Nate Najar

An accomplished guitarist-composer and Charlie Byrd devotee, nylon string fingerstyle player Nate Najar has distinguished himself as a talent worthy of recognition with his impressive output over the past ten years. On his latest trio recording, Blues for Night People: The Nate Najar Trio Remembers Charlie Byrd, the Florida-based guitarist pays tribute to an important role model with a collection of tunes either composed by or associated with the late, great guitarist. Najar also performs on Byrd’s own guitar, a 1974 Ramirez 1a nylon string classical guitar, the same guitar Andres Segovia used.

Accompanied by the veteran D.C.-based rhythm tandem of drummer Chuck Redd and bassist Tommy Cecil, Najar runs the gamut from alluring bossas and romantic ballads to urgent swingers and delicate, classically influenced numbers on his sixth outing as a leader. The chemistry and interplay throughout is apparent. These three kindred spirits are truly on one accord on this auspicious outing. “To me, it feels like there’s three of us playing together and not me just playing on top of a rhythm section,” says Nate. “And when you’re playing with guys that good, why would you do it any other way?”

The trio opens with Najar’s fresh arrangement of Byrd’s “Blues for Night People,” title track of the great guitarist’s 1957 Savoy album. Najar’s version shifts nimbly from hard-hitting funk to an insistent shuffle-swing groove, with the leader showcasing his beautiful warm tone and fluid chops along the way. “It’s really a suite that takes up the whole side of a record,” he explains. “What we played is the main theme from the last part of the suite. Chuck and I came up with the tempo change and different feels.”

Nate’s classical influences come to the fore on a crystalline interpretation “Django,” John Lewis’ delicate, introspective composition written for the Modern Jazz Quartet and which Byrd recorded on his 1960 Riverside release, The Guitar Artistry of Charlie Byrd. Najar showcases some remarkable contrapuntal playing on this lovely piece. “I had originally written that as two separate parts — the eighth note thing for me to play and Chuck was to play the melody on vibes. And we did record that arrangement on an earlier album. But I wanted to start playing it with the trio so I had to figure out how to play both parts myself.”

On Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Desafinado,” which Byrd recorded numerous times throughout his career, most notably with Stan Getz on the groundbreaking 1962 album, Jazz Samba, they fly through the familiar tune with aplomb. Redd’s brisk brushwork sets the tone and Cecil turns in a deep-toned melodic bass solo while Najar delivers a brilliant single note barrage on this lively samba. Redd switches to vibes on a faithful version of the bluesy, subdued “Swing 59,” Byrd’s 1959 tribute to Gypsy jazz guitar legend Django Reinhardt, which features stellar solos from all the members of the trio. Redd remains on vibes for Joao Gilberto’s “O Pato,” which also appeared on Jazz Samba. Cecil’s resounding bass lines anchor this lively samba, which makes it that much more exhilarating when he drops out and lets the vibes and guitar engage in a spirited conversation.

Najar’s solo introspection on Duke Ellington’s “Single Petal of a Rose” provides some of the more sublime moments of the session while his rendition of Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Concierto De Aranjuez” is underscored by a sense of drama and haunting beauty, with bassist Cecil taking a prominent role with the melody, alternating with Nate’s profound nylon string statements. A relaxed rendition of Richard Rogers’ “Have You Met Miss Jones” has Redd supplying some alluring brushwork, then the trio burns through an uptempo take on “Who Cares,” which Byrd recorded on 1962’s Mr. Guitar. “I pride myself on doing my own arrangements and putting my own stamp on tunes, but that’s Charlie’s arrangement all the way,” he says of that Gershwin tune. “My voicings are a little different but that tempo and the basic idea is what he did on his record.”

The trio luxuriates on Jobim’s “Someone to Light Up My Life,” which appeared on 1965’s Brazilian Byrd, then they strike a gentle accord on Sidney Bechet’s romantic “Si Tu Vois Ma Mere (I Remember When),” which Byrd included on one of his last recordings, 1994’s Moments Like This. “It’s such a great, pure tune,” says the guitarist of the Bechet composition, which Woody Allen used as a thematic device in his recent Oscar-winning movie, Midnight in Paris. “You almost don’t want to mess with it; just play it straight down. Don’t ruin the melody.” They conclude the collection with Najar’s tender bossa nova “Remembering Charlie Byrd,” a fitting tribute to his biggest influence to date.

Growing up in St. Petersburg, Najar studied guitar from age 17 through his 20s. He made a major leap in his development after hooking up with Frank Mullen, who like Byrd had been a disciple of renowned D.C classical guitar teacher Sophocles Papas. Frank had moved down to Florida in the early ‘70s,” Najar recalls. “He played the classical guitar a lot in our lessons and he had told me to get one. And when I started playing it I thought, ‘Wow, this is so much better than that other thing.’ So the more I learned how to play with Frank, the more I discovered that fingerstyle playing on the classical guitar is much more piano-like.” Byrd became an obvious source of inspiration for him in his developmental years.

“Charlie was my guy,” says the 30-year-old guitarist, who also cites Gene Bertoncini and Romero Lubambo as influences. “I knew Charlie’s records, I loved his sound. It was something that was really special to me. There was just this elegant simplicity in his playing; it always seemed like just the right way to do it.”

While Najar may be coming out of the Charlie Byrd tradition, he’s got his own unique place in the lineage of nylon string fingerstyle jazz guitar. “I’m trying to come out of a classical thing. Charlie came out of a classical thing when he was younger. As he got older, he wasn’t playing classical repertoire as much, although he practiced a lot. But Charlie was a helluva classical player when he was younger. I’m coming out of that, trying to approach the classical guitar with the repertoire. Most of my practice these days is trying to do the Julian Bream thing. Tone production is something I’m working on now. And I’m making a big effort to do it as the classical guys do it…because that technique really makes the guitar a piano in your lap, if you’ve got your fingers really happening properly.”

Najar’s fingers are indeed really happening on his latest auspicious outing. Whether he’s soloing with great fingerstyle adeptness or comping pianistically, he’s does his guitar hero proud on Remembering Charlie Byrd.

Najar’s other recordings include Swinging with the Nate Najar Quartet, I’m All Smiles, Live at the Side Door, Until Now and Christmas with the Nate Najar Trio. In a very different context than his nylon string fingerstyle jazz work, he scored a Top Ten hit in 2011 with the R&B tune “Groove Me,” featuring vocalist Melba Moore. Najar has performed frequently with his trio at Blues Alley in Washington D.C. and in 2008 was invited by Dr. Billy Taylor to perform at the prestigious Kennedy Center in an evening celebrating the historic Showboat Lounge, a one-time landmark on the D.C. jazz scene.
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Nate Najar and Daniela Soledade with the Jimmy Masters Trio at the Sandler Center

by Mark Robbins
January 13, 2025

Since the introduction of Brazilian music to the United States in 1962 by Charlie Byrd, artists such as Antônio Carlos Jobim, Jõao Gilberto, Gal Costa, Astrud Gilberto, Gilberto Gil, Claudia Acuña, to name a few, have continued to have a great influence on the American audience. Add to that roster guitarist Nate Naja and vocalist (also guitarist and flutist) Daniela Soledade, a welcome addition to an illustrious list of musicians. Najar started as a classical guitarist but soon ...

Album Review

Daniela Soledade: Pretty World

Read "Pretty World" reviewed by Edward Blanco

by Edward Blanco
August 29, 2022

Brazilian singer and composer Daniela Soledade presents her sophomore release Pretty World continuing a family tradition of exploration into light bossa nova music. Recognized as a proponent for a new bossa nova sound, her unique hushed-styled vocals distinguish this singer from the other vocalists of the genre. Born in Rio de Janeiro where the album was recorded, Soledade co-wrote two originals ("Beijo No Arpoador" and “Nothing Compares") with guitarist and producer Nate Najar and sings lyrics in English and Portuguese. ...

Album Review

Nate Najar: Jazz Samba Pra Sempre

Read "Jazz Samba Pra Sempre" reviewed by Edward Blanco

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 ...

In Pictures

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 ...

Album Review

Nate Najar: Under Paris Skies

Read "Under Paris Skies" reviewed by Edward Blanco

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 ...

Album Review

Nate Najar: This Is Nate Najar

Read "This Is Nate Najar" reviewed by Edward Blanco

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 ...

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Album Review

The Nate Najar Trio: I'm All Smiles

Read "I'm All Smiles" reviewed by Matthew Warnock

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 ...

Performance / Tour

In the holiday spirit, jazz style.

Source: Ken Franckling's Jazz Notes
December 15, 2018

Guitarist Nate Najar’s Jazz Holiday has become a seasonal tradition in Southwest Florida. He started the concert in St. Petersburg, where the 13thannual edition was held last night at The Palladium Theater's Hough Hall. Ex-Ellington bassist John Lamb, drummer Mark Feinman and trumpet marvel James Suggs are regulars in this event, with Nate drawing on an array of visiting talent to expand the group. This year's special guests were tenor saxophonist/clarinetist/flutist and singer Adrian Cunningham, an Aussie jazz musician now ...
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Performance / Tour

A sultry celebration of Jobim, mostly

Source: Ken Franckling's Jazz Notes
April 2, 2018

The Bossa Nova All Stars put their stamp on the sultry sound of Brazil's most popular musical export on Saturday, March 31 in Venice FL, where they focused almost entirely on the extensive songbook of composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. Jobim was one of the pioneers of bossa nova, a late 1950s fusion of the Brazilian samba and jazz. His contributions to the art form were mighty and are best known. The focus wasn't really surprising, considering that the singer featured ...
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Performance / Tour

Ho-Ho-Ho Jazz

Source: Ken Franckling's Jazz Notes
December 22, 2014

Guitarist Nate Najar brought his jazz holiday show to Sarasota on Saturday evening with special guest Harry Allen. The South County Jazz Club event at the Glenridge Performing Arts Center blended jazz treatments of holiday material with some jazz classics. The event marked the club's first opportunity to hear trumpeter James Suggs, an upstate New York native who moved to the St. Petersburg area this year after having spent the past eight years living and working in Argentina. He was ...
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Performance / Tour

Guitarist Nate Najar to Pay Tribute to Charlie Byrd

Source: All About Jazz
September 8, 2008

Nate Najar, one of only a few guitarists who play jazz on a classical guitar, will join bassist Joe Byrd and drummer Chuck Redd to pay tribute to Charlie Byrd. For two nights, on November 21 and 22, Najar will visit Annapolis, Md (The Charlie Byrd Trio's homebase for the last 25 years of Charlie's career) and sounds of swing, blues and of course bossa nova will fill the air. Says Najar, “Charlie Byrd is one of my largest influences, ...
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Recording

Nate Najar Trio's "Live at the Side Door" to be Released in January

Source: All About Jazz
September 8, 2008

Blue Line Music is proud to announce the Nate Najar Trio: Live At The Side Door. The new CD features former Duke Ellington bassist John Lamb, and Chuck Redd on the drums. Recorded live on May 15, 2008 at the acclaimed Palladium Theatre's Side Door Lounge in St. Petersburg, FL, Live... focuses on swinging material from Nate's nylon string guitar. Swinging tunes such as “Big Butter and Egg Man" and “Jive At Five" are juxtaposed against the subtle guitar arrangement ...
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Event

Vibraphonist Chuck Redd to appear with the Nate Najar Trio

Source: All About Jazz
May 26, 2005

Veteran vibraphonist Chuck Redd will make a rare Florida appearance along with the Nate Najar Trio on Saturday June 25. The program will include music from Redd's recent release All This And Heaven Too, released on Arbors records, as well as swing, blues, ballads and Brazilian material.

Chuck Redd (www.chuckredd.com) is a seasoned performer on both drums and vibraphone. He began performing internationally when he joined the Charlie Byrd Trio in 1980 at the age of 21. He has ...
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Performance / Tour

Blues Alley Presents, Chuck Redd, Nate Najar & Tommy Cecil

Source: All About Jazz
January 12, 2005

Blues Alley

Jazz Veteran Chuck Redd (Vibraphone) and Newcomer Nate Najar (Jazz Guitar) team up together along with Washington DC Veteran Bassist (Tommy Cecil) for a night of cool jazz at Blues Alley. Redd began performing internationally when he joined the Charlie Byrd Trio in 1980 at the age of 21. That year, he joined the Great Guitars (Barney Kessel, Charlie Byrd and Herb Ellis). To his credit are twelve extensive European tours and four tours of Japan. Najar is ...
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