Gabrielle Stravelli to Celebrate New CD DREAM AGO at SubCulture This December
By: BWW News Desk Nov. 30, 2016
She will be joined by Art Hirahara on piano, Pat O'Leary on bass, Eric Halvorson on drums, and David Cook on keyboard, in addition to special guests Grammy Award winner Scott Robinson on tenor sax, and Jorell Williams on vocals.
Dream Ago, featuring Stravelli's sophisticated original songs, is produced by David Cook (Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson, Marianne Faithfull), arranged by Pat O'Leary (Diana Krall, James Moody, Lee Konitz) and features liner notes from Bob Dorough and photography by Shervin Lainez. It will be released on January 27, 2017 on the Big Modern Music label.
Stravelli will follow Subculture's album launch with a national tour in 2017 including dates in Philadelphia (March 17-18), Cincinati (March 23) and Detroit (March 24), with additional shows to be announced in Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, San Francisco and more. For sound clips, an up-to-date calendar and to pre-order the album, visit GabrielleStravelli.com.
In his liner notes for Dream Ago, Bob Dorough - the legendary musician and songwriter behind "Devil May Care," "Blue Xmas," "I'm Hip," and songs from the beloved TV staple "Schoolhouse Rock" - calls the album "a pretty swinging affair. With this outing, Gabrielle Stravelli proves herself to be a quadruple threat and force to be reckoned with: singer, musician, lyricist and actress. With a well-trained voice, an impressive range and a controlled vibrato, she and her estimable colleagues literally run the gamut of musical styles here: scat-to-opera, primitive-to-modern, low-tech, high-tech." The Grammy Award winning vocalist and songwriter Kurt Elling added "the first thing you notice about Gabrielle Stravelli is her voice. The instrument is rich and resonant, flexible and precise, soulful and clean. Gabrielle's new compositions are professionally constructed but manage to take us to surprising places in the future. This makes Dream Ago a rare find." Fred Hersch, nine-time Grammy Award-nominated pianist and composer, calls her "One of the top vocalists on the music scene today. She has the whole package: a fantastic instrument, great time, superb musicianship, perfect diction - and more importantly, she sings everything with a true depth of feeling. She is a gifted composer/lyricist as well. Some of these tunes may become standards some day - they are memorable, heartfelt and given terrific readings."
Gabrielle's triumphant engagement at Feinstein's / 54 Below las season was praised by The New York Times for its "intense joy" and "voluptuous delight." She recently returned from concerts in Azerbaijan, Moldova, Slovenia and Malta as part of the U.S. State Department's "American Music Abroad." In October, she co-starred in world premiere of Rooms of Light, the new song cycle with music by renowned jazz pianist Fred Hersch and December marked her second annual performance at the Jonathan Schwartz Christmas Show opposite John Pizzarelli, Karrin Allyson, Bill Charlap and more. She sang with the Santa Rosa Symphony opposite Billy Stritch in February, appeared at the 92nd Street Y "Lyrics and Lyricists" in March and headlined the Eleuthera Jazz Festival in the Bahamas in April. Gabrielle's intimate piano/vocal duet recording Stairway to the Stars with Michael Kanan (Jimmy Scott, Madeleine Peyroux, Jane Monheit) was released earlier this year.
Her podcast "Big Modern Music with Gabrielle Stravelli" features interviews with stars of jazz, pop and beyond. The latest edition features special guest Hilary Gardner, the jazz singer who discusses her latest album The Great City and her vocal trio Duchess. The first two shows features conversations with the singer and songwriter Sachal and two-time Grammy nominated vocalist Jane Monheit. All episodes are available on iTunes here.
Waiting in Vain, Gabrielle's adventurous debut record, was named "Album of the Week" by The Jonathan Channel from WNYC/New York Public Radio and Jonathan Schwartz. It combines the smoky ambiance of an underground supper club with exciting vocal chops, rhythmic dexterity and emotional yet intelligent interpretations. Highlights include "So What Boy," which blends the MiLes Davis jazz classic with the Buddy Holly pop hit; a haunting reinvention of the Peter, Bjorn and John 2006 global chart smash "Young Folks"; and a lilting version of the Bob Marley song title song; in addition to the standards "Skylark," "In A Sentimental Mood" and "Love For Sale." The recording, captured live at Zeb's in New York, is available on iTunes, Amazon and other music retailers.
Gabrielle Stravelli toured the states with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performing Marsalis's Abyssinian: A Gospel Celebration. At age 15, Gabrielle began singing as a soloist with orchestras and has since performed on stages from Amsterdam to New York including Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night's Swing, Birdland Jazz Club, 92Y's Lyrics and Lyricists, Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall at Kaufman Center, the Hammerstein Ballroom, Iridium Jazz Club, BB King Blues Club, Somethin' Jazz, The Garage, Fulton Theatre, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) where she opened for Esperanza Spalding and Cassandra Wilson. Gabrielle has appeared as a soloist with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra and the Cincinnati Pops, was a finalist for the international 2011 Shure-Montreux Jazz Festival Vocal Competition and was the 1st runner-up at the 2009 Jazzmobile Vocal Competition in Harlem. Earlier in 2015, she was given the Backstage Bistro Award for "Jazz Vocalist" and the MAC Award for "Best Female Vocalist."
Gabrielle Stravelli will celebrate Dream Ago at SubCulture (45 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012) on Tuesday, December 13 at 8:30 PM. Tickets are $25 for general admission and $35 for general admission with a copy of the album. For reservations and additional information, visit www.SubCultureNewYork.com or call (212) 533-5470.
SubCulture is a music and performing arts venue located in the historic NoHo neighborhood of downtown Manhattan. Founded by brothers and lifelong music lovers Marc and Steven Kaplan, the venue was designed to foster an intimate connection between artists and the audience by incorporating the absolute best in sound and lighting technology into a room with naturally strong acoustic and architectural features. The venue has received praise from The New York Times, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, and Time Out New York for its exquisite sound, comfortable aesthetic, and unparalleled hospitality for guests and artists alike.
Visit www.GabrielleStravelli.com for performance schedule, videos, sound clips and more.
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