Mindi Abair, Instrumental and Smooth jazz Artist

This week’s Featured Artist is a very engaging performer who connects with her audience.  She grew up in a family of musicians, was playing the piano at the age of five, and by the age eight was playing the saxophone.  In her early career she was the featured sax player for the Pop Group the Backstreet Boys, and if you are a fan of American Idol, in 2011 you might have seen her featured as a soloist with Paul McDonald and Casey Abrams, and she also accompanied contestants Jacob Lusk and Haley Reinhart.  On the 2012 American Idol season she was featured several times accompanying contestant Phillip Phillips.  Meet smooth/contemporary jazz saxophonist, vocalist and composer – Mindi Abair

Born in St. Petersburg, FL, USA

Genre: Smooth Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Pop 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 appearance at The Grand Ole Opry. This powerhouse saxophonist/vocalist has made scores of friends along the way and earned the respect of top-shelf artists representing just about every genre of music.

Her solo work has garnered ten #1 radio hits, 6 top 5 spots and 2 #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.

Biographical information courtesy of Mindi Abair; for more reading see link below

https://mindi-abair.squarespace.com/bio/