Sincerely, Nelson Rangell

-An interview by Gwenn Harris


"…a lot of what I play has to do with my deepest feelings and hopes for humanity… and the need for us all to "show and extend kindness- that all of us live by grace."


These words represent the essence of the artist, Nelson Rangell, whose music entered my life in earnest in the late ‘80’s. I remember listening to an album, “To Begin Again” at a friend’s house, totally floored that anyone could make an instrument become so alive!

Curious by nature, I awaited each subsequent release that would reaffirm my convictions I had indeed discovered something wonderful; until alas one day I had the opportunity to watch him perform live. Nelson was worth the wait. One of the most versatile, dynamic and hardest-working saxophonists in the business today, he is a perfectionist with his craft, which allows him to navigate effortlessly throughout the jazz genre- be it contemporary, straight-ahead or orchestral. It is exciting to report he has just completed a new CD, scheduled for release on March 11, 2003.

I recently sat down for a conversation with Nelson—I hope you will enjoy it and be inspired as I was.

Nelson at Tangier’s in Akron, OH

SNAN: Do you remember where you were the first time you decided that music would become a part of your future plans?

NR: Yes. I was 14 years old. My father went with me to buy a used flute. The girl produced it… and played it. Upon putting the flute into my hands, in a peculiar kind of way I immediately knew how to play it! From then on, it was apparent to me, from that very first day, music would become a very big part of my future and it wasn’t really until college, the New England Conservatory, that I started playing the sax in earnest.

SNAN: What makes Nelson happy in your leisure time? Hobbies? Favorite places to hang out or visit?

NR: I’m married and have 2 kids… that keeps me busy. I enjoy spending time with my family. I live in a beautiful part of the country: kinda rural, so I like taking in my natural surroundings by running and biking. I like to read and I practice a lot. I like practicing… I like feeling that I’ve taken advantage of time.

SNAN: Who was your mentor as a young man?

NR: My brother, Bob, who is also a saxophonist and flutist, was my mentor. He lives in Paris, and we see each other once or twice a year. I would also have to say my parents. Nelson and Martha Rangell.

SNAN: Please tell us about your family (parents, spouse, siblings, children).

NR: My parents are Nelson and Martha Rangell. I’ve mentioned my brother Bobby, of course. I have another brother, Andrew, who is a great concert pianist and my sister Paula is an R&B singer. My wife is Allison and our children are Jonathan and Mollie.

SNAN: If you get a free moment in your schedule, what TV show do you consider a must see?

NR: I don’t really watch a lot of television, but when I do, I really enjoy HBO’s “Six Feet Under”. It’s so different and complicated. They can deal with a lot of stuff on HBO that commercial television cannot. I also watch some sports or the Washington Week in Review on PBS.

SNAN: How many times have you seen your favorite movie and what movie is it?

NR: One movie I especially remember is “The Iron Giant”, that I’ve seen just once. I like it because it presents the choices people have to make on how to use the power they have. In it, the Giant is presented with situations and must decide on how to use his might – it teaches valuable life lessons, not limited to kids. Adults can learn from this movie, as well.

SNAN: You have such a unique style in your musical performance, was it something you developed or did it come naturally to you?

NR: I definitely have my heroes: David Sanborn, Hubert Laws, Michael Brecker and Pat Metheny immediately come to mind; though there are many others. I think all four of them show up in my efforts. Those would be four of the modern players. Of the older players, I think of Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Nate “Cannonball” Adderley – the joy of how hard Cannonball swung… his lyricism, technique and sound! Out of the influences you have, you start to gain some amalgam of your own personal style. Hopefully, it keeps developing.

Nelson with Joyce Cooling

SNAN: Do you get to sneak friends and family members in back stage?

NR: Yep! I’m at liberty to provide for that whenever somebody comes to an event, although those things are not always granted. With such liberty, sometimes the venue is freer with tickets than at other times.

SNAN: There must be an award for worst tour date. Everyone has one. What’s your worst on the road story that you can share with us?

NR: Well, the venue will remain unspecified, but on one tour date, the concert promoter arranged our hotel accommodations. It wasn’t until after the band was checked in that we discovered the hotel was of, shall we say, “ill-repute”?!? It was of the “hourly-rate” persuasion and their stay lasted the “eternity” of one night! For some reason, I was booked at another hotel (unlike theirs). While driving the van that night from one hotel to the other, at 2am, I had a flat tire, which I had to fix on the side of the road, in the middle of the night. I have not played that venue since.

Performers go through a lot. Perception and reality are two very different things. A lot of very “unflattering” things happen in this business.

SNAN: The scenery in your hometown is absolutely breathtaking. What do you like to do in the “Mile High City” when you have the opportunity?

NR: I like taking in the natural surroundings… they are breathtaking, so, again, I do enjoy running and biking.

SNAN: If there were one thing that Nelson Rangell could do to bring more people closer to the Smooth Jazz lifestyle, what would it be?

NR: I would hope to bring in a very diverse audience of people who will really enjoy music. Entertaining people, in itself, can be a very noble enterprise. People work very hard and they have a right and a need to be taken away from everyday life… out of the mundane. Then, if you can give them something enriching or sensitive… if you can get them into something a little deeper than just being into a groove… I think that if you can use that gift you’ve been given to enrich yourself and others, everybody wins!

As artists, we have an opportunity to do good for people with music… something positive and therapeutic… music should heal… not anesthetize. Music should make you feel a wide range of feelings: happy and sad, mirth and laughter, thoughtfulness and grief. Music is life. I take joy in real things… in real discussions… real thoughts, music… in real life.

SNAN: In your teens, you won Downbeat's Best High School Jazz Soloist competition. What were you thinking about when you heard the news?

NR: It was 1979. I was playing flute in all instrument competition (all-city jazz combo). I remember feeling quite happy. I don’t think I was overly competitive as a kid. My school combo leader, Neil Bridge, entered me in the competition. My high school band teacher was Hugh Avis. Willie Hill, who has become head of the International Association of Jazz Educators, was my junior high school jazz band teacher.

SNAN: Who were some of the members of your combo and what ever became of them?

NR: Well, there was Paul Taylor (who went on to work with Jeff Lorber, Keiko Matsui, a solo career and the Rippingtons) and Steve Watts (of Dotsero), to name two who might be known to contemporary jazz fans.

SNAN: You left Denver for the Big Apple. What was the hardest adjustment that you had to make?

NR: I lived in New York for almost 4 years. The greatest jazz city in the world is New York. After New Orleans, many roots of jazz are in New York. It is the main cultural center in the world and has spawned some of the most important contributors to jazz – Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane and Bill Evans. To feel that you were a part of the place that was the epicenter was very important as a young musician.

I lived in a one bedroom flat in Brooklyn with a bath down the hall and a hot plate. If I had three figures in the bank, I felt I was doing incredibly well. It was a tremendous learning experience for me.

SNAN: How long was it before you finally caught a break?

NR: My biggest break in New York came in the form of a record deal in 1985/1986, when studio people in the industry (with Gaia Gramavision) heard and signed me. From that union came my very first recordings on LP “Find Your Way” and “To Begin Again”. Unfortunately, those recordings are no longer in print. Then later, I was signed to GRP.

SNAN: And finally, where will your next project take you musically?

NR: I have two projects in development under my new record label, A440 Music. The first is a Smooth (Contemporary) jazz CD; the second is a jazz CD with full orchestra, which I am very excited about. I’m tentatively shooting for a Spring 2003 release.

It’s an incredible gift to play. I’m thankful at the thought of being able to do it and hopeful I will be able to continue using my gift in a positive way. I guess if there be any one thing said about me, let it be said that Nelson is a passionate man.

SNAN: Thank you, Nelson, for opening a window and inviting us in to share some special moments in your life.


Rangell recently signed with A440 Music and anticipates the release of his newest CD, “Look Again” on March 11, 2003. Of course when that happens, we’ll bring you the good news and reviews!

Nelson & Alto Sax with National Repertory Orchestra

Discography:

Coming March 11, 2003 - Nelson’s new release: “Look Again” (A440 Music)

“Far Away Day” (2000 – Shanachie)
“Always” (1999 – Shanachie) (SKU – 16531 50522)
“Very Best of Nelson Rangell” (1998 – Shanachie) (SKU - 08631 77552)
“Turning Night Into Day” (1997 – GRP) (SKU - 08631 77552)
“Destiny” (1994 – GRP) (SKU - 13431 85062)
“Yes, Then Yes” (1994 – GRP) (SKU - 08631 77552)
“Truest Heart” (1993 SKU - 08631 77552) GRP Records
“In Every Moment” (1992 – GRP Records) (SKU - 08631 77552)
“Nelson Rangell” (1990 – Uni/GRP)
“Playing for Keeps” (1989 – Uni/GRP Records) (SKU – 53107 77252)

Self-titled “Nelson Rangell”, “Far Away Day”, debut solo releases “To Begin Again” and “Find Your Way” on Gaia Records are in such demand and nearly impossible to find. Recently, a copy of “To Begin Again” sold at $150 on eBay!. For concert and tour information, check out Nelson’s website for at: http://www.nelsonrangell.com






(Back to the Top)



Mindi Abair – It Really Does Just Happen That Way




“Jazz is something that is passed down, person to person. We all learn from certain heroes, and I think that there is a certain respect for those players that helped bring all of us here.”

-Mindi Abair


There is a great buzz hovering over the world of Smooth Jazz these days, but it didn’t just start. I remember receiving a call from a friend in San Diego a few years ago, who was attending the Gavin Convention. It was January 1998, Super Bowl weekend, Thursday night- Smooth Jazz night, the venue was 4th and B (same address). There were several memorable performances that evening but the one most electrifying was the kinetic groove that took place between the two female saxophonists: Candy Dulfer and Mindi Abair. I still remember the energy in my friend’s voice, as she described it. I remember she told me: “…her name is Mindi Abair; you’re gonna hear more from her!”

We’ve talked about it from time to time.. and as life comes full circle, the name has surfaced once again, as it recently became my pleasure to have a chat with Mindi Abair, in support of the release of her debut CD, “It Just Happens That Way”.

I had a blast! I hope you will too.


JT: Mindi, I have a new CD in my hand. I popped it into the old CD player and I really like what I hear…

MA: Wow… thank you!

JT: …yeah, very cool stuff. I liked “Save The Last Dance”… I like “Save Tonight”- you did a great vocal job on that…

MA: … thank you!

JT: … also, “Momo” with Marc Antoine- whew! Nice, very cool! A little “Salt and Lime”…another cool song, “Play”, “Remember” and “Home” - a little more traditional…

MA: a little more… yep.

JT: Good stuff—I’m impressed!

MA: Thanks. We had a very good time making it. We had a blast!

JT: I’m sure. I’ve been a musician all my life so I’ve been in and out of studios for as long as I can remember; and with my own kids who are both pursuing careers in the entertainment industry… my daughter is a singer in a three girl group in Atlanta with all original music written for them and my son, after a few years of college is now a struggling actor in LA, having done so since he was a little kid… keeping my fingers crossed…

MA: That’s exciting! Good luck to them. I think that’s so cool that you’re supportive of your kids and what they want to do with their lives- that’s great.

JT: … Oh, I am, absolutely. Y’know, you can’t end up in life looking back saying “Y’know, if I’d just tried it…” If you can at least give it everything you’ve got and then if you find that you have to take another road, at least you can look back on it assured ‘I did everything I could at the time to make it happen’.

MA: I agree. One of the reasons I’m out here with a record today is because my father and mother were so supportive. They said: “This is really what you want to do? Okay then, we’re totally behind you!” They were great.

JT: Yeah, that’ so incredibly important. I’ve seen so many amazingly talented artists fall by the wayside and not follow their dreams just because of the lack of parental inspiration… imposing on their kids what they believe to be realistic goals: “you’ve gotta be a doctor… you’ve gotta be a lawyer… why do you wanna play music??? Jeez, you’re gonna starve to death!” And the kid thinks, “oh-h… alright.” There are a lot of starving artists out there but at the same time, when it hits, they’re far from starving!

MA: Well, I don’t know that it’s a matter of starving; it’s a matter of doing what you love and you may be the starving artist for a while, but you may never be happier in your life!

JT: Exactly! I know guys that are playing on Thursday nights in the lounge at the Holiday Inn- just one show in the evening and they’re in heaven! They’re playing their music and that’s all that matters… they’re doing what they were born to do.

MA: Yeah…

JT: Well, let me hit you with a few questions here… I did a little bit of homework…

MA: Uh, oh…

JT: Your first solo album is due for release on February 25th. Any special celebration plans for that day or will you be on the road?

MA: Y’know, that’s going to be an amazing day, actually. It’s gonna be great… I think we’re gonna party all day, beginning in San Diego, with an in-store promotion at Borders Books & Music in Mission Valley, a live performance and CD signing. I think we’re doing a local TV show there, earlier in the morning, as well. Then, the next day, I come back to LA for a CD release party.

JT: So, that will be a very busy day…

MA: Yeah, which I like!

JT: Your hometown here in Florida is about an hour from where I am right now. Do you get back to St Petersburg often?

MA: I get back to St. Petersburg as often as humanly possible. I love home and I’m the first person to say: “Please bring me to Florida, bring me to Florida, ‘cause I just love being home.”

JT: I know… there’s something about the Gulf that’s so invigorating… so inviting. At least once or twice a week, I get to drive across the Campbell Causeway through the middle of Tampa Bay…

MA: Oh, goodness!

JT: It takes me about half an hour to get across the Causeway because I keep stopping … I stop and just stand there in awe, like a little kid, looking across the water thinking- ‘wow, this is amazing!’

MA: I just love it. I fly in… look out the airplane window for dolphins. Then when I get home, I head straight for the beach, where I just sit there and chill. It’s awesome. The water’s warm, and you don’t have to dress up. You don’t have to wear makeup… you don’t have to be anyone-- you just kinda chill and everyone seems very happy about it.

JT: Sure! Shorts and a tank top- it’s the Florida lifestyle. There’s a little Tiki Bar nailed to the back of a hotel, over in Clearwater that I stop by, every now and then, that sits right in the intercoastal waterway where the gulf meets the ocean: where you can watch the sailboats, yachts and jet skiers, and the dolphins will swim right through the channel there- and the people who come from all over the world to watch the beauty of it all. They stand at the railing looking down at it all and can’t believe what they’re looking at - their expressions and responses; and we get to see that everyday… it’s truly miraculous.

MA: Yeah, it’s something that you tend to take for granted if you live there but living now in LA, when I do get the chance to go home and reconnect with it all… it’s a beautiful, wondrous thing.

JT: Well said. So now, of all the things you’ve done in your music career, you must be very proud of graduating magna cum laude from the Berklee College of Music. How did you like your experiences during the time spent in Beantown?

MA: Y’know, I loved being in Boston, except for the cold, with which I didn’t take too well. It was an amazing experience. It was a place where basically, everyone in school was a musician, just living it; so, 24 hours a day, everyone was playing and talking about music, doing jam sessions and sitting in at clubs. It was incredible living and being in that environment for my college experience.

JT: On your CD, there are quite a few hot shots joining you: Peter White, Marc Antoine, Jeff Golub, and John Taylor of Duran Duran to name a few. What was one of the more memorable studio experiences you had with these top artists that joined your sessions? Notice I didn’t say THE most memorable experience, I only said ONE of them… that’ll get you off the hook (smile)

MA: Ha-ha! I can give you a few because having those guys in the studio was pretty funny. We actually asked Peter White to play accordion on the record.

JT: I saw that on the line notes.

MA: Yeah, he didn’t play guitar but I’ll give you the background on that and the Marc Antoine thing because it’s kind of intertwined.

JT: Okay.

MA: So, we asked Peter White- “hey, you play accordion- would you like to come in and play accordion?” And he was just so giddy and so into it. He said: “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be there!” So, he came down to the session with his accordion, brought it out and I was just giggling the whole time. It was great.

JT: That’s cool.

MA: Peter’s a really good accordion player. I mean, I knew he played and everything but obviously, he’s best know for being a guitar player. He went down, got the mic, brought out the accordion and we were all just floored at how good he was.

JT: That’s great.

MA: He didn’t need to be that great for the song but Peter just blew all of our minds at how great an accordionist he is. We’re all sitting there going “oh my goodness… he’s fabulous! What are we doing having Peter White playing accordion?” But, he was awesome.

JT: I guess he spent some time down in Nawlins (New Orleans) with that thing, huh?

MA: I guess so-- I guess he spent some time with it somewhere because he was just awesome. Then, we had called Marc Antoine to participate on the record but I guess he was on tour. We were lucky enough to get him to come in on his one day off in Los Angeles. He had no guitar, so he borrowed Peter White's guitar and came in and played it. It was really magic. So Peter White's guitar is on my CD, it just wasn't him playing it! It was truly a team effort on "Momo".

JT: Such a sweetheart of a guy, too. I met him at the Capital Jazz Fest in Maryland a couple of years back. I used to do afternoon drive at Smooth Jazz 105.9 in Washington, DC, so we got to hook up with a lot of the artists when they came to town for the festival events, at certain venues and related things.

MA: Oh-h… really?

JT: That’s the greatest thing about the Smooth Jazz genre- the artists are sweethearts! They’re NICE PEOPLE- and they hang around and watch each other play.

MA: That’s the thing: in other genres- Pop, Rock, etc., the people maybe are more competitive, so it seems that they don’t hang around like that and watch each other play or get together to have a beer afterwards…

In this genre, it’s pretty awesome. I’ve played at many festivals, with all of these guys as someone else’s sax player. And you know, we’ve all become friends over the years and it’s such an amazing little circle of friends that I find it very cool.

JT: Yeah… and another thing about the genre is that there is no generation gap. The old guys, they young guys – there’s just a vast amount of respect. There’s a lot of that in the Country Music industry as well. You’ve mentioned George Jones to any up and coming Country artist and they’re on their knees, bowing…and so much of that happens in the Jazz genre too, even with the all-time greats—people like David Sanborn, and the ones that are multi-platinum selling artists over the years. There is this huge amount of respect for them and they are still ‘one of the gang’.

MA: I definitely think that the guys who have been in this genre for a long time, who are the amazing players and artists that we all look up to- they are someone that we can look up to and respect. Jazz is something that is passed down, person to person. We all learn from certain heroes and I think that there is a certain respect for those players that helped bring all of us here, so, I love that. When I get to play a festival or something with someone like David Sanborn, I’m gonna freak out! I get to play with Al Jarreau—I get to open for him in a couple of weeks and I’m just freaking out.

JT: Another nice guy. I got to meet him a few years back. A real sweetheart…

MA: I’ve never met him and I can’t believe I’m opening for him!

JT: Yeah, not in your wildest dreams did you ever think…

MA: YEAH! I mean… whew!

JT: It’s great… I’ll bet if someone had told you three years ago you’d be opening for Al Jarreau, you’d be like- ‘yeah, right!’

MA: Yeah… sure… right!

JT: Well, I’m going to read you a passage … let me know what it means to you. “Hipness is not a state of mind. It’s a fact of life. You don’t decide you’re hip, It Just Happens That Way.” That was Cannonball Adderley in his 1962 Live Album and a passage that means a lot to you, isn’t it?

MA: Well, that is what I named my record after and was actually his speech before he made that live album and they kept in on the record, which I thought was so cool. As a kid growing up, I listened to that record and thought he was the coolest thing on the face of the earth—I loved his playing and to this day, he’s probably my favorite saxophonist and that just made a lot of sense to me. I thought: you don’t really create who you are, you are who you are; and in so many ways, people ask me: “ how did you figure out to be a sax player when you’re a girl?”; “how did you ever come up with that?” and in many ways, it just happens that way, and I just thought that was so perfect for this CD of mine.

JT: I thought it was so cool that you actually spoke that during the track, along with “see what I mean?” and other comments you make within the track. It’s a great track- I really enjoyed it.





JT: You studied with Joe Viola at Berklee. What was it like to not only jam with Joe, but learn some secret techniques as well?

MA: Joe Viola is like ‘Yoda’ of saxophone players. He is just one of those guys that – y’know, he’s the old school—he’s been there, he’s the most amazing teacher. I used to just go into his office for lessons and try to soak in as much as possible. He’d give me stacks from his file cabinet to copy every week, so I’d just copy stuff; we’d go over stuff… he was just an amazing person to learn from, y’know, for the art of the saxophone.

JT: Yes, definitely things you can’t learn out of a book, you’ve just got to get in it and be next to someone like that and be inspired.

MA: Yes, he was very inspiring for just loving the saxophone for the instrument that it is—and really learning it. He always encouraged me to have my own band and always encouraged me to get my own music out there, which I think, is really important.

JT: Well, speaking of having your own band, your dad, Lance Abair, was a saxman and keyboardist for a Tampa Bay show band called The Entertainers. What single event while spending time you’re your Dad on the road helped lead to your fascination with music at such a very early age? Was it one event in particular that happened or was it the whole series of things that you witnessed?

MA: I can’t say that it was one event, I think that we all do because we think that it’s normal or because of the things we’re around. I grew up, for the first four or five years on the road with my dad’s band. So, every night I was there, whether I was remembering it or not, because I was so young but I was there, watching music all the time and being around it. When we moved back to St. Petersburg, after being on the road, he had a studio in the bedroom next to mine and my closet was used…

JT: …as the vocal booth.

MA: Yes, as the vocal booth and the living room was used as the drum booth... it was an environment of constant music so, when it came to learning an instrument, it was just naturally something I wanted to do.

JT: But you know what is so amazing about that is- if it wasn’t in you, it wouldn’t have mattered.

MA: Maybe… yes, you’re probably right.

JT: What I mean is, I’ve seen people that are around so many special crafts throughout their lives and if it’s not in you; if it’s not meant to happen that way, to coin a phrase (laugh)

MA: It Just Happens That Way (laugh)

JT: …it just won’t. (laugh) It has to be part of you- innate, borne within you and what you are born to do. Then having the opportunity to actually be around that, to allow it to grow is just astonishing.

JT: I’m going to drop some names on you- have to do this: AJ, Howie, Brian, Kevin, and Nick. I can remember being in a garage in Kissimmee, Florida around 12 or more years ago and seeing a group of boys practicing some dance moves and vocals for a new group that was being put together by a guy named Lou Pearlman- the ‘Balloon Guy’. The rest is the history of “The Backstreet Boys”, but I would love to hear more about “The Backstreet Girl”?

MA: Y’know what? It was an astounding tour and really the chance of a lifetime. I got called for it and literally, three days later, I was in Belgium, starting the European leg of the tour. For the next year, I was with them, and I have to say those guys were unbelievable. They worked so hard- 24/7. They were going for it and it was mind-boggling to be on tour with them, playing in front of 50,000 people a night and to experience what they experienced. It was total rock stardom for a year!

JT: and it’s something that you experience you can’t describe to anyone, like trying to describe Las Vegas to someone who’s never been there. There are no words to do it and when you’re on a stage, looking at 60-70,000 screaming people, there’s a rush that happens that is all consuming: becoming your entire world. Very cool, Mindi; I’m happy for you. What a great gig that was, huh?

MA: It was pretty remarkable. I got to play a solo every time they did a costume change, which was like eight times each night (giggle), so, I got to play sax all night, solo after solo, which was pretty awesome for me. (laugh)

JT: Speaking of solos- the sheer sound of a saxophone does things to ya doesn’t it?

MA: (laugh!) The saxophone is one of the most amazing instruments- I think it’s great.

JT: I remember when I was growing up, stumbling into my dad’s office when he was listening to music- guys like “Boots” Randolph – with that big baritone sax. There are so many different types of saxophone sounds and I’ve seen so many master the alto sax. There are so many different reed and wind instruments- but there is just something about that machine, the saxophone, that is just so very cool…

MA: Yeah, I just love the sound… I love that big, Cannonball Adderley cool – just in your face! Phil Woods, too; he has such an incredible, big sound; Kenny Garrett…amazing.

JT: Yeah, it’s probably the only instrument in a movie that can transition a scene in three notes and no other instrumentation.

MA: Mm-m.

JT: All State Jazz Band at Northside Christian. Senior year- the only female in the band. Why did you almost decide not to try out?

MA: Oh, goodness… wow! How’d you know that???

JT: I did my homework! (laugh)

MA: Ha-ha. You sure did! (laugh)

JT: I figure, if you’re going to give me your precious time to talk with me and let me interview, the least I could do is be prepared for it.

MA: Wow! That’s amazing… I’m so impressed! How’d you know that? Well, when I was a senior at Northside, I really wanted to try out for the jazz band because all-state bands are so important when you’re in high school. They’re everything. Well, they have a symphonic band and a jazz band. I had been in the symphonic band and I thought everyone was so straight-laced and the music was what it was but the guys in the jazz band- they were the cool ones. I just thought that was just IT so I really wanted to try out.

I got the music a few weeks before auditions and I started playing through it. You had to improvise – you had to really go for it and I just really became overwhelmed… thinking I wasn’t good enough, thinking “I’ll never hold up to whoever else is out there” – I just doubted myself. So, I told my dad that I wasn’t going to try out and he said: “well, you can quit, that’s cool… whatever. You won’t get it, but that’s cool” He just totally did the reverse psychology thing- “oh, that’s alright, just quit.”

JT: Yeah, it didn’t mean anything then, but now, when you look back on it, you think- that was brilliant!

MA: It was BRILLIANT! So of course, that made me say: “well, I’m not gonna quit!” So, he totally talked me into it, while talking me out of quitting, he talked me into actually going forward with the audition. Then later on, my dad said to me: “if you don’t go for things, you won’t get them and maybe someone less talented or less driven will get it, just because they went for it”.

JT: 30 seconds of time changed the entire path of your life.

MA: Probably. I look back and think: that taught me such a huge, huge lesson, because I got it; I got first chair and it was because I went for it.

JT: When Phil Collins handed you the diploma from Berklee … you asked him a question. You seemed ready to show the world what Mindi Abair had to offer. What was it that you ask him?

MA: I was the first one down the aisle, because my last name is Abair. When Phil Collins handed me my diploma, of course, the first thing I said to him was: “Do you need a sax player?” (laugh)

JT: (laugh) What did he say?

MA: (laugh) He laughed at me; he just laughed. Let’s get that straight, now, but c’mon, I asked!

JT: Well, now you can say to him: “See, you should have taken the offer, Phil.”

MA: Well, it’s just one more thing to prove if you don’t go for it, you won’t get it; so, I went for it. I didn’t get it, but I went for it, that’s what’s important.

JT: You co-wrote every tune on the album except for a cover song called “Save Tonight”. Are you pleased with the diversity of the music with the various collaborations?

MA: I am. I’m really pleased, actually. I wrote probably 30 songs for this CD. I wrote them with different friends and different people in the industry. I sat back at the end and tried to choose which songs should be included in the CD and it was really tough but, at the end of the day, I think all of the songs included create a story and have their own personality and show different aspects of who I am, how I got here and I thought they were the most important ones to have on the CD.

JT: Your Producer and old schoolmate is Matthew Hager, who has been quite a busy producer in the music world. How was it working with such a talented guy?

MA: Matthew and I have been friends since college and have done different bands together, have been a part of different projects together, which is always cool. So when we decided to do this together, it was just fun. We looked at each other and said: “Alright, let’s just make a great record and have a great time doing it”. So, I think it was great for me, as an artist, to have someone I felt so comfortable with, that I had worked so much with in the past for so many years, that I was more comfortable to make the record that was more me.

My stomach would hurt at the end of the day from laughing so hard, because he is just hysterical!

JT: That’s great. Release a few endorphins… make some music…

MA: I just think… at the end of the CD, I can hear that we had a great time. I can hear that we were friends and that we had the ease to make the music we wanted to. There were no nervous energy points where we had to stumble over or ponder. If you know someone really well, you can make the music you want to make with them, I think.

JT: It does shine through… you have a variety of titles and quite a variety of different styles and sounds on this CD. The one thing that I noticed remained constant was that there were very few effects added to your sax – just a nice, clean sound of the natural instrument. Was that something you did on purpose? Was that Matthew? Or was that just kind of “bucking the system” – saying: look, we’re not gonna pile in a whole lot of processing here; we’re just gonna let it blow?

MA: I’m actually a big fan of not using a lot on my saxophone. Always in live performance situations, I talk with the person who’s mixing the sound and tell them: I don’t like that much reverb, I don’t like that much delay. I don’t like all of that stuff, yet I know that a lot of people are into that, but I come from a completely different background and I like the sound uncluttered. So, yes, it was a very conscious decision to make it natural.

JT: The music that you choose to listen to in your personal life is quite diverse. We talked about Cannonball Adderley being such an inspiration, but who were and are the other artists in different genres that are some of your biggest inspirations?

MA: It’s funny because I do listen to a lot of very different music and I think that it helps create what I have to say and who I am and possibly helps makes me different from whomever else.

It’s funny. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of “Cold Play” – I love “Cold Play”. I listen to the Rolling Stones and Classic Rock radio.

JT: It’s all great stuff… music is music and has been the inspiration for the masses. When you think about it, what did we ever do without music?

MA: I don’t know. There wasn’t a time in my life when I didn’t have music, so, I don’t even want to think about it.

JT: It’s kind of like a seventh sense because people will hear a song or passage in a song or a melody or lyric and it will trigger a memory, which will place them in a particular place in time or moment in their life, just from that one hook, one lyric or one song. It ties all the fibers together in your head; it really does…

MA: Yes. Well said.

JT: Finally … you’re setting yourself up to be Superwoman. You want the career, the husband, the kids, the house, and the white picket fence. Any timeline for these goals … or will you take it as it comes?

MA: Someone said something one time: “Draw your lifeline or your life story in pencil because you will have to re-draw it a million times.” I never really put a timeline on anything; I think it just happens that way. And when it happens, it’ll be great, but, you’ve gotta have goals and things that you look forward to in your life.
I always wanted to make a CD of my own. I always wanted to have my music out there and here I am, it’s happened. I look forward to one day, having a family and it doesn’t have to be tomorrow and it definitely won’t be tomorrow, but one day.

For now, I’m really happy playing sax for people.

JT: Yeah. I remember reading a passage on an old piece of parchment, back when I was in high school: The author is unknown but it read: “Better is one’s own path, though imperfect, than the path of another, well made”. And that always stuck with me- it’s kind of my motto. Like Francis Albert (Sinatra) once sang, I’m gonna do it my way!

MA: Yeah, and that’s really the only way you can do it. We all make mistakes; I’ve made a million getting here and that’s just part of life. The journey has been amazing getting here, from playing with The Backstreet Boys to playing with all the jazz artists that I have played with; making demos of all the songs I have written over the years; even playing on the street- I played out on the street for a while, just so that I could get out there and play.

JT: Yes, the destination’s no fun without the journey.

MA: I agree. It’s all part of being here and this is just another part of the journey.

JT: Yes. Well, I thank you very much for taking time out of your schedule to talk with us.

MA: My pleasure.

JT: And on behalf of Gwenn and everybody at Smooth Notes and News.com, I thank you very much and wish you the very best with the CD.

MA: Thank you.





“It Just Happens That Way” (GRP) will be in stores on February 25, 2003.








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