Gabrielle Stravelli Sings Willie Nelson at Birdland Jazz, 9/24

Gabrielle Stravelli - the acclaimed pop/jazz vocalist and songwriter praised for her "emotional intelligence, phenomenal voice, easygoing confidence and impeccable taste" by The New York Times - will introduce a new show celebrating the music of Willie Nelson this fall. "City Girl, Country Boy," which features Gabrielle's creative interpretations of highlights of Nelson's catalog, will debut at Birdland Jazz (315 West 44th Street in Manhattan) on Sunday, September 24 at 6:00 PM. The evening includes Nelson's distinctive original songs ranging from the eternal "Crazy," "Red Headed Stranger," and "Somebody Pick Up My Pieces" through "Butterfly," from his 2017 album God's Problem Child. It also features pop standards he put his mark on such as "Stardust," the American classic "Always On My Mind" and the country number "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys." Gabrielle will be joined by David Cook on piano, Pat O'Leary on bass and Eric Halvorson on drums. Tickets are available HERE.

Gabrielle's new album Dream Ago - available on the Big Modern Music label - features her sophisticated original songs. Since the recording's release in January, it has garnered acclaim from around the country: a five-star review in Downbeat hailed Gabrielle as "a lighthouse of emotional integrity" and praised the album's "versatile band," "blissful arrangements" and "rare tactility." According to LA Jazz Scene, "Dream Ago is filled with fresh, melodic and unpredictable music from a brilliant and inventive singer. A continually surprising and stimulating set." The Philadelpia Inquirer called Gabrielle "an intense vocalist with a talent for torch-song sadness" and "a passionate singer of original jazz song with intelligent storytelling abilities." The Huffington Post raved that "Dream Ago is one of the finer jazz albums you'll hear this year. It's a breakthrough recording, serving up a dazzling melange of the seductive, sophisticated vocals."

The album 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. The legendary musician - and the 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." 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."

Gabrielle's recent triumphant engagement at Feinstein's / 54 Below was praised by The New York Times for its "intense joy" and "voluptuous delight." Last year she performed in Azerbaijan, Moldova, Slovenia and Malta as part of the U.S. State Department's "American Music Abroad." She co-starred in the world premiere of Rooms of Light, the new song cycle with music by renowned jazz pianist Fred Hersch. 2016 marked her third annual performance at New York Public Radio / WNYC's Jonathan Schwartz Christmas Show opposite John Pizzarelli, Karrin Allyson, Bill Charlap and more. She sang with the Santa Rosa Symphony opposite Billy Stritch, appeared at the 92nd Street Y "Lyrics and Lyricists" and headlined the Eleuthera Jazz Festival in the Bahamas. Gabrielle's intimate piano/vocal duet recording Stairway to the Stars with Michael Kanan (Jimmy Scott, Madeleine Peyroux, Jane Monheit) was released last year.

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.

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