JUNE/JULY 2025 | 9 continued on page 10 JOIN US FOR INTIMATE GROUP EXPERIENCES IN THE WORLDS’ MOST FAMOUS WINE REGIONS WHILE YOU INDULGE IN THE FINEST WINE, MUSIC AND FOOD HOSTED BY MINDI ABAIR & ERIC GUERRA 5 STAR HOTELS DAILY SHOWS SMALL GROUPS PRIVATE WINE TASTINGS MICHELIN STARRED RESTAURANTS CULTURAL EXCURSIONS CONCIERGE SERVICES RESERVATIONS: WWW.WINEANDJAZZ.COM/ADVENTURES PROVENCE, FRANCE KIRK WHALUM Week #1: October 19 - 24, 2025 Week #2: October 26 - 31, 2025 PORTO, PORTUGAL MINDI ABAIR Week #1: October 11 - 16, 2026 Week #2: October 18 - 23, 2026 SONOMA, CALIFORNIA RICK BRAUN Week #1: April 26 - 30, 2026 Week #2: May 3 - 7, 2026 WINEandJAZZ.com Club Members Get Priority Reservations Friendships happen naturally among people at their workplaces or in interest groups that draw them together. Jazz fans are famous for the jubilant camaraderie that reaches across venues and from city to city. Musicians are sympatico souls who also develop deep bonds with one another in a workplace that is nationwide. Hang time at concerts and festivals are premium moments because of the demands of being touring professionals who travel from gig to gig, coast to coast and around the globe. Saxophonist Mindi Abair has become the great universal connector. Because friendships are so important to her, she throws an annual birthday bash and invites everyone she loves and cares for. It’s a reunion of musicians and those who work with them. “I’ve thrown a birthday party every year at my house for at least 25 years. I feel that it’s a great chance to stay in touch with friends every year,” she said the day after her latest bash on May 10. For the first time, it wasn’t held at her Hollywood, California, home. Instead, everyone gathered to celebrate with her and her husband, Eric Guerra, at The Village Studios in Los Angeles. “We see each other at shows or in working situations throughout the year, but keeping real relationships is important to me, and this party is a chance to really connect in a chill environment. And there’s wine … and cake!” There was also food, catered by Mizlala. “It’s one of my favorite restaurants, Mediterranean-themed, and it’s within walking distance from our home in Hollywood. They serve charred cauliflower, crispy herbed broccoli and the best falafel and chicken shawarma. Their hummus with pita bread is amazing. We had it all!” Abair admitted that it became a challenge to continue having her party in Hollywood—where she’s hosted it for more than a decade—because she and her husband moved into a home they bought in the Napa Valley Wine Country last year. “I love where I live now, but I miss my friends in Southern California. So, it’s more important than ever to stay connected. We’ve rented out our house in Hollywood, so I asked my friend Jeff Greenberg, who owns The Village Recorder, if I could use his ‘house,’ and he said yes. “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 “We see each other at shows or in working situations throughout the year, but keeping real relationships is important to me, and this party is a chance to really connect in a chill environment. And there’s wine … and cake!” – MINDI ABAIR
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjA1MjUy