Smooth Jazz Saxophonist Najee Releases CD, is Nominated for NAACP Award, Performs LIVE 4 Valentines

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Jan. 27, 2014 - PRLog -- Valentine’s 2014 brings exciting, romantic and entertaining melodies and dinner for lovers in Long Beach, CA with the new sounds of smooth jazz saxophonist Najee.  Accompanying the three platinum and five gold album flautist are Marcus Miller, Euge Groove and just added, Phil Perry.

Najee is one of the pioneers of “Contemporary Jazz.” He has performed and recorded with singers Chaka Khan, Prince, Patti Labelle and Lionel Richie, as well as with instrumentalists Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke and Larry Carlton. His 1986 debut album, Najee’s Theme, went platinum and was nominated for a Grammy Award.  His next album, Day By Day, also went platinum, followed by two albums that charted gold, Tokyo Blue and Just an Allusion.  Najee has been recognized by the Soul Train Music Award for Best Jazz Artist for Najee’s Theme and received the NAACP Image award.  This past October Najee released his highly anticipated second recording for Shanachie Entertainment, titled “The Morning after—A Musical Journey.”

Najee’s latest musical offering is a commanding statement from this peerless instrumentalist and composer, which is a testament to his status as one of the top-selling saxophonists in contemporary jazz. In addition, this masterpiece was nominated for the NAACP Image Awards for "Outstanding Jazz Album" for 2014!

Najee’s anticipated performance will make Valentine’s Day truly memorable this year.  Guests will enjoy a delicious dinner followed by a unique concert experience featuring the music of three of today’s top contemporary musicians.  This Valentine’s Concert is presented by Rainbow Promotions, LLC, the producers of the annual Long Beach Jazz Festival, one of the city’s most popular annual musical events.  The location is at the stylish Terrace Theater at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center which provides the perfect venue to sit back and enjoy an enchanting night of great music.

This Valentine’s special evening of dinner and music will also feature the individual musical performance styles of Marcus Miller, Euge Groove and Phil Perry.  The evening promises a seductive blend of smooth jazz, R&B and soul.

HEADLINING THIS ROMANTIC EVENING is Marcus Miller, a jazz composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist proficient as a keyboardist, clarinet/bass clarinet, and a world-renowned electric bassist, topping critic’s and reader’s polls for three decades.  He has worked with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Luther Vandross and David Sanborn, as well as maintaining a successful solo career. Miller has won numerous Grammy Awards as a producer and also Grammy Awards for Best R&B Song in 1991 (Power of Love/Love Power) and Best Contemporary Jazz Album in 2001 (“M2” – M-Squared).

Euge Groove, a chart-topping performer on multiple instruments, believes in music’s therapeutic and cathartic powers.  Tapping into that power, his gently intimate sound conjures rich emotional depths.  Over time, Euge’s love of Jazz, R&B, Gospel and Blues have all come together to create his seductive personal style. His expansive musical tastes and expertise on multiple instruments has taken him on world tours with a diverse range of performers, including: Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Eros Ramozotti, Richard Marx, Tower of Power and Huey Lewis and the News.

Phil Perry first came to the attention of music fans as the lead singer /writer of the Montclairs, with “Dreamin’s Out of Season” (1970) and "Begging's Hard to Do" - a moderate hit in 1972.   His bright, multi-octave range played a supporting role on dozens of albums by such artists as Leon Haywood, Anita Baker, Dave Koz, George Duke, Barbara Streisand, Roberta Flack. Johnny Mathis, Bill Withers, The Pointer Sisters, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Womack, and Wil Downing.  As a solo artist with The Heart of a Man, an album most notable for Perry's passionate remake of Aretha Franklin's "Call Me."  The song went to #1 on the Billboard charts in 1991, and many critics feel his performance surpasses Aretha's revered original version.

Phil Perry’s Private Music debut, One Heart One Love, was aimed straight at the Smooth Jazz market and hit the top five on the back of its killer title track. The latest three solo albums, released on Shanachie Records, feature a breathtaking collection of beloved R&B/Pop hits produced by the incomparable Chris ‘Big Dog’ Davis. Classic Love Songs (2006) and A Mighty Love (2007) resulted in Perry winning the Soul Tracks Readers Choice Award for “Male Vocalist of the Year” in 2007.  Perry’s Ready For Love (2008) is a lush production, rich with Perry originals. The album hit the Billboard Adult Contemporary music chart at #4 - the first week of its release.

The 2014 Valentine’s Concert will be a romantic musical experience to remember as three of today’s top artists entertain guests with their emotionally charged rhythms and alluring melodies through a relaxing and elegantly intimate atmosphere of the newly renovated Terrace Theater.

Tickets range from $135 for VIP seating to $45 per person for balcony seats. VIP tickets include a savory 3-course dinner, a rose for each lady and preferred theater seating within the first five rows of the orchestra section.  The VIP dinner will be served from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the concert begins in the Terrace Theater at 7:30 p.m.

WHAT: 2014 Valentine’s Concert – a special evening of music for friends and lovers.

Featuring music from two-time GRAMMY®-winning keyboardist, clarinetist/bass clarinetist and electric bassist Marcus Miller, one of the pioneers of Contemporary Jazz, Najeeand chart topping multi-instrumentalist, saxophonist, composer, producer and DJ, Euge Groove.

WHEN: Friday, February 14, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Terrace Theater- 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802

MORE INFO: For tickets or more information, call Rainbow Promotions, LLC at (562) 424-0013 or the Box Office at (562) 436-3661 or TicketMaster at (800) 745-3000.