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MILES JAYE: Checkin' Out Najee
 I was relaxing against a tree just past dark. I was checking out Najee in Winter Park. The park was filled with Black folks and White. I had a feeling it would be a good night. It was a cool March evening in Orlando. I was just chillin' watching Najee's band go. I felt the breeze in the air but I knew things were heating up. The drummer was hitting so hard he had to stop and stand up. That's right, I thought, take yourself a bow ... 'Cause a blind man could see, it's on now. Najee's pacing and working the crowd; he's got 'em singing. He held a note so long I think it must still be ringing. I saw that one long note reach the sky. It looked like a meteor passing by. There's something magical about music and moonlight. I had a real good feeling it would be a real good night. The Najee band was Kentrick Morris on drums, Myles Robertson on keyboards, Chuck "CJ" Johnson on guitar, Mark Kelly playing bass, Lomon on lead vocals and Dizzy Gillespie's nephew Butter on percussion. The band was tight - I mean tight. Believe it or not, it was the first gig with Naj for some of the cats but they were hitting and they were tight. The little poem at the top of this piece was what I wrote leaning against the tree. When I was driving to the park that evening I remember asking myself 'I wonder if music is still enough - just music.' I wondered if the people would be satisfied with real music on a beautiful night in the park. Without picking on Simon or Paula, let's admit to our 21st Century appetite for Miami CSI, murders, autopsies, bounty hunters, interventions, mind numbing repetitious ratings ravenous TV news, and McMahon's head smashing, steel cage, tag team gladiators. Even the Donald had to get a piece of the wrestling action, as if sparring with Rosie wasn't enough. The Clear Channel smooth jazz format is all but defunct and the future of terrestrial radio is in serious question - satellite radio is the new flavor. Furthermore; the music business has been bombarded beyond recognition by technology and cut and run economics so I'm left to wonder if Najee will have to have dancers and fireworks and if his soprano sax keys will have to light up in multi-color neon to arouse the crowd. Najee is a veteran musician with true talent, legitimate training, years of performance experience on several continents and an old school passion for the music. I wondered if that would be enough. In high school he studied with Billy Taylor, Jimmy Heath and Frank Foster at the Harlem Jazzmobile. He also studied at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music and was a performance and composition major at Boston's, New England Conservatory of Music. So far this reads like the brilliant resume of an exceptional artist but remember I haven't mentioned any talent show wins as of yet. O.K. so I had to take a swipe at A.I. A unique twist to Najee's story is that his brother, guitarist Fareed Haaq, also attended the New England Conservatory of Music and when they returned to New York City they were both asked to join the Chaka Khan tour. Fareed went on to produce seven of his brother's CDs. Najee boasts two platinum and four gold CDs to his credit; phenomenal for a jazz instrumentalist. Even possessing these stellar credentials I was left wondering if the groove would be enough on this night. Well, I found a tree in a good spot near the stage and gripped my boot heals in the dirt at it's base so I could lean. By the time I got comfy and pulled out my pad and pen the poem was swirling around in my head. The music filled the air like a fragrant summer breeze - remember it's Florida. The only interruption to the music was the sound of the crowd cheering. My faith in that simple but inexplicable connection between the sounds and the soul was restored. Najee was rocking it, no dancers, no fireworks, no neon and it was indeed a good night. Article also published in Dallas Weekly & EURWeb |
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