12 | SMOOTH JAZZ NEWS Jamey Tate and Phil Jones (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, James Taylor, Jackson Browne and more); and keyboardist Tommy Coster Jr. (“He was my keyboardist in college. He played my senior recital with me at Berklee. When I moved to LA, I begged him to move, as I didn’t know anyone, and had no one to play with me. He finally agreed to move and stayed on my couch for a few weeks until he could find a place,” Abair said.) Kathy Payne, owner of Payne Pest Management and sponsor of Mindi Abair’s Wine and Jazz New Year’s Eve in San Diego, was also there. She mingled with other guests such as Bill and Jenifer Wilson, owners of Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula, California; Kelly Cole (host of Magic 92.5’s “Quiet Storm” and former music director at KiFM 98.1); Pat Prescott (retired from 94.7 The Wave in Los Angeles); and Craig Collier (Smooth Jazz News). Abair’s manager, Bud Harner, and his wife, Debra, were there with Chapman & Co. Management President Steve Chapman. Plus, an abundance of music industry executives, songwriters, authors, artists, attorneys, fashion designers and photographers. The friendships Abair has made throughout her career, and the stories she has to tell about so many of them, including her surprise wedding to Guerra with Dave Koz officiating during her 2019 birthday bash, are as iconic and historic as the studio in which we were all celebrating. For more information about Abair, her tour schedule, Wine and Jazz Adventures and her New Year’s Eve celebration, visit www.mindiabair.com. continued from page 10 “We were able to have a beautiful get-together in a legendary and historic recording studio that I’ve made a lot of music in over the years. It was perfect.” – MINDI ABAIR Mindi Abair, Eric Guerra, Jenifer and Bill Wilson Eric Guerra Steve Chapman and Kelly Cole Photos: Curtis McElhinney Mindi Abair’s birthday bash in the Moroccan Room at The Village Studios in Los Angeles
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