Mindi joins
forces with blues rock veterans The Boneshakers for a September 25, 2015
release, recorded LIVE at Jazz Alley
Raw, Edgy
and Inspired- 11 Originals, 2 Raucous Covers and 3 Brand New Songs Ignite a
Different View of the Saxophone Fueled by Rock, Blues and Soul
In a career
that spans seven solo albums and countless collaborations in the studio and
live on stage, Mindi Abair has made her mark as one of the most recognizable
saxophonists in the US. You may know her as the saxophonist on American Idol,
or the only saxophonist to tour with rock legends Aerosmith since 1973. You may
have seen her on stage with Bruce Springsteen for a historic night at the
Beacon Theater, or tuned in as she joined Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra on
the Late Show with David Letterman, or caught her recent appearance at The
Grand Ole Opry or as Al Pacino’s sax player in Danny Collins.
Her seven
solo CDs have garnered ten #1 radio hits, six top 5 spots and two #1 spots on
the Billboard Contemporary Jazz album chart. Abair received a 2014 GRAMMY®
nomination in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category for Summer Horns, a #1
recording with her friends Dave Koz, Gerald Albright and Richard Elliot, and
more recently received a 2015 GRAMMY® nomination for Best Contemporary
Instrumental Album for her solo cd Wild Heart.
After Wild
Heart, Abair wanted to translate its edgier rock/soul sound to the stage. She
called longtime friend Randy Jacobs (Bonnie Raitt, Was (Not Was), Willie
Nelson) to join her live band. Randy brought his Detroit blues/rock edge to her
music. In June, Randy’s band, The
Boneshakers, was playing The Newport Beach Jazz Festival on the same bill as
Mindi’s band, and she hopped on stage to “sit in” with The Boneshakers. “There
was so much electricity on stage. We all felt it. The blues and rock just
pulsed through me. Everyone played with complete abandon,” Abair said. “It felt
like home. And most of my band was also playing with Randy’s band. It was
really only about hiring longtime Boneshakers vocalist Sweet Pea Atkinson
(Bonnie Raitt, Was (Not Was), Lyle Lovett). So we made it official and hit the
road as Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers.” Which brings us to Mindi Abair &
the Boneshakers Live in Seattle, set for release September 25, 2015 on Heads
Up, a division of Concord Music Group.
Tracked at
Jazz Alley over Valentine’s Day weekend (Abair’s standing gig for a dozen
years), this album captures the intent of a rock band, the grit of a blues band
and enough energy to light a stadium. Fourteen sizzling tracks include eleven
originals and two dramatic covers, which feature the exceptional combined
skills of Mindi Abair (alto saxophone, vocals, producer), Randy Jacobs (guitar,
vocals), Sweet Pea Atkinson (vocals), Rodney Lee (keyboards), Derek Frank
(bass, vocals), and Third Richardson (drums, vocals).
The album
opens with a bang on the throbbing “Wild Heart” featuring Mindi’s melodic
saxophone. The band flows right into “Haute Sauce,” which features a driving
beat and a joyous Eddie Harris vibe. On “I Can’t Lose,” Mindi adds some swagger
singing “It’s my time, it’s gonna go my way,” then breaks into a screaming
saxophone solo. “Ball and Chain” is a gutsy, bluesy Boneshakers classic with
Sweet Pea Atkinson growling and grinding his appeal, “I never want to be your
ball and chain.” And the house lights up with Sweet Pea, Mindi and the rest of
the band on the uplifting heart-grabber, “Be Beautiful.” Abair also adds three
new songs to the set, including her haunting original “Gone,” “Make it Happen,”
a powerhouse rocker penned by Abair and icon Booker T. Jones, and an indelibly
original take on George Gershwin’s “Summertime,” which roars with Jacob’s fiery
Hendrix-inspired rock riffs and Abair’s soaring alto work.
Mindi’s ode
to stadium jazz, the anthemic “Bloom” takes off like a jet engine with Jacobs
and Abair front and center. And there’s nothing but old Memphis soul when Abair
and Jacobs trade vocal lines on “I’ll Be Your Home” (which featured another
longtime friend, Keb’ Mo’, on her Wild Heart version.) On her funk
guitar-driven song “Flirt,” Mindi struts her stuff. And Randy’s muscular
funk-rock arrangement of “Cold Sweat” — which pays as much homage to BB King as
it does James Brown — closes the album with raucous exuberance.
“I’ve always
felt that my band is a live band first and foremost,” says Abair. “I’m happiest
on stage. And The Boneshakers just brought it to a whole new level. I’ve always
been a fan of Randy’s band. We’ve been
friends and have played with each other on and off for over 20 years. The
marriage of me with The Boneshakers has been an infusion of blues and rock into
my sound that is beyond inspiring. I’ve never made a live record, and this is
why you make one — because your live show has magic, and you want to capture
and share that magic.”
Abair
regards Live in Seattle, which she produced, as an extension of the energy she
poured into Wild Heart following the experiences that led to it, all of which
reawakened her beloved rock ‘n’ roll side. (Even the Los Angeles Times noticed,
labeling Abair “the Joan Jett of saxophonists” in its coverage of the January
NAMM’s She Rocks Awards.) Wild Heart tapped talents including Aerosmith
guitarist Joe Perry, rocker Gregg Allman, guitar hero Waddy Wachtel, Trombone
Shorty, Keb’ Mo’, Booker T. Jones and E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg.
Abair’s
first inspirations came from her musician father, who towed his family on tour
until she was five, and her opera-singing grandmother. Once the family settled
back home in St. Petersburg, Fla., her birthplace, she began her own musical
explorations, first with piano, then sax. Though even today, female sax players
are treated as anomalies, she reflects, “I was never told that it was odd for a
girl to play saxophone until it was way too late. What a great gift to be
taught, ‘You can be anything you want. Go play any instrument you want and it’s
going to be cool.’”
And if
writing, recording and touring aren’t enough, Abair authored the book “How To
Play Madison Square Garden – A Guide To Stage Performance” and she launched her
own fine jewelry line www.mindiabairjewelry.com in December of 2014. She also
serves as a National Trustee for The Recording Academy, the company that puts
on the GRAMMYs. “It’s been a very eye-opening and inspiring role,” she says.
“What an honor to serve as a leader in the most preeminent organization of the
music business. This is a group of people who give back constantly to inspire
and strengthen the next generation of music makers, and they remind me daily
what beautiful power we hold as creators of music.”
It helps
that she’s still so inspired to push her own boundaries as a musician and
writer. Abair says, “A record is supposed to be a snapshot of where you are in
your life. Well, that’s what this is. It’s a band that I absolutely love
playing with, and the audience is as excited as I am every night. That’s what
it’s all about. As long as I can make great music and have so much fun with
these guys, I’m going to do it. Life is short. Play music that makes you happy.
Play with people that inspire you. I’m doing that every night. It’s just
amazing.
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