Feature: The Days Of Cabaret Gratitude - Day Twenty - The Proficient

The Days Of Cabaret Gratitude

Day Twenty: The Proficient - Gabrielle Stravelli

I took my longtime best friend to a group show in a large concert hall.  The cast was all high-profile, well-respected members of the community of artists called cabaret and concert.  When the time came for the jazz singer of the cast to perform, all it took was one, maybe two sentences being sung.  “Ooooh, WHO is SHE?” he whispered, leaning into my left ear.  “That’s Gabrielle Stravelli,” I whispered back, trying to be soft spoken enough to disturb no one.  A few sung phrases later, he leaned in again, “She’s INTERESTING!” and I silently nodded my head to acknowledge that he was right but giving off the please-don’t-speak-again vibe.  He did speak again, but he waited until the post-performance applause.  “The next time she does a show, I wanna go!” and I told him that I would, indeed, take him as my plus-one.  And a few weeks later I took my friend to see Gabrielle Stravelli and Billy Stritch at Birdland.  He sat, second row, transfixed, beaming, eyes wide, taking in every moment of Gabrielle Stravelli’s artistry, every now and then, turning to show me his face, to show me his delight, to show me that he, who, above all else, avoids the ordinary and the complacent, was besotted by Gabrielle Stravelli.

That should be everybody’s response to a Gabrielle Stravelli performance.

Blessed with one of the most exquisite voices in the industry, there was no other course for Gabrielle Stravelli but to become an artist with song.  There is, obviously, a certain amount of training that goes into the kind of talent (and career) that Gabrielle has, but one must also consider natural instincts, the kind that make a Stravelli performance stand out as above average, and the timbre of one of the most unique and replete voices a person could hope to be born with.  Gabrielle Stravelli hit the trifecta of genetic lottery, birth-bestowed intuition, and studied technique.  The result is a storyteller so individual, a talent so enjoyable, and a human being so personable that she couldn’t help being a success.  She is irresistable.  Gabrielle is one of the most respected artists in the industry, and not just by the audiences and critics, but by other musicians, too, and that’s where the proof really lies.  Everyone wants to work with her (and they do), and everyone wants to see her at work, whether she is on her own, performing one of her residencies at Birdland, or doing duo acts with chums like Billy Stritch, whose Mel Torme and Ella Fitzgerald is the one mentioned above.  There is a mischief made somewhere in the circle consisting of a cocked eyebrow, a winking eye, a deep dimple and a coquettish grin that makes you beam while watching her, and there is a deep ocean of emotion in the interpretive skills served up on the most velvety voice on the scene.  If she weren’t the nicest human being alive, it should be very easy to be a bit jealous of Gabrielle Stravelli for her ranking on the Perfection Meter (she also, by the way, writes songs, because Gabrielle Stravelli).  Alas, she is the nicest human alive, so the only option is to adore her, buy another ticket, see another show, and give another ovation.

There is a famous (and very valuable) instrument called the Stradivarius.  One can’t help but think that, one day, somebody misspelled the name Stravelli and nobody ever changed it back because THIS is the instrument that stands out from all the rest.

Read a Broadway World Cabaret review of Gabrielle Stravelli HERE.

Gabrielle will appear in the Main Room at Birdland every Saturday in December (except 12/23) at 5:30 pm.  Information and reservations are HERE.

Gabrielle’s pronouns are she/her/hers.

Gabrielle can be found online at the following links:

Website:  HERE 

Instagram:  HERE 

Facebook:  HERE  

Spotify:  HERE 

TikTok:  HERE  

YouTube:  HERE

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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