Mindi Abair in Phoenix

Mindi Abair is an American saxophonist, singer and songwriter born in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1969. She plays smooth jazz shaped by funk, blues and rock, and is known for albums including It Just Happens That Way, Come as You Are and Wild Heart. In 1999, she played saxophone on the Backstreet Boys’ Into the Millennium Tour, performing in arenas before the release of It Just Happens That Way. Her own headline dates later centered on jazz clubs, theatres and festivals; in 2012 she returned to arena stages with Aerosmith on the Global Warming Tour. Her headline shows feature alto saxophone and vocals backed by a full band. She has also led Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers, the blues-rock group heard on The EastWest Sessions. She has appeared at Florida’s Seabreeze Jazz Festival and at Berks Jazz Fest in Reading, Pennsylvania.