Jazz Articles about Nate Najar

Nate Najar: Jazz Samba Pra Sempre

by Edward Blanco
June 23, 2022

Pioneered by Brazilian guitarist Joao Gilberto and popularized by Baden Powell, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Roberto Menescal and others in the early '60s, the bossa nova sound resonated strongly with the American jazz audience, and the Stan Getz / Charlie Byrd album Jazz Samba (Verve Records, 1962) became one of the driving forces behind this genre. Guitarist Nate Najar, who was heavily influenced by the music of Byrd, unveils his fourteenth album as leader with Jazz Samba Pra Sempre (Jazz Samba ...

Nate Najar with the John Toomey Trio at Attucks Theatre

by Mark Robbins
April 21, 2019

In 1961, under the sponsorship of the U.S. State Department, jazz/classical guitarist Charlie Byrd toured South America. This trip proved to be fortuitous for both Byrd and North America for it introduced Byrd to the Brazilian Bossa Nova. Back in the states Byrd played Bossa Nova tapes for Stan Getz who then convinced producer Creed Taylor to record an album of himself and Byrd playing this new musical stlye. That album, Jazz Samba was released in 1962 and introduced North ...

Nate Najar: Under Paris Skies

by Edward Blanco
October 7, 2018

Jazz guitarist Nate Najar follows up the critically-acclaimed 2016 release of This is Nate Najar (Woodward Avenue Records) with a heart-warming tribute to the city of Paris with Under Paris Skies, conveying his love of the city of lights with a charming and elegant set of love songs and ballads, all designed to set the mood and pull on your heart strings. Providing new treatments to a select number of pop, jazz and classical-styled songs, Najar delivers a different message ...

Nate Najar: This Is Nate Najar

by Edward Blanco
February 26, 2017

Hailing from St. Petersburg, FL, guitarist Nate Najar unveils his third full length recording for the Candid Records label on the simply-titled This Is Nate Najar where he touches on the music of Chick Corea and Antonio Carlos Jobim as well as delivering a straight jazz sound with several cover tunes and a couple of originals. A fingerstyle guitarist on the acoustic classical guitar, Najar is one of the few in the modern jazz genre utilizing the nylon-string guitar employing ...

The Nate Najar Trio: I'm All Smiles

by Matthew Warnock
April 6, 2009

Nylon-string guitarist Nate Najar channels the creative and energetic spirit of the late, great guitarist Charlie Byrd on I'm All Smiles. The album features Najar alongside Steve Boisen on bass, Chuck Redd on drums and Duduka Da Fonseca on percussion. While Najar gives ample evidence of his advanced solo guitar ability, those moments are always carefully inserted to provide contrast to the highly interactive ensemble sections. The result is an album full of tonal and improvisational twists and turns, creating ...

Nate Najar: The Cool Sounds of Nate Najar

by Matt Merewitz
October 7, 2003

Despite a chic album cover reminiscent of 1950s west coast jazz, and a well groomed young guitarist to boot, there is less substance on the Floridian’s latest effort than there could be. Cool is definitely the word to describe Nate Najar’s second album as a leader on his own independent Blue Line jazz label. “Cool” can get old quickly, however. Saturated with this coolness, Najar’s band, despite great talent, lacks originality.

The guitarist is clearly influenced by masters ...

The Nate Najar Trio: Jazz Impressions

by Jim Josselyn
January 1, 2002

On “Jazz Impressions" the Nate Najar Trio takes us back to a dark, tiny, smoky, nightclub circa 1956. The question is, do we want to go there? From the opening lines of the Count Basie blues “Taps Miller" we can hear where the group is going, and haven't we all been there before? Najar's solo consists of entirely public domain ideas, and forced “blue" licks. “Mahna De Carnival" sounds as if it's performed straight from a lead sheet, and the ...