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Gabriela Martina

Gabriela Martina is a vocalist, composer, and bandleader who grew up in Switzerland. She spent 13 years living and working in the US (Boston & New York) learning from the people who made Jazz (among many other styles of music originating from the US) as important of an art form as it is today.

Gabriela grew up yodeling with her family and had performances as early as the age of 4. Being raised on a beautiful farm in the heart of Switzerland surrounded by a musical family has influenced her musical path strongly. Martina’s upcoming album ‘Homage to Grämlis’ (2022, delayed by Corona 2020), is a tribute to the farm in the Swiss Alps where she was raised. In spring of 2019 she won the LABgrant from The Boston Foundation, which gave her great support with her album production of ‘Homage to Grämlis’.

In the fall of 2021, Martina had the great honor to receive the arts & culture award 2020 from the arts and culture commission Horw, her home town in Switzerland. This grant will further help the album release tour with ‘Homage to Grämlis’, that is now rescheduled for March 2022. She also received the DIPLÔME DE MÉDAILLE DE VERMEIL from the lauréats Arts-Sciences-Lettres, 2020, in Paris (France).

During the time of the pandemic, Gabriela Martina has composed nine new compositions for my newest album called ‘STATES’. The word ‘States’ refers to the United States of America, but also to a ‘state of mind’, or simply a ‘state of being’. Sounds created with your voice and percussion/drumming as the first human musical elements. I have used them as the core elements for my compositions. Her works include word play, music with words (spoken word) and words with no meaning (gibberish). The release for this album is slated for fall 2022.

Released in 2016 with a four-star review from DownBeat, her album, No White Shoes, represented a major step in the singer’s sojourn as a 21st-century musician. Martina had the opportunity to perform and collaborate with heavyweights like Meshell Ndegeocello, Jack DeJohnette, and Angelique Kidjo. She recorded with veteran drummer J.R. Robinson and was a semi-finalist in the Shure Voice Competition at the 2009 Montreux Jazz Festival, performing with guitarist Lee Ritenour’s band. Martina released a critically hailed EP in 2010, Curiosity, which included her original song “Ain’t Nobody,” a finalist in the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Foundation Young Jazz Composer Awards in 2012. Martina owns her own booking agency called Red Velvet Sounds and is cofounder and curator of the free improv concert series In Momentum.

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Radio & Podcasts

Gabriela Martina Interview

Read "Gabriela Martina Interview" reviewed by Doug Hall


A multi-genre vocalist, composer and educator, Gabriela Martina holds a bachelor's degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition, Gabriela has a master's degree from New England Conservatory, where she studied under Jason Moran, Miguel Zenon and Ken Schaphorst. Her current release in 2023 is Homage to Gramlis. Gabriela has received numerous awards both nationally and internationally including the LABgrant from the Boston Foundation. ...

10
Album Review

Gabriela Martina: No White Shoes

Read "No White Shoes" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


Swiss-born, Boston/New York based vocalist/composer Gabriela Martina makes her debut with No White Shoes, a collection of mostly original music with diverse influences. Jazz, rock, funk, pop, gospel and even Alpine roots music contribute to the eclectic mix. The opener “Narcissus" refers to the symbolism of the album's cover photo, with Martina's face obscured by a mirror. The songwriting and singing both recall Joni Mitchell--one of pop music's greatest eclectic artists--and Finnish guitarist Jussi Reijonen turns in a memorable rock ...

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45

Recording

Gabriela Martina Releases "Curiosity"

Gabriela Martina Releases "Curiosity"

Source: Michael Ricci

Incredible songwriting, arranging and musicianship, smooth flowing vocals, passion, honesty, and soul. Gabriela Martina and company delivers all this and more on Curiosity, her first offering to a music world in waiting. Featuring the talented lineup of Alex Bailey on drums, Kyle Miles on bass, Jussi Reijonen on guitar, and pianist Jiri Nedoma, this release is a powerful collection of Gabriela's thoughts on many aspects of the human experience. On “Ain't Nobody," smoky, sultry vocals glide over a tight rhythm ...

“GABRIELA MARTINA’S SWISS ROOTS OFFER AN INCREDIBLE RANGE AS SHE PRACTICALLY YODELS HER WAY THROUGH “NARCISSUS” EN ROUTE TO HER MOSTLY ORIGINALS PROGRAM ON NO WHITE SHOES (SELF RELEASE; 55:42 ★★★★)” – Downbeat, John Ephland

“NO WHITE SHOES OFFERS AN IMPRESSIVE RANGE OF MUSICAL SETTINGS FOR GABRIELA MARTINA’S AGILE VOICE IN HER ORIGINALS AND HER UNEXPECTED TAKES ON JAZZ STANDARDS. […] THE ALBUM IS A STRONG SHOWING FOR GABRIELA.” -Mark Small, Editor, Berklee Today magazine

“No White Shoes offers an impressive range of musical settings for Gabriela Martina’s agile voice in her originals and her unexpected takes on jazz standards. Of note are the gorgeous layered a cappella vocals in her treatment of Wayne Shorter’s “Witch Hunt,” the mood swings from the introspective “Us”and “Love Me” to the r&b bump of the title song, and a rocked up take on Dizzy’s “A Night in Tunisia.” Throughout, Gabriela scats liberally while also generously sharing solo time with her very capable band members. The album is a strong showing for Gabriela.” -Mark Small, Editor, Berklee Today magazine

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Primary Instrument

Vocals

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Credentials/Background

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Homage to Gramlis

Self-Produced
2023

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No White Shoes

Self Produced
2016

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Curiosity

Self Produced
2010

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https://soundcloud.com/gabrielamartina https://open.spotify.com/artist/2B50RZLr4wbnqALzhYeL00

Gone Tree

From: Homage to Gramlis
By Gabriela Martina

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