Mel & Ella Swing! ft. Billy Stritch & Gabrielle Stravelli

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Arts Garage

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Iconic singer/pianist Billy Stritch and acclaimed vocalist/songwriter Gabrielle Stravelli combine their considerable talents for an evening of great music celebrating the legendary Mel Tormé and Ella Fitzgerald. The show includes beloved favorites from the Great American Songbook (The Man I Love, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, Cheek to Cheek, and swinging jazz standards (Too Close for Comfort, Oh, Lady Be Good!) These two performers have brought their magic to stages all over the world and together bring an incredible knowledge and feel for this great music.

PERFORMER BIOS:

Pianist-singer Billy Stritch has been a presence on the New York and national nightclub scene for nearly four decades. He began his career in Houston, Texas, where he formed the vocal trio Montgomery, Plant and Stritch. The trio performed all over New York and Europe from 1983 until they disbanded in 1990. A chance meeting with Liza Minnelli in March of 1991 resulted in her asking him to create vocal arrangements for the record-breaking extravaganza Liza Stepping Out at Radio City Music Hall. In addition to his 25-year collaboration with as accompanist and opening act for Liza, Billy recently toured with the legendary Tony Bennett as Tony’s pianist and musical director. A solo entertainer in his own right, he has performed his own shows in concert halls and nightclubs across the country. He also hosted and curated tributes to Mel Tormé, Peggy Lee and Cy Coleman for 92Y’s Lyrics and Lyricists series.

Billy serves as music director for such leading vocalists as Linda Eder, Christine Ebersole, Linda Lavin, Max von Essen and Melissa Errico with whom he won Best Swing/Big Band Show by the readers of BroadwayWorld. The website also recently named him Outstanding Musical Director for the sixth time and his 2022 birthday show at New York’s famed Birdland Jazz Club was named Outstanding Vocal Jazz Engagement of the year. Billy is also the pianist for Jim Caruso’s Cast Party open mic night every Monday at New York’s legendary Birdland Jazz Club. He is co-writer of the Grammy-winning song “Does He Love You” recorded by Reba McEntire and Linda Davis. Lightning struck twice for this song as a new version was released in 2021 by Reba and the legendary Dolly Parton. During Covid, he created his own weekly Facebook live-stream show “Billy’s Place”, a series of 65 weekly episodes celebrating the Great American Songbook with songs and stories from his varied career. Billy has recorded five solo CDs and his latest CD release “Billy’s Place” (Club44 Records) is a collection of his favorite songs from these online concerts. Follow Billy on Instagram @billystritch

Gabrielle Stravelli combines a tremendous swing feel with a gift for lyric interpretation, leading to a career defined by highly individual choices and a genuine connection with audiences.

In 2024 Gabrielle made her Carnegie Hall debut with the New York Pops Orchestra and released her fifth album, Beautiful Moons Ago. She regularly leads her quartet at the country & finest jazz clubs & performing arts centers and has headlined domestic international jazz festivals including the 2025 Battersea Jazz Festival, London, the 2024 & 2023 Delaware Water Gap COTA Festival, 2023 Cape Cod Jazz Festival, 2023 Cayman Arts Festival, 2024, ‘21 & ‘18 WBGO Jazz on the Mountain Festival, 2019 Providencia Jazz Festival in Chile and the 2016 Eleuthera Jazz Festival.

Gabrielle has collaborated with world-renowned jazz pianist Fred Hersch three times, most recently recording the song cycle “Suspended In Time”. She toured the U.S. premiering & Abyssinian & with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and as a U.S. State Department & Jazz Ambassador since 2015, she has performed and taught throughout Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and South America.

BAND MEMBERS:

Billy Stritch - Piano and Vocals

Gabrielle Stravelli - Vocals

Pat O’Leary - Bass

Goetz Kujack - Drums