Styles: Vocal Jazz, Bossa Nova
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:32
Size: 111,4 MB
Art: Front
(5:02) 1. Berimbau
(7:03) 2. I Never Say Goodbye
(5:19) 3. Samba Do Aviao
(3:51) 4. The Old Country
(4:14) 5. Just One of Those Things
(6:24) 6. Lamento No Morro
(4:44) 7. I Have the Feeling I've Been Here Before
(7:14) 8. Lover Man
(4:36) 9. Angel Eyes
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:32
Size: 111,4 MB
Art: Front
(5:02) 1. Berimbau
(7:03) 2. I Never Say Goodbye
(5:19) 3. Samba Do Aviao
(3:51) 4. The Old Country
(4:14) 5. Just One of Those Things
(6:24) 6. Lamento No Morro
(4:44) 7. I Have the Feeling I've Been Here Before
(7:14) 8. Lover Man
(4:36) 9. Angel Eyes
Vocalist Gabriele Tranchina embodies a rare combination of European charm and New York style. Having left her native Germany in 1988, the source for her gracious manner of performance, Tranchina has absorbed all that her adopted land has to offer. Her broad repertoire from the popular songbook and the blues to samba and a variety of Latin forms is the veritable gumbo that constitutes American jazz. She truly brings an international perspective to her songs: no wonder "Old Country," the title track of her new CD, contains such great insight. Tranchina's talents have earned her a place on the stages of Birdland, the Blue Note, Metronome, the New Yorker Club, the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, and the National Academy Museum, among others. For a time, she hosted the Squire's popular open mic night. Her versatility with languages - she is tri-lingual and sings in English, German and French as well as Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish - has made her an asset to tour operators and hotels. She has performed for special events at New York's Marriott Marquis, Rockefeller Center's Sea Grill, and on Spirit Cruises.
Her husband, the pianist Joe Vincent Tranchina, often accompanies her. In addition to her busy schedule in the Tri-State area, Gabriele has won praise in her native Germany for appearances at the Hessen Jazzfest, Jazzfest Mirfelden Walldorf, the Mainz Arts and Crafts Festival, as well as Darmstadt's Heinerfest and Hochzeitsturmfest. That tiny city, known as a center of German jazz, also boasts numerous clubs: Tranchina has played its prestigious Achteckiges Haus, Oktave Jazzclub, and Cafe KUK. Renowned composer/big band leader Connie Scheffel chose Tranchina to record a number of his works. Berlitz's Rush Hour German a boy-meets-girl, musical theater adventure that departs from standard format language tapes - also features Tranchina's voice. She holds a BFA in Music and Physical Education with a teaching degree from J.W. Goethe University in Frankfurt. By the age of 20, Tranchina had traveled throughout Europe and spent a year touring India, Nepal, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. She pursued a career as a dancer and arrived in New York City to further her studies. Enrolled as a foreign student at Peridance and then the Broadway Dance Center/Ballet Arts, Tranchina danced for Ned Williams William Adair, Igal Perri and several other up-and-coming choreographers. Although an injury caused her to retire in 1993, New York and its music scene would not let her go. She would meet vocal legends Mark Murphy and Sheila Jordan, now long time friends and mentors, and began to organize vocal workshops for them (a story detailed in "Mark Murphy: Workshops Without Water Wings" Jazz Times Educational Supplement, 2002).
Tranchina also studied with vocalists Nancy Marano, Dominique Eade, and Jay Clayton, with lessons in improvisation from pianist Connie Crothers. Sessions with vocal coach Jeannie Lovetri, who heads the New York Voice Teachers Association and counts Meredith Monk and Helen Merrill among her pupils, helped Tranchina perfect her spectacular three octave range. She enjoys a sound reminiscent of "cool school" vocalists June Christy and Chris Connor.
At last, here is my debut recording. The Old Country endured a complicated birth, as life brought many unexpected delays. Instead of the usual nine months, this child took about two years before the final mix was completed. September 11, 2001, at noon was the initial date for the final mix. Little did I know that I and my husband would be evacuated from our apartment in Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan and consequently be without a home for months to come. So whenever I play this CD there is a bittersweet taste to it. The sweetness comes from friends like Sheila Jordan with whom we lived for three months, sharing wonderful moments, cherished forever; Mark Murphy who gave a benefit concert for us at the Blue Note, and finally, my vocal coach, Jeannie Lovetri, who continued coaching me for free until our money situation recovered.
At last, here is my debut recording. The Old Country endured a complicated birth, as life brought many unexpected delays. Instead of the usual nine months, this child took about two years before the final mix was completed. September 11, 2001, at noon was the initial date for the final mix. Little did I know that I and my husband would be evacuated from our apartment in Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan and consequently be without a home for months to come. So whenever I play this CD there is a bittersweet taste to it. The sweetness comes from friends like Sheila Jordan with whom we lived for three months, sharing wonderful moments, cherished forever; Mark Murphy who gave a benefit concert for us at the Blue Note, and finally, my vocal coach, Jeannie Lovetri, who continued coaching me for free until our money situation recovered.
The Old Country was deemed to be most appropriate as the title for my CD debut by Lara Pellegrinelli, freelance writer for JazzTimes and other publications. Laradescribes my voice as being "reminiscent of 'Cool School' vocalists June Christy and Chris Connor." It has been said that the years of living in New York City have made me a mixture of city coolness and "Old Country" charm and sophistication which come from my upbringing in Europe. Hence, "The Old Country" is a mixture of all these things, represented by standards, more obscure jazz tunes and Brazilian songs. http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=7192690&style=music&fulldesc=T
