Jerome Najee Rasheed (born November 4, 1957), known professionally as Najee ( ), is an American jazz saxophonist and flautist.

Career

thumb|Photo from his 2007 album Rising Sun

After his studies at the New England Conservatory, Najee returned to New York City in the early 1980s. In 1983, he and his brother Fareed toured with Chaka Khan for the Ain't Nobody Tour. In 1986, he released his debut album, entitled Najee's Theme (EMI/Capitol). The album earned Najee a Grammy Award Nomination for Best Jazz Album. In 1987, Najee accepted an opportunity to open on the "Tasty Love" tour with R&B singer Freddie Jackson. In 1988, Najee's second album Day by Day was released and certified gold. The album featured Najee, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham and Larry Carlton. It was during this time that he made guest appearances with Quincy Jones at the Montreaux Jazz Festival.

Following this collaboration, his next album "Share My World" was released in 1994 and was followed by his tribute to Stevie Wonder's 1976 classic, Songs in the Key of Life in 1995. The CD was produced by George Duke and features Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, Paul Jackson Jr., Sheila E. and Patrice Rushen among others. His CD Morning Tenderness was released in 1998, and went to number 1 on the contemporary jazz charts. and he once again toured on behalf of the USO for the troops in the Mediterranean: Spain and Turkey.

In 1998, Najee performed at Nelson Mandela's birthday celebration in South Africa, along with Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan. Najee was also a special guest of President Bill Clinton to perform at the White House. This event was hosted by President Jerry Rawlings of the Republic of Ghana. Najee spent three years touring (2000–2003) with Prince and appeared on Prince's albums Rainbow Children and One Night Alone.

In 2003, Najee released Embrace which was produced by his brother Fareed, featuring guest artists Roy Ayers and BeBe Winans. My Point of View was his follow-up in 2005 featuring vocalist Will Downing. In 2006, Najee won an NAACP Image Award for "Best Jazz Artist". The album produced by Demonte Posey, features R&B singer Meli'sa Morgan and bassist Brian Bromberg, with musicians Bill Sharpe on bass, Ray Fuller on guitar, Daniel Powell on drums, Nick Smith on piano and drummer Joel Taylor.

Najee released his third album with Shanachie, entitled: You, Me, and Forever, on June 23, 2015. The album features singer and songwriter Frank McComb, keyboardist James Lloyd from Pieces of a Dream, and pianist Robert Damper. You, Me, and Forever also features musicians from Najee's touring band including Rod Bonner on keys, Daniel Powell on drums, RaShawn Northington on electric bass, and Chuck Johnson on guitar who is also the lead vocalist on the popular Ambrosia song "Biggest Part of Me". "You, Me and Forever" was produced by Najee, Chris "Big Dog" Davis, and British-born bassist Dean Mark.

Najee has performed and recorded with vocalists including: Chaka Khan, Freddie Jackson, Will Downing, Phil Perry, Prince, Patti LaBelle, Toni Braxton, Vesta Williams, Alyson Williams and Jeffrey Osborne. He has also recorded and performed with instrumentalists: Marcus Miller, Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, Larry Carlton, Billy Cobham, Charles Earland, Paul Jackson Jr. and George Duke.

Discography

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title

! scope="col" colspan="4"| Peak chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Certifications

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Record label

|-

! style="width:35px;"| <small>US</small><br>

! style="width:35px;"| <small>US R&B</small><br>

| align=center rowspan="3"| EMI

|-

| 1988

| Day by Day

| align=center | 76

| align=center | 23

| align=center | 6

| align=center | ―

|

|-

| 1990

| Tokyo Blue

| align=center | 63

| align=center | 17

| align=center | 1

| align=center | ―

|

|-

| 1992

| Just an Illusion

| align=center | 107

| align=center | 25

| align=center | 5

| align=center | ―

|

  • RIAA: Gold
  • Incognito – "Village Life" from the compilation album The Best (2004–2017) (2017)
  • Roberto Tola – "With You All the Clouds Go Away" from the album Bein' Green (2017)
  • Nick Colionne – "Buckle Up" from the album The Journey (2016)
  • Bob Baldwin – "My Cherie Amour" from the album Newurbanjazz.com (2008)
  • Robert Damper – "Wave" and "You, Me and Forever" from the album "D" Tales (2017)

References

  • Official site