Hiroshima, among others.
Subsequent releases, such as 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 musical influences, Stevie Wonder, on 1995’s Najee Plays Songs From the Key of Life: A Tribute to Stevie Wonder; while 1998’s Morning Tenderness went to #1 on the Contemporary Jazz charts.
Building an international audience, Najee’s many career highlights have included performing at Nelson Mandela’s birthday celebration in South Africa and playing as a special guest of President Clinton at the White House at an event honoring President Jerry Rawlings of the Republic of Ghana. A collaboration with jazz greats Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham and Larry Carlton resulted in the album Live At The Greek, and his two years of touring (2001-2003) with music icon Prince led to his participation in two albums, Rainbow Children and One Night Alone.
Subsequent albums have included 2003’s Embrace (which featured special guests Roy Ayers and BeBe Winans), the 2005 Heads Up International debut My Point Of View (with a vocal guest appearance by longtime friend Will Downing), and the 2007 follow-up Rising Sun (with special guest Phil Perry). Performing on a regular basis (but not, he recalls, “Like I did when I first started out, doing 200 dates a year!”) across the globe, Najee’s last few years have included appearances at jazz festivals throughout the U.S., Nigeria, South Africa and Indonesia.
That his special brand of music has universal appeal is unquestionable, and with Mind Over Matter, his third Heads Up release, Najee is back with an album that is soul-satisfying and rich in diverse musical textures. With the steadiness and fortitude that come with longevity, Najee is typically philosophical about future goals. “I’ve never had a major master plan – my career has been organic,” he says. Just, indeed, like his music.
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