10 | SMOOTH JAZZ NEWS continued from page 9 years. It was perfect. I even did a session there right before the party. Bobby Lyle played on my new album that drops June 13. He asked me to play on his album, so I recorded my tracks right before the party in Studio D. Now that’s perfection,” she exclaimed. Abair also had one of her dreams come true in that same Moroccan Room where her party was held. “I am a super fan of Booker T. Jones. I mean … he was the bandleader for Stax Records. He created that sound that’s basically the soundtrack to American music. I was always asking if people knew him because I wanted the chance to write and record with him. I finally found the right person, the head of Concord Records, John Burk, who introduced us and set up a songwriting session. The only thing I had to do was find a place with a B3 organ … not every place has one just sitting around. My friend Jeff offered up The Village Recorder for the writing session. And when I arrived, there was this beautiful, huge red room with nothing in it but a B3 organ. That’s where Booker and I wrote together. “We’ve written three songs together and recorded two of them, ‘Addicted to You’ from my Wild Heart CD and ‘Make It Happen’ that appeared on my Best of Mindi Abair CD and Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers Live in Seattle. What an incredibly inspiring room to write with him in. “And cut to Saturday night … wow … it was the perfect room for my birthday … so many friends … I love this room!” Those friends included Ellis Hall, who accompanied Abair on piano and vocals throughout the evening. Guitarist Peter White had just flown in from a gig in the Midwest. Other musician friends in attendance were vocalists Robbie Wyckoff (currently with Pablo Cruise), Rebecca Jade and her husband, Rico Curtis; drummers Mindi Abair and Ellis Hall performing continued on page 12 Photos: Curtis McElhinney Bill Wilson, Kathy Payne, Mindi Abair and Rico Curtis Rebecca Jade, Craig Collier and Peter White
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