![\"Issue35-mindi-abair\"](\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Issue35-mindi-abair.jpg\")
MINDI ABAIR<\/h1>\nMINDI ABAIR<\/h1>\nThe last few years have been quite a ride for Mindi Abair. She was the featured saxophonist on American Idol<\/i> in 2011 and 2012. She toured with Aerosmith the same year, and hit the road with E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg\u2014including one night when the Boss himself sat in. She also contributed to Dave Koz\u2019s Summer Horns<\/i> in 2013 with fellow ace saxophonists Koz, Gerald Albright and Richard Elliot (which received a Grammy nomination this year). All these experiences were distilled into her new record, Wild Heart<\/i>.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had these incredible opportunities,\u201d says Abair. \u201cYou want to use that inspiration to further your own art. You stand in front of 50,000 people with Aerosmith sweating and bleeding for their audience and giving everything. I thought, \u2018Why can\u2019t you do that on a saxophone record\u2014play with that kind of abandon?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Alongside Abair\u2019s pop-jazz inclinations, the album encompasses blues, R&B and \u201950s-style rock \u2019n\u2019 roll\u2014textures she achieved by including a powerhouse lineup of guests including Gregg Allman, Joe Perry, Booker T. Jones, Keb\u2019 Mo\u2019, Max Weinberg, Waddy Wachtel and Trombone Shorty. Abair also wrote with Jim Peterik, co-founder of the Ides of March and Survivor, whose hits include \u201cVehicle\u201d and \u201cEye of the Tiger,\u201d respectively.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew I had to write differently for this record, so I brought in some friends to help. Jim Peterik and I wrote \u201cAmazing Game,\u201d which has Trombone Shorty playing with me. Jim co-wrote \u201cTrain\u201d with me, too, and we ended up writing about change. That became a theme\u2014this record is about change. You can be fearful of it, but change is inevitable for all of us. I wanted to embrace it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Change isn\u2019t a new concept for Abair. Before moving to the jazz world, the Florida native cut her teeth with pop artists such as the Backstreet Boys and Duran Duran. \u201cI didn\u2019t try to make a jazz, rock or soul record,\u201d says Abair, 45. \u201cI just set out to make music that really inspired me\u2014music I could play with that same abandon and energy. I was lucky that a lot of the guys I was working with came and helped me out. That didn\u2019t hurt a bit!\u201d<\/p>\n
Like many songwriters, Abair channeled life experiences into music and lyrics. \u201cA record should be a snapshot of where you\u2019re at in your life,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s honesty in your music. It\u2019s having your music reflect what you\u2019re dealing with\u2014whether that\u2019s love, loss, or extreme coolness!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013Linda Laban<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MINDI ABAIR A diverse group of collaborators showcases this sax star\u2019s versatility The last few years have been quite a ride for Mindi Abair. She was the featured saxophonist on American Idol in 2011 and 2012. She toured with Aerosmith the same year, and hit the road with E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg\u2014including one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[7647,7652],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14589"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14589"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14589\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14623,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14589\/revisions\/14623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}