Tag: gluten-free

Well, I did it again.

I wrote about attracting Grammy nominated saxophone sensation Mindi Abair last November.

I attracted her again the other night.

Mindi Abair likes my sax album

While Mindi performs with the legends – from Aerosmith to Bruce Springsteen – and is a legend herself, she rarely if ever performs private acoustic house concerts.

She’s done it twice now for me and my friends.

And we all love her.

Mindi and my friends

I can’t say enough good things about Mindi.

Not only is she beautiful and mega talented, but a warm, loving, fun, generous person, as well.

Her seventh solo CD, Wild Heart, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Jazz chart and was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category. Featuring special guests such as Gregg Allman, Joe Perry, Max Weinberg, Booker T. Jones and Waddy Wachtel, Wild Heart is my favorite of all her albums (so far).

She played tracks from the recent album: raw, acoustic, and steaming with emotion. And she and her keyboard player, Dave Yaden, a Grammy winning songwriter, hung with us for almost six hours.

They didn’t have to.

They wanted to.

And everyone was amazed, happy and grateful.

Mindi with keyboardist Dave Yaden

A highlight for me was having Mindi teach me how to control my breathing for better saxophone playing.

The basic idea is to make a slip of paper stay stuck to a wall by focusing your breath a few inches away and keeping the air flow out steady, so the paper doesn’t fall.  (You can watch that lesson at http://youtu.be/LQDUS9tFbAk)

Like most women, Mindi swoons to my sax album

Another highlight was Mindi sitting on my lap, swooning to the thought of my own saxophone album, Afflatus.

And both Mindi and Dave answered our questions, which was remarkable and educational, as they openly discussed music, improvisation, and breathing, to where to get hot pants and sexy boots. We also learned about hack-sawing a mouthpiece to get it in tune, the musician’s crush, and more.

As in the last private concert, Mindi introduced each song with a story behind it, which brought the songs to life in a more intimate way.

A poignant story was about Mindi’s sax, which was stolen last January.

She had a custom made alto saxophone which was her baby, her pride and joy, and her workhorse. She took it everywhere, used it daily, and relied on it for her income.

It was stolen out of her car.

Mindi approves of the new album "Higher Octaves" by Guitar Monk Mathew Dixon and myself

While she was devastated, it turned into something great, as she attracted a new Yamaha Custom Z alto sax and her own signature Theo Wanne mouthpiece.

While the theft was not perceived as good at the time, she later saw it as the Universe kicking her into her next growth spurt.

As she put it, she was an instant Buddhist – learning non-attachment on the spot.

I love this woman.

To nourish us all, Nerissa made pizza and brownies from the grain-free, gluten-free, all natural recipes in her bestselling cookbook, Bread-Free Bread.

All in all, another unforgettable evening with the astonishing Mindi Abair.

Please go get her albums and enjoy this terrific woman’s gifts.

Her site is right here.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – You can see the first private house concert with Mindi Abair (and guitarist Randy Jacobs) online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEZahXwrTeQ

NOTE: Just a friendly reminder: you can still pre-order my fifth singer-songwriter album — the one where the songs are like 3-minute self-help books — and with Grammy nominated singer Ruthie Foster on one steamy track — at a dramatic discount at One More Day: Life Lessons in Hypnotic Song. This will be a limited edition collectible booklet and CD package. You’ll want it. I’m no Mindi Abair, but I also play sax on the album. 

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My wife Nerissa couldn’t get me to eat my vegetables so she did something creative: she disguised them as breads.

That did the trick.

I ate pizza with “bread” made out of spinach.

I ate burgers with “bread” made out of kale.

I ate desserts made out of beans.

Nerissa in the gluten-free test kitchen

I never knew it was just vegetables or seeds.

I never knew there wasn’t any gluten or grain.

All of it tasted delicious.

AND I maintained my new fitness lifestyle, released excess weight, and never felt hungry or deprived.

It also led to her writing an entire cookbook of 75 original recipes on how to make gluten-free bread out of vegetables, seeds, and some nuts.*

I’m not the only one who loves this healthy food.

Body-for-Life fitness legend Bill Phillips tasted it — because I hand delivered it to him — and endorsed it.

And I’ve never seen him endorse anything.

Nerissa’s cookbook is called “Bread-Free Bread.”

The sub-title is “Amazingly Healthy Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Breads, Muffins, Cookies & More.”

I'm proud of Nerissa and her gluten-free book

If you or someone you know needs to stay away from gluten, or wants a healthier alternative to foods that are questionable, go get the book.

It’s available at bookstores and of course from Amazon —

http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Free-Bread-Amazingly-Gluten-Free-Grain-Free/dp/1581572808/

Please go get a copy for yourself and remember, the holidays are near and this would make a great gift for family and friends, so order several.

To your health!

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS — * Nerissa created every one of these 75 recipes from zero, tested and retested them, and also took all the photos — all within two months. And she did all of this while having two surgeries, having a new bathroom remodeled with jack hammers and construction workers interrupting her, and as a beloved cat of 15 years passed away, and as she sold her rental property of 17 years. She’s proof that you can accomplish almost anything with focus, determination, and passion. Go get her book, for yourself and friends, from your local bookstore or from Amazon at — http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Free-Bread-Amazingly-Gluten-Free-Grain-Free/dp/1581572808/

Member BBB 2003 - 2015