Abbie Gardner

Born into a jazz-saturated home, Abbie Gardner developed an early ease with swing standards from generations before her own. Her father, pianist Herb Gardner, had worked alongside Roy Eldridge and Gene Krupa, surrounding her with that sound throughout childhood. Instrumental study began with a year of violin and continued through serious classical flute training, while guitar and Dobro later joined her performing skills. As a vocalist she sang in Boston University’s Inner Strength Gospel Choir, joined several a cappella groups, and served as musical director of the Treblemakers. Although she completed a degree in occupational therapy at the same university, jazz singing remained her central focus. In 2000 she began performing with the Galvanized Jazz Band and subsequently appeared with Stan Rubin’s Tigertown Five, Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks, the New Deal Orchestra, and Herb Gardner’s Groundhog Band. Her recording debut arrived in 2004 on the shared album My Craziest Dream with her father. More recently she has explored Appalachian ballads and contemporary folk and country material as a member of the female trio Red Molly.