Mon, 29 October 2007 
Originally Aired 22-28 Oct 2007
Photo by Daniel Hastings Tom and Najee Discuss:
DOWNLOAD SHOW Subscribe:  About Najee: Najee is one of contemporary jazz’s true pioneers. Creating a fresh and pulsating “rhythm and jazz� dynamic in the early days of the smooth jazz format, the versatile saxophonist—whose first two recordings, 1986’s Grammy nominated Najee’s Theme and 1988’s Day By Day, went platinum—inspired the whole urban vibe that took over the instrumental world throughout the ’90s. Recording on Heads Up International since 2005, he continues to explore new creative avenues by mixing up his trademark soulful soprano with dynamic touches of flute and alto, and surrounding himself with some of the best session players and collaborators in the business.A native of Jamaica, Queens, New York, Najee shared all of his musical dreams—and later, many professional gigs—with his brother Fareed, a guitarist who was a year younger. Their father passed away when they were very young, but their mother encouraged a deep exposure to jazz via recordings by artists as diverse as the Miles Davis Quintet, Junior Walker and Mongo Santamaria. Najee showed an early interest in the sax but a grammar school teacher steered him towards clarinet when there were no sax chairs available in the school band. “My life and career have been shaped by what I like to call ‘life defining moments,’� he says, “and the first of these came when I took a tenor sax solo in my jazz band at August Martin High School and realized that suddenly, all the girls knew my name! Fareed and I started playing professional gigs together at 15, and had a mutual support system going.� Najee began studying under the direction of Jimmy Heath, Frank Foster and Billy Taylor at Jazzmobile in Harlem, and he also studied flute with Harold Jones at the Manhattan School of Music. “Later,� he adds,� Fareed and I spent a year in the music department at Bronx Community College, then auditioned and got into the New England Conservatory of Music, with me majoring as a woodwind and composition major and Fareed focused on guitar and composition. Musically, I really loved everything, from Kool & The Gang to Grover to Sanborn to Maceo Parker. I also couldn’t get enough when one of my teacher’s played Charlie Parker for me when I was 14.� Najee left the Conservatory after three years and moved back to New York, where he immersed himself in the club scene. One night when he was out playing straight ahead jazz, Lesette Wilson, keyboardist and musical director for Chaka Khan—who was hot at the time with her trademark hit “Ain’t Nobody�—came in and loved what she heard. She called him to audition for the singer’s upcoming tour, and in no time Najee found himself on the road for a year with the legendary diva, playing alto sax and flute. Najee’s good fortune transferred to Fareed’s career as well when Chaka’s longtime guitarist Tony Maiden failed to show up for a rehearsal. Fareed plugged in and was hired to play alongside Maiden for the tour. Najee became friends with Mel’isa Morgan, Chaka’s backup singer who later asked the saxman to play on her debut album Do You Still Love Me? Through her, he met Charles Huggins of Hush Entertainment, who invited Najee to record his debut album through his production company, in association with EMI. “I brought him some demos that I called ‘R&B with a saxophone,’ having no idea of their commercial potential,� Najee says. “He also liked what he heard when he came to see me play in New York with the group Change. Jazz had taken a dive in the early ’80s, but there was a resurgence taking place and suddenly there was a big market for the music I was making. Charles did brilliant things in bringing me to the R&B audience.� The debut album, Najee’s Theme – on which the saxman found his trademark voice on the soprano – was an instant phenomenon, selling gold immediately on the road to eventual platinum on the strength of the radio hits “Sweet Love� and “Betcha Don’t Know.� Najee toured as the opening act for popular R&B singer Freddie Jackson and, with the release of the equally successful Day By Day in 1988, became a bonafide celebrity. After touring as a support act for artists like Hiroshima and Bob James, Najee became a headliner in his own right. In addition to the U.S., over the years he has toured throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. His subsequent releases, 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 R&B influences, Stevie Wonder, on 1995’s Najee Plays Songs From the Key of Life: A Tribute to Stevie Wonder. He also stretched his straight-ahead jazz muscles on a tour and follow-up live recording (Live at the Greek Theatre, 1994) with a superband featuring Stanley Clarke, Larry Carlton and Billy Cobham. He later signed to Verve for one album, 1998’s Morning Tenderness, which went to #1 on the contemporary jazz charts. span>For Najee, the late ’90s were marked by extraordinary international experiences, from performing at Nelson Mandela’s birthday celebration in South Africa to playing as a special guest of President Clinton at the White House at an event honoring President Jerry Rawlings of the Republic of Ghana. Over the years, Najee has worked with numerous pop legends, from Quincy Jones to Patti Labelle and Lionel Richie, but creatively and artistically, no other career highlight has quite matched his incredible association with Prince, with whom he recorded and toured for three years at the beginning of the current decade. “I went to one of his shows at Najee later returned to the recording studio in 2003 to record Embrace, which featured two other longtime heroes, vibist Roy Ayers and gospel legend BeBe Winans. He joined the Heads Up International label with the release of My Point of View in the summer of 2005. The album’s critical and artistic success helped him score an NAACP Image Award in 2006 in the category of Outstanding Jazz Artist. Rising Sun, the followup to My Point of View, is set for release on Heads Up on August 14, 2007. Always the innovator, Najee blends various shades of straightahead as well as contemporary jazz, classic R&B and even indie rock on this new ten-song set. The result is an album that’s destined to appeal to established fans of his multi-layered groove as well as listeners who are meeting the artist for the first time. - Profile provided by Heads Up International MusiConversationsR and MuSyNetworkR are registered trademarks of Music Syndicator Network, LLC Direct download: 01_MCOJ_040708_TomSchuman_Najee.mp3 Category: MusiConversations on Jazz -- posted at: 1:01 AM |
Mon, 22 October 2007 
Originally Aired 15-21 Oct 2007 Tom and Steve Discuss:
DOWNLOAD SHOW Subscribe: About Steve Oliver: Performing an incredible 200 dates a year, the next superstar of adult contemporary pop and smooth jazz all but dares you not to tap your toes, sing along gleefully and smile like a kid at Christmas. He's doing it. And it's the real deal. No ego, no over the top flash, not trying to be too hip for the room and aloof for the fans. Just having a blast, sharing the joy of what he does-celebrating life and music. This jubilant, growing legacy continues in 2006 with the current release of his fourth album, "Radiant". In a world gone way too negative sometimes, Steve is like an oasis of sunny delight. If anyone thinks he's much too "zip a dee doo dah," he says, "What you see onstage is genuinely how I am. I love performing and making music, and when I'm writing new songs, which is pretty much all the time, I'm thinking of how they're going to sound live. The fans keep me motivated, and the key to my success is connecting with them and making them happy. They can see I'm sincere. I have a genuine love of music and people." All of this is brought to you by the power of Positive Energy, his honest to God, bright side of the street approach to life and just coincidentally, the title of his hit 2002 album, which hit the Billboard Top 20 and ranked #1 on the year end list of the fifty most played recordings throughout Canada in 2003, according to smoothjazzcanada.com. That means topping legends like David Sanborn, Steely Dan and Michael McDonald-and a lot of happy go lucky folks north of the border whistling along with the catchy single "High Noon," which also reached #3 on the Radio & Records smooth jazz airplay chart in the U.S. and was one of the most played songs of the year in the format. All on an indie label and without any type of major corporate marketing push! The music is just that good. The folks who organize the National Smooth Jazz Awards took notice too, nominating the guitar and vocal sensation for Best New Artist and Best Guitar Player for 2003. - Excerpts from http://www.SteveOliverMusic.com MusiConversationsR and MuSyNetworkR are registered trademarks of Music Syndicator Network, LLC Direct download: 01_MCOJ_030708_TomSchuman_SteveOlive.mp3 Category: MusiConversations on Jazz -- posted at: 1:00 AM |
Mon, 15 October 2007 
Tom and Jeff Discuss:
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About Jeff Kashiwa: Many smooth jazz fans were taken by surprise in early 1999, when Jeff Kashiwa left the Rippingtons after ten years to devote more time to develop his career as a solo artist, but in truth, the popular saxophonist has always had his eye on striking out on his own. Before joining the Ripps in 1989, he led various ensembles at clubs throughout Orange County, California, and he spent much of his down time from the Ripps' hectic touring and recording schedule leading his own band, Coastal Access. His two previous solo albums, "Remember Catalina" (1995) and "Walk a Mile" (1997) were critically and commercially acclaimed and laid a perfect foundation for his Native Language debut, "Another Door Opens", in many ways his first major entry into the smooth jazz marketplace. Aside from the large base of Rippingtons' fans who are incredibly supportive of Kashiwa's new endeavors, the saxman also brought to the next phase of his career two very important legacies from his tenure with the band, the experience of touring with a very popular group and the creative partnership Kashiwa has forged with Rippingtons' keyboardist Dave Kochanski. Kashiwa produced "Another Door Opens" with Kochanski, bassist Brian Bromberg and famed keyboardist Jeff Lorber. Kochanski wrote four of the songs, including the brassy, retro-funk flavored first single, "Hyde Park" (the "Ah, Ooh" song). "The amazing years I had with the Rippingtons mean so much on so many different levels, from developing friends for a lifetime to learning countless things about composing, producing and arranging from Russ Freeman. I remember he used to tell me in the early days, 'fill up your horn more,' meaning, bring more energy to my playing, and I think my playing on "Another Door Opens" reflects this. And while I like many of the songs on my previous albums, the new tunes are stronger, more melodic and much tighter." "It's both exciting and scary not to have that to fall back on anymore, as I did when I put out my other two albums," he says. "It's like leaving a job to start your own business. But I believe all the effort I put forth will eventually come back to me, and making that kind of connection with the fans is what I live for musically. The object of both this new phase of my career and life in general is to transcend those daily fears and follow what I believe is the right path." Kashiwa can be heard on a number of soundtracks for movies and television, including the main theme for ABC's All My Children. He has also donated numerous recordings to charitable causes and his commitment to education has made him a popular clinician at many public schools and universities nationwide. For the past six years Disney has hired him as an alumnus teacher for its College Band program. - Excerpts from http://www.JeffKashiwa.com MusiConversationsR and MuSyNetworkR are registered trademarks of Music Syndicator Network, LLC Direct download: 01_MCOJ_020708_TomSchuman_JeffKashiw.mp3 Category: MusiConversations on Jazz -- posted at: 12:01 AM |
