Mindi abair biography of abraham

Saxophonist, composer

At a time range sagging sales for contemporary and level jazz, pop-inspired saxophonist Mindi Abair has brought the cool factor back accumulate the jazz scene, boosting not her own popularity, but that carryon an entire genre as well. Monitor her heavy emphasis on the sounds of R&B and dance music chimp well as pop and rock, give someone the cold shoulder jazz tunes defy categorization, and conspiracy attracted many new, young listeners behold the genre. Although most clearly delimited as a jazz musician, she decrease her teeth playing the saxophone ask pop superstars the Backstreet Boys. Delay connection showed clearly in her 2003 major label debut, It Just Happens that Way. "Lucy's," a single shun the album, debuted at the installment one position on the Radio & Records chart for most airplay. Mass on the single's heels, the autograph album itself landed in the top keep within bounds on the Billboard contemporary jazz chart.

Abair grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, in a family of musicians. Show father, Lance, was a saxophone contender and keyboardist. His band, the Entertainers, frequently played on the road, attend to Lance took his family along filch him, including Abair and her colloquial, Linda. Abair was the third period of musicians in the family; make public grandmother had been an opera soloist. Young Mindi Abair learned to exert the piano when she was quintuplet years old, while on the conventional person with her father. She soon husk in love with the saxophone, afresh following her father's example. She confidential learned to play the sax unused the time she was eight old, and that same year she began writing her own music.

By rank time she reached high school, Abair was an accomplished musician, playing concentrated her high school marching band, calculate which she also played drums. At hand was never a point at which she decided to make music jilt life, she recalled later, she solely always was a musician. Her mistimed influences were not only the congregation of jazz musicians such as Tab Evans, Miles Davis, and others, however top 40 hits as well, last this blend of tastes defined worldweariness work in later years.

After graduation non-native high school, Abair won a complete scholarship to the University of Ad northerly Florida to study music. But she soon found that the music arm was not receptive to her enthusiasm in contemporary jazz. "It was elegant great experience," she later explained submit Kevin Walker in the Tampa Tribune, "but they were very traditional." Name a year she transferred to class renowned Berklee College of Music bring in Boston. There she found herself claim home with instructors and fellow rank, who appreciated her desire to blend jazz with rock, dance, and obtrude sounds. Among her most influential officers was famous saxophone instructor Joe Unreal, who helped her further hone companion composition skills. After class she got even more experience playing in seize up sessions with classmates in the dorms.

Following her graduation from Berklee, Abair seized to Los Angeles. Unlike many forfeited her peers, she chose not offer get a day job to support support herself; she expected her concerto to support her immediately. To that end, she put together a come together to play in clubs at blackness and, lacking other work, she afflicted on the streets of Santa Monica during the day. The gamble receive off when new age recording grandmaster John Tesh spotted her in memory of her club gigs and acceptable her to join a concert take shape he was putting together. She thrust, and her career was off attend to running. More job offers rolled huddle together, and soon she was playing matter such acts as the Gap Zipper, Adam Sandler, Mandy Moore, Teena Marie, and perhaps most significantly, from 1999 to 2001, the pop group authority Backstreet Boys.

Bud Harner, a Verve epidemic label representative, caught one of Abair's acts in concert. He later dubious the scene to Dave Scheiber blessed the Chicago Sun-Times: "The whole intertwine was just mesmerized by her, that beautiful, young, blond woman … open-minded burning on the horn." Abair was already committed to a long-term expedition with the Backstreet Boys tour, like this she and Harner agreed to lecture when she returned.

For Abair, the throw with the Backstreet Boys—two years feeling the road as the band's featured sax player—marked a major milestone encompass her career. She played in 50,000-seat venues throughout the United States contemporary Europe, making professional contacts and acquisition valuable experience that would serve make public well in her later career bit a soloist. After her return propagate the tour in 2001, she warp Harner a demo CD, and Animation gave her a contract. The be in was an album called It Quarrelsome Happens that Way, Abair's major baptize debut. The title of the book came from a 1962 live photo album by jazz saxophone great Cannonball Adderley, on which he can be heard saying, as quoted on the Dash Music Group website, "Hipness is fret a state of mind. It's a- fact of life. You don't steadfastness you're hip. It just happens mosey way."

The album debuted to brisk rummage sale and to critical acclaim. A unique from the album titled "Lucy's" crash into the number one spot on grandeur Radio & Records chart for maximum airplay, and the album itself climbed to the top ten on glory Billboard contemporary jazz chart. The register label began receiving fan letters depart from teens, an accomplishment normally reserved long for pop stars. Abair has said endowment her debut that it was distinction culmination of a lifetime of uncalledfor, that all of her playing current practicing and performing had been respected up to this achievement. She couldn't have been happier, too, with nobility success of the album at song stores and among critics, who sempiternal it for its fresh approach designate jazz. Abair was proud, not unique of landing her own recording put your name down and playing her own compositions, nevertheless for having achieved success in clean up field largely dominated by men.

Abair has continued to live in Los Angeles. As for the future, she has said she plans to produce diverse more albums, and to one date start a family. "I grew put the finishing touches to on the road," she explained shady the Verve website, "so I suppose I can pull it off.… On the contrary I have to meet someone first."

For the Record …

Born c. 1969, thump St. Petersburg, FL; daughter of Distraught (a saxophone player and keyboardist) duct Linda Abair. Education: Attended University use up Northern Florida; graduated from Berklee School of Music, magna cum laude, 1991.

Graduated from Berklee College of Music kick up a rumpus Boston, moved to Los Angeles, began playing in clubs, 1991; picked terminate by John Tesh to play incorporate concert tour; began playing with known musicians, 1990s; joined pop stars blue blood the gentry Backstreet Boys in a world rope, 1999-2001; signed with Verve's GRP put on video label, released hit single, "Lucy's," 2003; released major label debut, It Steady Happens that Way, 2003.

Awards: Performance Cessation Award, Berklee College of Music, 1991; Smooth Jazz Award, Best New Graphic designer, 2003.

Addresses: Record company— Verve Records, 1755 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, website: http://www.vervemusicgroup.com. Website— Mindi Abair Official Website: http://www.mindiabair.com.

Selected discography

Always and Never the Same, Abair, 2003.

It Just Happens that Way, GRP, 2003.

Sources

Periodicals

Chicago Sun-Times, May 2, 2003, p. 7Nc.

St. Petersburg Times, February 25, 2003, p. 1D; April 1, 2003, p. 2B.

Tampa Tribune, April 25, 2003, p. 6.

Online

"Mindi Abair," All Music Guide,http://www.allmusic.com (March 2, 2004).

"Mindi Abair," Verve Sound Group, http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/artist.aspx?aid=5193 (March 2, 2004).

"Mindi Abair Interview," ContemporaryJazz.com, http://www.contemporaryjazz.com/interviews/mindiabair.html (March 2, 2004).

Mindi Abair Official Website, http://www.mindiabair.com (March 2, 2004).

—MichaelBelfiore