Album: Stars /  Artist: Mindi Abair /  11 tracks /  Stadium Jazz - Pop

 

Mindi Abair has been becoming increasingly more vocal on her albums, and that is a good thing for fans of the petite, blonde haired, Stadium Jazz artist, who long ago realized that the saxophonist is a goddess of the reeds and capable of blowing sweet, funky notes on a consistent basis. On her current album Stars, the former Floridian who these days, lives in California with her husband Jason Steele, demonstrates her vocal prowess on five of the eleven tracks, continuing a trend that became more noticeable on her last CD Life Less Ordinary. Unlike many of her peers, male or female, who play a horn, Abair has not allowed the obvious challenges of playing and singing during a live performance to deter her from producing studio projects that incorporate both.

 

The first two songs on Stars showcase Abair’s diversity of musical gifts, as she plays alto sax, piano and serves up a vocalese introduction, which establishes the beat, on the instrumental piece, “Smile.” For the up-tempo, “On And On,” penned with longtime collaborator Matthew Hager, she sings, plays both soprano and alto saxophone, while serving notice that she is also a capable flautist. Abair is known for creating big, full, warm grooves, and “On And On,” is one of those tunes, as she surrounds herself with a rich compliment of musicians, which includes, organist Ricky Peterson, electric guitarist Dwight Sills, drummer Abe Laboriel, cellist Richard Dodd, Stephen Tirpak (trumpet / trombone) Ryan Dankanich (baritone sax), and background vocalists, Charlean Carmon, Kenya Hathaway and DeeDee Foster. Hager’s piano and keyboards carry the melody and he also plays bass. The first stanza of, the ballad, “On And On,” definitely alludes to Abair’s roots in St. Petersburg Florida, “Never thought that I would win the grand prize, hit the big time / Never even thought I’d be queen for the day / Grew up in a small town, in a small house near the ocean.” The song, “On And On,” once again broadens Abair’s musical landscape demonstrating that she is just as capable of writing and recording a solid pop tune, as she is an upbeat funky jazz number.

 

Mindi Abair rolls out the third track, “Out Of The Blue,” with her deeper voiced alto saxophone and lays down a sumptuous groove, whose flavor is further enhanced by Sills’ and Hager’s electric guitars and the ever present tambourine.

 

One has to wonder if the title track, “Stars,” is a reflection of Abair’s own life as a touring musician. The words, “You said / Why / Do you have to leave tonight? Can’t we make a long goodbye? You said / My / My heart is sick and tired / Of making love across the miles,” are sung beautifully and set within a lovely melody. Dwight Sills delivers big time on a gorgeous electric guitar solo and the background vocalists provide a pretty accompaniment.

 

Abair and producer Hager have done a nice job of alternating the instrumentals with the vocal tracks, which contributes to a stimulating environment for the listener. One of those instrumentals, “F.L.A. Swing,” is more moody and laid back, than intense, and Abair’s alto saxophone courts Hager’s keyboards nicely.

 

What contributes to Abair being such an incredible artist is her unwillingness to remain content and instead she pushes her boundaries and is always stretching as an artist, something she does with the song, “I Wonder.” She abandons her often used ethereal vocals, settling into a fuller, richer vocal track, in a song that puts more emphasis on her singing than it does on her playing. Abair however is always wise enough to never venture down pathways that place her outside of her comfort zone, and instead she simply concentrates on perfecting those things which she does well.

 

“Gingerbread Man,” an instrumental track showcasing Abair’s soprano sax, has a simpler structure and allows her background singers to shine, even though there are no actual lyrics per se. 

 

Other highlights from Stars include, the pop oriented vocal track, “Change,” the funky instrumental, “Mojo,” which features some great grooves by bassist Shawn Davis, and Abair’s soulful vocal performance on, her ballad, “Here For You.”

 

Stars ends with a signature Mindi Abair Stadium Jazz piece, “Gonna Be Alright,” which in a concert setting no doubt, has her fans waving their cell phones and lighters back and forth, as they dance to her music.

 
 

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Reviewed December 2008

Reviewed by Joe Montague