Runner-up at the 2009 Jazzmobile Vocal Competition!
"Let me just say this about Gabrielle Stravelli, a petite, amusing jazz-pop-rock (not necessarily in that order) singer: I haven't heard a more promising newcomer since I went to Jane Monheit's Village Vanguard bow five or six years ago.
Vocally, the dark-haired Stravelli has it all, which she proved within brief minutes at the second of two recent Laurie Beechman Theater dates. (She may have never heard the great Beechman, but she's certainly in the tradition of the room's namesake.) Always on pitch and able to blast a note one moment and modulate it to a whisper the next, she sings with American Idol power. But unlike many of those wannabes (always excepting Melinda Doolittle), she understands the intrinsic need to remain musical. Melismas? She indulges in them — but sparely, creatively.
Her taste in material and in genres is wide-ranging and impeccable. Although she opened courageously with a slow "Skylark" (Johnny Mercer-Hoagy Carmichael) and included the Johnny Burke-Jimmy Van Heusen "Here's That Rainy Day" and a lambent "Speak Low" (Ogden Nash-Kurt Weill) in tandem with Joni Mitchell's "Talk to Me," she also mined quality items from '60s and '70s rock groups like Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, and the Kinks. Her version of the last aggregate's war-is-hell "Some Mother's Son" (Ray Davies) was another bold highlight.
Stravelli isn't doing it alone. The tangy band laying a solid foundation for her includes adventurous keyboardist Brian Gelfand, flying-fingers guitarist Dan Nadel, gallant bassist J.B. Flatt (there's a musical name for you, and he wrote her bluesy "Please Don't Tempt Me"), and brushes-suave drummer Patrick Carmichael. The simmering lads contributed to the sense that when Stravelli sings the Parliament-Funkadelic "Fantasy Is Reality" (George Clinton-Leon Ware-Bernie Worrell), she's signaling that when she's around, fantastic is the reality."
David Finkle, Backstage
“When you come to see Gabrielle Stravelli, at the Laurie Beechman Theater – and you owe yourself that delight – be ready for a new musical experience. Gabrielle is one of a kind, and so is her show. First, there’s Gabrielle herself: adorable, gamine-like, twinkling eyes, instilling her singing with a sense of joy. Then there’s her voice: clear and clean, expressive, supple, with unforced power… The combination, and the performance, form a class by itself.” Peter Haas, Cabaret Scenes
Influences
Ella Fitzgerald, Anita O'Day, Sharon Jones, Etta James, Chet Baker, Neil Young, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan, Al Green, Outkast, Aerosmith, Koko B. Ware, Allman Brothers, Roberta Flack, Fela Kuti, Betty Carter, Big Mama Thornton, Bob Marley, Buddy Holly, Chick Corea, Slick Rick, Rick James, Dolly Parton, Donny Hathaway, Elvis Presley, Mahalia Jackson, Esther Marrow, Flo and Eddie, Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, T. Rex, Isley Brothers, Jaco Pastorius, Jill Scott, Mary J. Blige, K.D. Lang, Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, Shuggie Otis, Matt Bogart, Parliament, Phoebe Snow, The Roches, Rufus Wainwright, Whitney Houston, Beach Boys
“One of today's most promising vocalists on the cabaret scene, Gabrielle Stravelli is a pop/jazz cross between Norah Jones and Jane Monheit – only better. Whether crooning sultry standards like “Skylark or “My Foolish Heart” or playing with Pink Floyd, she embraces each line with perfect, supple phrasing and effective breath control that rivals all that the competition longs for. With luck, she will be picked up by a jazz label and given the world stage her talents deserve.” John Hoglund- theaterscene.net 1/17/2009- list of top ten cabaret in 2008
"IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THE NEXT BETTE MIDLER OR AMY WINEHOUSE, SHE'S NOT IT. WHAT SHE IS IS THE FIRST GABRIELLE STRAVELLI, AND THAT'S SO, SO MUCH BETTER. SHE PLUCKS THE TUNES FROM EVERY WHICH-WHERE AND TURNS THEM INTO POWERHOUSE INDIVIDUAL EXPRESSIONS. RIGHT NOW, SHE'S HOTTER THAN THE EQUATOR." - David Finkle, The Village Voice
At The After Party singing JB Flatt's "Don't Tempt Me":
“Eschewing phony glamour in favor of honest communication, Stravelli has a forceful emotional presence and a versatile, well-shaded voice.” Adam Feldman, Time Out New York
Seeing how you are doing. I love you in my special area. Hope you are doing well. I'm in Massachussetts till July. We must hang then. I'm trying to put together a set. We can have a meeting.
hey girl- hope you're doing well- miss talking to you- I actually performed a few times at the Laurie Beechman theater over the past couple of months and I always thing of you and your awesome show:)
Thanks for the add... We came down from Boston to go to the Union Hall show on Saturday night. We were totally blown away by your singing. Hopefully we can catch you singing this type of music in the future Larry & Karen
Ms. Gabrielle...I'm so glad you're on here. Hoping to catch you on the 17th (is it?) with Andrew. Miss you! Great knowing I can hear that Strav wherever I am, near or far!
