the Color of Context
Stars Review By Joe DeRosa "Each week millions of people tune in to shows like American Idol to watch “nobodies” compete to become “somebodies.” Those somebodies then go on to sell millions of records–inexplicably, in some cases. Yet year after year, truly talented artists continue to put out good, often great, music that is unheard by the masses. Some get labeled or grouped in with a certain style of music that immediately causes some audiences to tune out. Such is the case with Mindi Abair. You may find her music coded under “adult contemporary” or “contemporary jazz,” but with her newest release, Stars, Abair has crafted a truly exceptional–pop–record."
Read the entire review
05/08/08 Smooth Views
Stars Review By Elizabeth Ware "Mindi Abair's new CD, Stars, is all about that – a lot of light in a seemingly dark sky. And if you can take a
little time to get away from all the noise and distractions of our time in history - with all of the wars, faltering
economies, food shortages, environmental concerns, and any number of other serious issues – you can still find hope
and reasons to be optimistic." Read the entire review
05/07/08 'Stars' shine on Bay Area jazz great
Since she made it big in the jazz world, Mindi Abair has worked with everyone from Duran Duran to Josh Groban.
So why not spend a little time with Charley Belcher? He caught up with Mindi when she came home to the Bay Area
to celebrate the release of her brand new CD. Veiw Video
04/28/08
04/28/08
This week......my first single ever to go to AC radio "Stars" ...
Mindi at AC Radio: #5 Most Added
New at:
KUMU/Honalulu
KWAV/Monterey-Salinas, CA
WFMK/E. Lansing, MI
WRSA/Huntsville, AL
WJKK/Jackson, MS Specialty add:
WMJX/Boston
04/08/08
Mindi's inviting you to
www.deeprockdrive.com
from her tour at London Heathrow Airport! Mindi will be performing LIVE in an online global cd
release party at www.deeprockdrive.com
on 5/1/08 at 6pm PST. All you have to do is sign in. Tickets are FREE!
This concert is fully interactive, and will allow you to vote for the songs you want
to hear. You can also choose and adjust your camera angles and even chat with everyone
else attending as well as Mindi during the show. She'll have about 20 huge HD screens
in front of her with all your suggestions, "rock ons" and votes. It's 100% live and
100% interactive. It's like no other concert you've ever seen! Be a part of something
cutting edge and cool!
04/08/08
"Stars" Available 5/6/08.
You can pre-order it today through Amazon.com.
02/25/08
Mindi has teamed up with sax Guru Oleg and Oleg Products to design a line of fashionable fun saxophone straps.
Need a little glamour with your sax? The straps come in a bunch of colors:
Silver Sparkle, Black Sparkle, Red Patent Leather, White Leather, Black Leather,
Silver Leather and Gold Leather. They're comfortable, with stunning craftmanship,
and they make a statement! These are not your father's saxophone straps!
02/15/08 "Funk / Jazz saxophonist / singer Mindi Abair put on a spectacular, high-octane performance at
Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley in downtown Seattle, on February 15th."
Mindi's show, reviewed by rivetingriffs.com.
9/24/07
Mindi just signed a new record deal with Concord/Peak Records. She's currently in the studio recording her newest cd currently titled "Stars". It is scheduled for release in April 2008.
9/17/07
Mindi's new Christmas cd is officially released September 25, 2007. It's called "Peter White Christmas"
featuring Mindi Abair and Rick Braun. It's a recorded representation of their annual Christmas tour show
with a few surprises!! Mindi recorded another original Christmas song titled "The Best Part of Christmas"
with Peter White on acoustic guitar. And Jeffrey Osbourne even comes in to sing "Silent Night". Order
it from Amazon.com or come see the Christmas tour, and you can purchase it there and they'll sign them for you!
8/27/07
As many of you know, I'm in the process of creating a mouthpiece with my longtime friend and saxophone guru,
Oleg from Oleg Products. I've played his products for years, and only recently have we taken seriously
partnering up to create a mass produced mouthpiece that is based on the sound that we've created together
after years of us drilling out and honing his existing mouthpiece line to create the sound I was looking for.
Sound is everything to me. And the mouthpiece that we’ve created together have taken quite a few years to
come to the point where we both feel that we’ve well surpassed the mouthpiece I’m currently playing on.
What we’ve done is incredible. The mouthpiece is easy to play. It’s free blowing. It’s perfectly tuned.
And the resonance and projection are second to none while not giving up any depth of sound and warmth of tone.
Now this mouthpiece will soon be available to everyone!
Just in case you think this was an easy process, I want to let you in on exactly what stage we're in and how
the process is going. We took my metal alto saxophone mouthpiece, which we've worked on extensively over the
years to highly customize the sound and responsiveness, and computer scanned it to produce a 3D model. From
there, we made 2 computer designed and rapid prototyped polymer models. They were very rough, but I went in
to play them next to my existing mouthpiece to see if the computer had modeled my existing mouthpiece correctly. To my surprise, they were incredible! These hunks of roughly made plastic...leaking between the reed and mouthpiece like crazy...had the ease of playability that mine had, and almost the projection, which was amazing. I sat and played both prototypes, going back and forth between them and my existing metal mouthpiece for hours, noting differences in the response and tone of each piece. Oleg sat and did the same as I played. We made changes to one of the prototypes, increasing the responsiveness and the projection remarkably. This very rough model played better than my custom metal mouthpiece I play every day in the studio and on the road. Wow. After those changes, we ordered 6 more rapid prototype mouthpieces each based on the changes that we made to the first prototypes. I sat for hours playing each and relating it to my current metal mouthpiece. I have to say, that one of those rough leaky prototypes sounded and played better than my existing perfect metal mouthpiece. Unbelievable. We now know we are reaching for more here, not just a replica of what I play, but a truly superior mouthpiece that will have incredible responsiveness, tone, projection, tuning perfection, and a quality of sound…it’s a contemporary mouthpiece with all the edge you’ll ever need without compromising the warmth and depth of tone. It’s incredible.
So now, the question arises to both Oleg and myself...do we go to mass market from this very rough prototype?
Or do we create an exact plastic replica of what the actual mouthpiece will be? Is the fact that this rough
and very inexact replica plays so great enough to move ahead? Or do we make sure with an exact and very
perfecting replica of the computer design? Well, after letting the cat out of the bag last month that I
was working on making a replica of my mouthpiece, the response was so great with even wanting to obtain
the prototype, that we've decided to make an exact replica before moving ahead with the mass production.
I'm hoping that this perfect replica will play even better than the rough models we had made early on.
I am so excited about this project and the challenges that lie ahead as well as the little victories in the
past, about education this whole journey has provided me and , of course, most of all: about giving my
devoted saxophone playing friends something tangible - a tool to share my personal music making experience.
Stay tuned! I am so excited about this project and the challenges that lie ahead as well as the little
victories in the past, about education this whole journey has provided me and , of course, most of all:
about giving my devoted saxophone playing friends something tangible - a tool to share my personal music
making experience. Stay tuned!
7/25/07
Check out Mindi's feature in the JazzIz Women's issue.
Click here
7/4/07
Go see "License To Wed" with Robin Williams and Mandy Moore.
It comes out today, and you can catch a few minutes of Mindi's song "Every Time" in
the scene where Mandy Moore is picking out a wedding dress!
7/4/07
Are you not seeing enough of Mindi? Just look up! Check out these billboards seen by fans recently
in St. Petersburg, FL and Santa Rosa, CA!
7/4/07
What's Mindi been up to? She's been busy in the studio working on a new Christmas
cd with Rick Braun and Peter White which will be released just in time for their upcoming Christmas tour.
4/19/07
Thanks for your patience...MINDIABAIR.COM IS BACK and better than ever!! Check out our new look and new content!
4/16/07
Mindi released her new music video "Do You Miss Me?" shot live with her band and at the W Hotel in Los Angeles.
Check it out!! [Windows Media]
4/30/07
Mindi officially is taking over as host for the "Chill" radio show.
It was formerly the "Chill With Chris Botti" show.
It's now "Chill With Mindi Abair".
Mindi co-hosted with Chris Botti for the last month, and will officially take over the job of host 4/30/07.
Check out the new website for the show www.chillwithmindiabair.com.
Mindi will be hosting the KIFM Anniversary Party in San Diego, CA 5/26/07 in the Gaslamp District. She'll be everywhere!
So go, listen to some great music, celebrate a great anniversary, and do it all with Mindi as your host!
1.12.07 MINDIWORLD Being Launched On Monday!
Mindi's official fan club, MINDIWORLD, will be launched on Monday, January 15! Membership Kits will
be mailed to all current members and will include the following:
Personally Signed Headshot
MINDIWORLD Laminate
Letter From Mindi
Mindi Abair Keychain
Complete Discography
Biography
AND
Log In information to the Official MINDIWORLD Website which can be found on www.mindiabair.com. Not a member?
Also, be sure to check the diary entry from 10/18 when Miles Davis was inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk.
12.12.06 Album Of The Year!
Art Good from JazzTrax chose "Life Less Ordinary" as his "Album of the Year" for 2006! Check out Art's top 10 list of 2006!
12.07.06 Smooth Jazz Notes
Mindi Abair, saxophonist, vocalist, percussionist, and composer, has found success in a man?s world.
She is able to hold her own in a profession swarming with men and has become a role model to not only
young girls, but all women. She gets radio play on Smooth Jazz stations and her vocal songs get played
on adult contemporary stations, as well. This past year she has gotten married, released a new CD to much
acclaim, and embarked on a solo tour after a year with Guitars and Saxes. read article>>
11.29.96 The Radio & Records 2006 year-end report is in!
Mindi's "True Blue" is the NUMBER THREE Smooth Jazz Song of the Year!
11.22.06 New Message Board
Please be aware that we are changing our message board services due to the number of spammers we are getting on the
current system. The new system will go live early next week. When you visit her message board again you will need to
create a new log in name and password. We apologize for the inconvenience. We hope that you find the new message
board as fun, informative and easy to navigate as the previous one. Thank you for all the support you give Mindi
on the message board!
10.24.06 Studio 10 TV Interview
Why is life less ordinary for saxophonist/vocalist/composer Mindi Abair? Ask her fans from around the world
there's not much ordinary about her. On Life Less Ordinary, her playful and sophisticated third release from GRP
Records, Mindi Abair catapults her supercharged mix of pop, soul and jazz, with its stellar melodies,
insinuating rhythms, sultry sax, and seductive vocals into the realm of the extraordinary... read more>>
10.10.06 Read the album review that ran in the Bangor Daily News! (pdf file)
9.9.06 Phoenix Coyotes
Mindi performed the national anthem last Thursday, October 5 at the Phoenix Coyotes home opener in front of 13,000 people! Stay tuned for photos from the event!
8.28.06 Jerry Lewis Telethon
Mindi will perform live during the Jerry Lewis Telethon on Sept 4th. She goes on at 3am Mountain standard time.
Click here to check your local listings for air times!
8.7.06 USA Weekend
Be sure to check out Page 2 of USA Weekdn for the piece on Mindi!
7.26.06 Gibson/Baldwin Night at the Netsm Benefiting MusiCares
Mindi recently performed at "Night at The Nets," on Monday, July 24th at the UCLA Straus Tennis Stadium.
Read the full press release>>
7.10.06 Mindi Is Number One!
Mindi Abair's "True Blue" is the #1 song in the country on R&R's Smooth Jazz Chart! You can listen to it here, just
select it from the music player above!
6.29.06 Mindi in JAZZIZ
Mindi is featured in the July issue of JAZZIZ Magazine! Check it out! Plus, LIFE LESS ORDINARY jumped back into
the number two spot on this week's Billboard chart!
6.5.06 Mindi's List Of Music You Should Hear
Check out Mindi's list of 10 "Music You Should Hear" albums on Amazon.com.
6.2.06 Smooth Jazz TV
Mindi will be featured the weekend of June 3rd on Smooth Jazz TV so be sure to check it out!
5.15.06 Jazz Review.com
Click here to read the Jazz Review article!
LIFE LESS ORDINARY continues to stay strong on the Billboard chart at number two this week!!!
5.2.06 Matthew Hager - Producer and Co-Writer for LIFE LESS ORDINARY
Click here to read more about him!
5.1.06 Check out Mindi's cd review and interview on Smoothviews.com
Listen to Shannon West's CD review and click here to read Mindi's interview!
From KSSJ radio in Sacramento, click here to listen to Mindi's fans congratulating her on her #1 album!
Check out Mindi's feature story and cover on Smooth Jazz News!
4.27.06 "Down-Ageing The Format" from RadioandRecords.com
Veteran SJ air talent Shannon West writes, "People have a lot about theories for making this music interesting to 25-34s and over-think it, but we have a textbook right in front of us: Her name is Mindi Abair -- on stage and on CD. She's just being herself and playing her you-know-what off and that's all there is to it -- that and killer songwriting skills (and very cool clothes). Went down for WSJT/Tampa's concert this weekend. Mindi just owned the crowd, which was not very grey considering the demographics in that area. She had 'em on their feet from song one, and then there is Steve Oliver. He owns every crowd he plays for -- just him and a percussionist. As the guy sitting next to us put it, 'I've never seen anything like that -- the most creative music I've ever seen.' Twenty-two-year old saxophonist Eric Darius too: He was this year's JaxJazzFest star! Again, not contrived or trying too hard, he just plays."
4.26.06 Mindi Tops Billboard's "Contemporary Jazz Album" Chart At #1 With Her New Album "Life Less Ordinary"
Pop-influenced saxophonist, composer and vocalist MINDI ABAIR continues to rock the contemporary jazz world as she enters this week?s Billboard ?Contemporary Jazz Album Chart? at #1 with her third Verve/GRP release, LIFE LESS ORDINARY. Click here to read the more!
4.25.06 Mindi is #1
LIFE LESS ORDINARY is the #1 Jazz album at iTunes!
4.18.06 Today is the day! LIFE LESS ORDINARY is available NOW!
Go behind the scenes of the making of LIFE LESS ORDINARY...see Mindi record the album and comment on the songs in her new Ecard.
Mindi has teamed up with sax Guru Oleg and Oleg Products to design a line of fashionable fun saxophone straps.
Need a little glamour with your sax? The straps come in a bunch of colors:
Silver Sparkle, Black Sparkle, Red Patent Leather, White Leather, Black Leather,
Silver Leather and Gold Leather. They're comfortable, with stunning craftmanship,
and they make a statement! These are not your father's saxophone straps!
"Funk / Jazz saxophonist / singer Mindi Abair put on a spectacular, high-octane performance at
Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley in downtown Seattle, on February 15th."
Mindi's show, reviewed by rivetingriffs.com.
Mindi Abair will be on the cover of the December edition of Smooth Jazz News with Peter White and Rick Braun.
12.13.06 
