| Gabriela is an Argentine-born singer/songwriter whose work has begun to garner acclaim outside of her native country. The daughter of a diplomat, she spent her formative years in Portugal, Turkey, Ireland, Brazil, and Argentina, where she absorbed a wealth of musical styles. Living in Paris in the late '60s, she worked in theater and began her musical career, influenced mostly by the Beatles, Joni Mitchell and Irish folk music, as well as her childhood idols, Harry Belafonte, Amalia Rodrigues, Miguel Aceves Mejia and Carlos Gardel.
Gabriela returned to Argentina in the early '70s, where she was one of the first women to pioneer the singing of the so-called "Rock en Español". In 1974, she released her first recording, Gabriela and contributed to the Argentine cult classic film, Hasta Que Se Ponga El Sol. In the late '70s, Gabriela moved to Los Angeles, where her distinctive voice and songwriting caught the attention of a number of influential musicians in the area. For her next recording, Ubalé (1980), she was joined Alex Acuña, David Lindley and Robben Ford. In 1983, Gabriela traveled to Sweden and followed with a third album, Friendship, a collaboration with a group of all Swedish musicians.
Her subsequent recording, Altas Planicies (1991), featured Dino Saluzzi, Alex Acuña, David Lindley, Pedro Aznar and Pino Marrone. Recorded in Los Angeles and Buenos Aires, the album represents a singular blend of contemporary pop and South American Folk Music. While living in Los Angeles Gabriela participated in American Chronicles, a TV series produced by David Lynch and Mark Frost, where she was invited to do a vocal improvisation for one of the sound tracks.
In 1996 Gabriela recorded her fifth album, Detrás Del Sol, for intuition. It was Bill Frisell who brought Gabriela's music to the attention of his producer, Lee Townsend. Detrás del Sol was recorded in San Francisco with a band of Bill Frisell, Alex Acuña, Bill Douglass, Rob Burger, Eyvind Kang. The project had its genesis in a tape Gabriela sent to Frisell who was captivated and immediately passed it on to Townsend. Detras del Sol was celebrated by both the European and American press and won the prestigious Deutschen Schallplattenkritik award in 1997. Stereo Magazine said "Gabriela's songs enchant the listener right from the start with their relaxed coziness, their intimate arrangements and their discreet Latin tint. This is music for endless desert highways."
Gabriela's most recent CD Viento Rojo, was also recorded in San Francisco with producer Lee Townsend, this time with a chamber-like ensemble of Bill Frisell on guitar, Eric Longsworth on cello, Viktor Krauss on bass and Jenny Scheinman on violin. Frisell arranged all the music on Viento Rojo, her second release on the Songline/Tone Field series.
Gabriela currently lives in Buenos Aires. |
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