Najee to bring soulful sax to Baltimore for Valentine’s Day weekend gig

By Timothy Cox

for Baltimore/Westminster Patch

For the saxophonist officially known as Najee, as he enters the new year of 2026, he proudly celebrates five decades as a professional recording artist.

He's currently touring northeastern venues, including stops in Pittsburgh, New York and Philadelphia. But on Valentine's weekend of Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 13-15 – the veteran bandleader will bring his five-piece unit to the Keystone Korner in downtown Baltimore. He'll play six shows in three days.

During a recent phone call from his current home in Tampa, Florida, the native New Yorker, who grew up in the borough of Queens, initially played RnB gigs, while being introduced to traditional jazz at the famed Jazz Mobile led by jazz legend, Dr. Billy Taylor.

While his critically-released debut 1986 CD was titled 'Najee's Theme,' Najee has subsequently released at least 15 albums in the past 40 years. The multi-Grammy nominated saxophonist and flautist also won a Soul Train Award (1991) and an NAACP Image Award (2006).

His latest production, 'Under the Moon, Over the Sky,' was released in August 2025 and features a variety of lead vocalists and different producers, including Will Downing, Eric Roberson and guitar-bandleader Bluey of Incognito fame, who produced one of the tracks on the new album.

Jazz aficionados and major jazz critics fondly recall Najee's 1995 tribute CD to Stevie Wonder's Grammy-winning banger double-album, 'Songs in the Key of Life' from 1976. The LP was released on Capitol-EMI and produced by the late George "Dukey Stick" Duke.

Darryl Dunn, a Pittsburgh jazz historian, said he recalls the night in Pittsburgh when the widow of a Pittsburgh saxophonist name Eddie Hill presented Najee with her late husband’s tenor saxophone. Dunn said it was a thrilling tribute – and it was obvious that Najee was emotionally overwhelmed upon receiving the deceased man’s prized horn.

Forty years since debuting as a recording artist, Najee, who was born Jerome Najee Rasheed, is the son of a white French viola player and violinist (Frank Clawson) and a West Indian-born mother (Mary Richards). Najee is one of four boys. Another brother, Fareed, also plays guitar and along with Najee, toured with Chaka Khan on her 1983 'Ain't Nobody' tour. Najee also played keyboards for the soul band, BBQ of the disco-funk hit, “Ready or Not” fame. In addition to his jazz and RnB background, Najee is a classically trained musician who studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, with jazz masters Jaki Byard and George Russell.

Najee, now 68, said his musical origins started with the clarinet at age 8.

After all these years, Najee says he still enjoys his work as a musician now more than ever.

"What's beautiful,” he explained, “is that these days, I do it at my own pace. Back in 1986, I did it out of necessity. It was more like a job. I had a wife and a young family to care for. Now, all six children are all adults and they’re doing well, on their own.” He and his wife of 26 years, Karen Green, also have seven grandchildren.

At this point in my career - I'm just able to work at my own leisure, but it definitely took time and hard work to get to this point,” he recalled.
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NAJEE VALENTINE'S WEEKEND SHOWTIMES AT KEYSTONE KORNER:
Friday thru Saturday

Feb. 13 – Feb. 15
Friday, Feb 13 & Saturday, Feb 14: Shows at 6 pm & 9 pm
Sunday, Feb 15: Shows at 5 pm & 8 pm
Tickets: Available through Keystone Korner, Event Tickets Center, and other ticket platforms.
Keystone Korner is located at 1350 Lancaster St, Baltimore, MD.
For details, call Keystone Korner at 410-946-6726

(ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Timothy Cox is holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pa. He's also a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the Jazz Journalists Association. Mr. Cox can be reached at teacawks2@gmail.com)