Najee

An acclaimed saxophonist and flute player, Najee is one of the most successful and recognizable crossover jazz and R&B performers of his generation. Known for his warm, lyrical sound, he built upon the tradition of predecessors like Grover Washington, Jr., Ronnie Laws, and Stanley Turrentine. Following his initial breakthrough with 1986’s Grammy-nominated Najee’s Theme, Najee rose to widespread prominence with a series of Top Five-charting contemporary jazz albums, including 1990’s Tokyo Blue, 1994’s Share My World, and 2005’s My Point of View. He has worked alongside such luminaries as Prince, Chaka Khan, Stanley Clarke, and others. The winner of two NAACP Awards, including for 2013’s The Morning After: A Musical Journey, Najee celebrated his 30th year as a recording artist with 2017’s Poetry in Motion and again reached number one on the contemporary jazz chart with 2019’s Center of the Heart.