My poem-songs are influenced from slams and readings at the legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe and from listening to Jeff Buckley play at the Sin-e Cafe all the time in the early 90's. I've worked with musicians Matt Heyner, Rappaport, Angel Rodriguez, Dorothy Scott, DJ Steph-Eye and Jimi Zhivago and performed at small venues throughout NYC, Montreal, Canada and recently at the Storyhill Music Festival in Bozeman, Montana. Jack McKeever at the maids room in NYC co-produced First Out The Door, 1996. This cd was recorded by Mike Kohler at goldenbug recording, NYC.
I've collaborated with many choreographers in dance theater projects performed at cafes and theaters all over NYC, Montreal and the Bronx: Aaron Davis Hall, BAAD!/Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance, Bowery Poetry Club, le Cagibi, casa del popolo, Danspace Project, Judson Church, Joe's Pub, Nuyorican Poets Cafe, PS122, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, among others. Dance is also a big creative influence for my writing!
I've also really been into creating many performance opportunities for other singers and musicians like La Bruja, Annabelle Chvostek, Catherine Kidd, Stella Padnos, Rose Polenzani, La Roka, Jordi Rosen, Dorothy Scott, Martha Wainwright, among others, and they all influenced me to make new stuff.
My work pretty much lies between poetry and song, and I try to give performances a storytelling, theatrical quality. Vocally, my voice tends to fall towards blues and jazz, and has a definite old-school 1940s flavor. Influences are Laurie Anderson, La Bruja, Jeff Buckley, June Christy, Beth Gibbons, Billie Holiday, Issa/Jane Siberry, Katell Keineg, Joan as Police Woman, Dorothy Scott, Nina Simone, and Saul Williams, among others. My friend, dancer and performer KJ Holmes told me that my work conjures word as sound and sound as poetics in the style of storytelling as performance art. Sounds good to me!
www.janegabriels.com
dedicated to all musicians, dancers, writers, artists -- who are playing, rehearsing, cutting up a groove in their busy quiet room, walking alone until the muse starts to smile.
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