In her stunning debut album Ambrosia ('food of the gods'), Australian singer/songwriter Jacqueline Gawler traverses eclectic musical terrain with an alternative/indie edge. Her searing compositions are underpinned by a rich harmonic language, while integrating quirky pop nuances, kitsch vocal harmonies, subtle programming, sleazy basslines and unapologetic rock moments. Augmented by Gawler's silken voice and feisty delivery, this album showcases 9 songs of incandescent beauty - stories of humanness, the end of the world, sweaty men, bloated goats and singing flight attendants - presenting voluptuous ballads alongside languid rock anthems, angelic vocal layering, intricate world-inspired grooves and sensuous poetry. Best listened to in its full-length format, Ambrosia takes listeners on a soulful, humorous and sonic journey through elements of the mind, the heart and the natural world.
'Effortlessly fluid vocals' The Age, Melbourne 'Sultry...' Ausjazz Blog
This exquisite debut is delivered by the well-schooled and multi-instrumental Jacqueline Gawler Band, featuring some of Melbourne's finest improvising musicians: Jacqueline Gawler (voice, piano, nord electro 73, kalimba, music box, chimes, shekere, bells, shakers), Fran Swinn (guitars, loops), Christopher Hale (electric bass, acoustic bass guitar, lap steel guitar, mandolin, pandeiro, surdo, agogô) & Ben Hendry (drums, percussion) plus special guests Eugene Ball (trumpet), Ben Gillespie (voice, trombone), Anthony Schultz (piano accordion), Simone Lang (cajôn) & Tamara Murphy (double bass) with additional programming by Hadyn Buxton. Engineered, mixed & mastered by Hadyn Buxton. Produced by Jacqueline Gawler & Hadyn Buxton.
Jacqueline Gawler is a long-standing singer/composer and creative force with award-winning iconic Australian vocal group Coco's Lunch, whose 6 original albums have received a host of awards and nominations including ARIA, USA Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards, APRA & Australian World Music Awards. She also trained intensively as a West African percussionist in Senegal, and performs as a drummer with AFö and Drummergirl. Jacqueline is also a highly regarded singer of Brazilian jazz in Portuguese, and in 2009 recorded with some of Brazil's finest musicians in Rio De Janeiro. She is one of Australia's most proficient improvising vocalists, performing with groups such as Stoneflower, the Picturebox Orchestra, the Jacqueline Gawler Band, Fran Swinn Trio and other contemporary ensembles.
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