Najee

Najee is a professional American smooth jazz saxophonist and flautist – That’s right, he plays jazz flute. He has had such a fantastic career so far having performed with the likes of Chaka Khan, Prince and Patti Labelle. He made a name for himself playing with such huge names and then in 86’ decided to embark on a solo career.

Tonight he performs various works on both saxophone and flute. He opens with “Room to Breathe” on the alto sax, which he immediately delivers a two-octave glissando at the start, similar to “Rhapsody in Blue” by Gershwin. His set is filled with some glorious musical twists and turns, with songs such as “I Wish” and “Sweet Summer Nights” making the whole audience get up off their feet and dance. His technique is absolutely flawless, as he delivers some modal styles of playing, getting fiendishly technical. He finishes with “Rendezvous” which elevates the audience to a higher plateau, dancing drinking and celebrating.

I've been a fan since I was a teen. This was the best show I have ever been to. Alex is absolutely phenomenal! He hadn't aged a bit! I hope he comes back to Cleveland before my daughter and I move back south. She's 19 and loves his music too!

The South venue was a very nice intimate setting. I enjoyed Lindsey Webster and Gerald Veseley, and the rest of the band. She gave personal accounts of her songs, memories of her mother, and it was her birthday. It is exciting and refreshing to hear such a beautiful voice and songs. I would love to see her again.

Marion Meadows is probably one of the coolest saxophonists I think I’ve ever seen perform. He walks out onto the stage so chilled out about the whole thing, soprano saxophone in hand, deadlocks flowing and his sunglasses on his face. The band launch into a fun jazz blues groove, and Meadows allows the band to get into the swing of everything before ripping right into the motif of the first song “Treasures”. He performs with such emotion, not giving the audience too much at first, taking them on a journey of twists and turns. The variations that he gradually introduces into this set are just so interesting too as he showcases some of his best techniques such as two octave glissandos and trills over three different modes in the space of about 8 bars. It’s wild and I’m aware of how geeky that last sentence just got. This formula that is so clearly tried and tested is what he endorses throughout his charismatic set, simply making people dance and feel good.