Smooth jazz saxophonist Najee has returned to the neighborhood where he grew up in New York to perform workshops and to talk to young people about following one’s dreams, being a musician and getting into the industry.
Yesterday, November 12, he gave a workshop and performance at Bayside High School in Bayside, Queens, where the school band performed a song from Najee’s latest CD, Mind Over Matter. The CD features the Smooth Jazz Top 20 hit “Sweet Summer Nights.” Najee then traveled to the Louis Armstrong Middle School in East Elmhurst, Queens, for another performance and to have lunch with the school’s principal.
Today, November 13, there will be a listening party with Najee at 7 p.m. at Billie’s Black Bar/Lounge in Harlem. On Monday, November 16, Najee will be at York College/CUNY in the Jamaica section of Queens in a special workshop and performance that is free to the public. The performance begins at 7 p.m.
With two platinum and four gold albums, Najee is one of smooth jazz’s pioneers and one of the best-selling instrumentalists in the world. He’s also an NAACP Image Award winner. He currently lives in Florida.