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The Jazz Singers Ultimate Guide

April 5th, 2009

517btyjB7ML._SL500_AA280_Abbie has been included in Scott Yanow’s 2008 book, as one of the top 521 jazz singers.   What an honor to be listed (even alphabetically) between Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday!   The book was published by Hal Leonard and is available on Amazon.com.

Here’s an excerpt from page 84 and 85…

Abbie Gardner

(Abigail Washburn Gardner)

The release of My Craziest Dream in 2004 was the debut for Abbie Gardner, a fine young singer who sounded quite at home performing vintage swing standards.   Although she has since become more involved in folk and Americana music, she always brings a jazz sensitivity to the music.

The daughter of pianst Herb Gardner who played with Roy Eldridge, Gene Krupa and Bobby Hackett, she grew up around jazz.   ”As a kid I tagged along to all sorts of gigs.   Everyone seemed to have so much fun and they’d all laugh at the end of each song.   My dad would smile and chuckle when he said he had to go to ‘work’ because he couldn’t believe he was getting paid for having so much fun.”   Abbie Gardner played violin for a year, studied classical flute for 13 years, and in more recent times has taken up the guitar and the Dobro.   She began to sing in front of people as a senior in high school and in college was a member of the Inner Strength Boston University Gospel Choir, working with a cappella groups and becoming the musical director for the Treblemakers.   She earned a degree in Occupational Therapy at Boston University but always wanted to be a singer.   ”I don’t feel like I can be happy doing anything else, to be honest.”

Gardner began singing jazz in 2000 with the Galvanized Jazz Band and has since worked with Stan Rubin’s Tigertown Five, the Stan Rubin Orchestra, Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks, the New Deal Orchestra and Herb Gardner’s Groundhog Band.   She recorded My Craziest Dream with her father’s group, displaying her love for Billie Holiday’s music while still sounding like herself.   ”The melodies of those old standards are something you don’t see in other types of music.   And the best part about it is that I get to share it with my father.”

Since 2004 Abbie Gardner has performed as a part of the female trio Red Molly, performing Appalachian ballads, contemporary folk and country standards.

Recommended CD: My Craziest Dream (GSRM 1), which features both Gardners and clarinetist Dan Levinson, was an impressive start to Abbie Gardner’s career.