By Jerome Langston
“John Toomey and I met Nate Najar through a mutual friend, Chuck Redd, who’s been down here and played with us,” says Jimmy Masters, a highly regarded jazz bassist, during a recent phone chat about the long running jazz series that he curates at the Sandler Center. “He’s a great player and a super nice guy,” adds Masters. Najar will be joined by his beautiful and talented wife, Daniela Soledade, who is a big star in the world of Brazilian music, for their bossa nova show ― for the series in August. “And you can’t get any more real than Daniela, in terms of doing Brazilian music,” concludes Masters.
Prior to the bossa nova show though, is Remembering David Crosby, a jazz exploration of the folk-rock legend’s music, later this month. Crosby passed away in early 2023, and it was announced while Masters was driving home from a business trip in DC. That led the bassist to do a deep dive into the catalogue of Crosby, including his years as part of the legendary band the Byrds, as well as, of course, Crosby, Stills & Nash. “I started listening to him, not thinking about the Sandler series. Just wanted to check out his music when he died. The more I listened to it, the more I thought about the possibilities,” notes Masters.
“He had a number of records that he’d recorded over the last 20 years, that were really good records with really beautiful music and great musicianship on them,” adds Masters. Some of that music was co-written by Crosby’s son, James Raymond, as part of CPR ― and some of those tunes will be featured in the show.
After speaking in detail with Jimmy earlier this week, I was able to chat by phone with Najar and Soledade, who were visiting Soledade’s family in Rio de Janeiro, at the time of our chat. The couple, who when not touring spend most of their time in St. Petersburg, Florida, which is where Najar grew up, nevertheless loves being in Brazil. “We love Brazil. And try and be here as much as we can,” says Soledade. “We’re not living here just yet, but every time we come, we don’t want to leave,” adds the singer. They both mention how musical the culture of Brazil is, and how that manifests in the daily experiences of Brazilians ― through the street musicians, who are actually very talented, and dancing. It’s a vastly different culture than here in the States.
Najar is a highly successful jazz guitarist and producer, whose artistry playing classical guitar within a jazz idiom, has led him to much acclaim. He is a long-time devotee of jazz guitar legend and Virginia native, Charlie Byrd, whose success with Stan Getz in the early sixties with their collaborative classic, Jazz Samba, helped usher bossa nova into the American mainstream. Najar was even gifted one of Byrd’s guitars ― a Ramirez, from Byrd’s widow. And in 2022, Najar’s excellent Jazz Samba Pra Sempre, was released in tribute to Byrd’s 1962 classic.
“This show is gonna focus mostly on classic bossa nova. And of course, we’re gonna do a fair amount of Daniela’s kind of proprietary Daniela material…” says Nate. “It’s gonna be the Joao Gilberto sound. The Antonio Carlos Jobim sound. The Astrud Gilberto sound,” he explains. “That real, sophisticated, ‘close your eyes’ and be in the moment, kind of thing,” adds the musician and composer.
That sound is also championed by Daniela, whose highly respected lineage in Brazilian music, includes her legendary grandfather, Paulo Soledade, and her father, Paulinho Soledade, a highly successful musician and producer who had his daughter in recording studios at a very young age, in Rio. During our chat, I ask Daniela how she regards that lineage. “I feel very lucky to come from a family that has been so involved in Brazilian music. And left a mark for sure, in Brazilian music,” says Daniela, a now acclaimed singer in her own right. “My grandfather composed with Jobim. Composed with all of the main guys… He had quite a few hits in Brazil,” she adds. “I feel honored, first of all, to be part of this lineage.”
Regarding the state of bossa nova and the Brazilian music scene, Daniela notes that they have had remarkable touring success ― especially throughout Europe. However, that doesn’t necessarily translate into as broad an audience for Brazilian music, here in America. And then Nate asserts that he doesn’t concern himself with the commercial prospects of his art. Being able to collaborate with other outstanding musicians, and performing for appreciative audiences in whatever city they’re playing in ― is much more of the goal.
And the couple is excited to play the Sandler Center for the first time. Nate has previously played with Toomey and Masters at the Attucks. Towards the end of our lengthy chat, Nate says “I love Hampton Roads, but I haven’t spent enough time around there, so it’s really a delight to be invited.”
WANT TO GO?
“Love & Bossa Nova”
Nate Najar & Daniela Soledade
TowneBank Jazz Series
August 15
Sandler Center for the Performing Arts
