December 2024 – One of the most recognized and sought-after saxophonists, two-time GRAMMY nominee Mindi Abair has been electrifying audiences with her dynamic live performances and sax prowess since her debut album in 1999. No one since Junior Walker has brought saxophone and vocals in one package to the forefront of modern music. In 2014, Mindi received her first GRAMMY nomination in the Best Pop instrumental album category, followed by a 2015 GRAMMY nomination for her solo LP Wild Heart.

You might know her as the featured saxophonist on American Idol, sitting in with Paul Shaffer on The Late Show with David Letterman and The Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, or from moonlighting on tour with Duran Duran or Aerosmith. As a solo artist, she has consistently topped the Billboard Contemporary Jazz and Blues charts. In 2018, Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers won 8 Independent Blues Awards including Artist of the Year, and an Independent Music Award for Best Blues Song Fan Award for “Pretty Good For A Girl” featuring Joe Bonamassa. They won the 2019 LA Critics Award for Best Holiday Album for All I Got For Christmas Is The Blues. And in 2019, 2020 and 2021 Mindi was nominated by the Blues Music Awards as the Best Instrumentalist: Horn.

NEW HOLIDAY ALBUM
Mindi Abair brings extra holiday cheer this season with her highly anticipated Christmas album, I Can’t Wait For Christmas, releasing on November 22, 2024. This collection of holiday classics has a touch of soul, and the heart of jazz.

Released via her Pretty Good For A Girl Records label, this 10-song album is the first full length holiday album from Mindi Abair as a solo artist.

Mindi Abair’s I Can’t Wait For Christmas is an album that transports listeners straight to the heart of the holiday season, blending timeless classics with fresh, soulful originality. Each track is an exploration of festive nostalgia, Abair’s saxophone serving as the perfect vehicle for an emotionally rich, joyously funky, and ultimately soulful experience.

Abair says, “I’ve always loved Christmas. I recorded my first 2-song Christmas LP for Verve Records in 2003, and I’ve spent most of the last 21 years headlining or hosting a Christmas tour. This means so much to me to record my first full-length holiday album as a solo artist. I chose classic songs that I loved and added two that I wrote to create a journey that speaks to me as an artist.”

Mindi Abair’s I Can’t Wait For Christmas is more than just a holiday album—it’s an invitation to experience the season through a lens of joy, nostalgia, and heartfelt musicianship. With her emotive and soulful saxophone melodies and heartfelt vocals, Abair has crafted a holiday journey that feels intimate and fresh. This is a must-have album for any holiday music lover, capturing the season’s magic in a way only Mindi Abair can.

Middle C Jazz is excited to be the Charlotte stop on her 16-city US tour of Mindi Abair’s I Can’t Wait For Christmas Tour featuring Lindsey Webster and Marcus Anderson.

If you can’t be in person, the early Friday performance will be livestreamed.

How to access Middle C On Demand…

More about Mindi Abair at her website…

Listen to a little bit of Mindi from his last visit to Middle C Jazz…