Nate Najar
St. Pete
It has been 60 years since the release of Jazz Samba, the 1962 landmark album by Charlie Byrd and Stan Getz that launched bossa nova in the United States and predated the best-selling Getz/Gilberto by two years. With Jazz Samba Pra Sempre (Jazz Samba Forever), guitarist Nate Najar pays homage to that groundbreaking album with a “reimagining” of those iconic seven tunes.
A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, Najar studied classical guitar in his teens with Frank Mullen. He has worked with Ken Peplowski, John Lamb, Bucky Pizzarelli, Eric Darius, Chuck Redd, Buster Cooper, Cindy Bradley, Jessy J, and Jonathan Fritzén.
Influenced by Charlie Byrd, Nate's style is a fingerstyle guitarist who plays bossa nova and Brazilian jazz. In addition to local and international festivals and concerts Najar has performed on television composed for films.
Najar has been ranked multiple times on the jazz music charts, including a top ten spot in 2011 for the song "Groove Me", on which he collaborated with singer Melba Moore. As producer and composer, Najar has worked and recorded throughout the U.S. and abroad at venues and studios such as Nola studios in New York City, where he recorded an album by Lisa Casalino.
