Gaby Moreno
Encyclopedia
Gaby Moreno is originally from Guatemala City
, Guatemala
and is an award-winning singer, songwriter
and guitarist
. She now resides in Los Angeles
, California
.
As Moreno devoured albums by Robert Johnson, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald, she discovered an affinity for the vintage African American sounds of the 20s, 30s and 40s. She combined them with the sound of the Latin music she loved from the same era to create the 12 tunes on Illustrated Songs. Her affection for old fashion music is even reflected in the record’s title.
“The illustrated song is a type of visual art from the vaudeville era of the 20s,” Moreno explains. “You could consider it an early kind of video. They’d project still images from glass slides on a screen and have live musicians playing to accompany the pictures. Since this album was inspired by the music of the 20s and 30s, the title went well with the mood of the record. Every song is in its own little world.”
Moreno co-produced Illustrated Songs with engineer Ryan Freeland (Aimee Mann, Grant-Lee Phillips, Ray LaMontagne). The album was cut live, in four days, with her regular rhythm section; Sebastian Aymanns on drums, bassist Leslie Lowe and Moreno herself on guitar, complimented by a string, horn and woodwind section arranged and conducted by Paul Bryan (Aimee Mann, Grant-Lee Phillips) as well as guest musicians Patrick Warren, Larry Goldings, Greg Leisz, Bob Mintzer, David Piltch and Mark Goldenberg.
Illustrated Songs includes tunes in Spanish and English. Moreno’s supple vocals are both soulful and elegant, casting an inviting spell that’s midway between innocence and experience. The album opens with “Intento,” a meditation on love’s uncertainty set to a laid back, vaguely Latin pop rhythm. Patrick Warren’s serene piano compliments Moreno’s wistful vocal. “I found a poem in a journal I wrote when I was 17,” Moreno says. “It fit a melody I had that I couldn’t find any words for. I don’t usually work that way, but it was a perfect fit.”
“Ave que Emigra,” was inspired partly by Gaby’s own experience migrating to the USA as well as the Arizona's anti-immigration stance. Its Latinized Bo Biddley beat supports a rocking, mostly acoustic performance, marked by tasty mandolin fills, Lowe’s syncopated bass line and Moreno’s playful vibrato. “Mean Old Circus” has an ominous feel, intensified by a dark arrangement that veers from a verse using calliope/oran, sinister accordions and Celeste to a sprightly ragtime chorus. Moreno gets in touch with her inner Aretha on “Sing Me Life,” one of the album’s most soulful tracks. The arrangement tips its hat to the ‘60s sound of Stax/Volt with Golding’s big Hammond B3, Greg Leisz’s tough distorted guitar and Moreno’s strong, dynamic vocal.
Bob Mintzer’s baritone clarinet sets the melancholy tone for “Garrick,” a tune based on “Reir Llorando (Laughing Crying),” a poem by Juan De Dios Peza, that Moreno loved as a girl. “Everybody says go see Garrick if you’re depressed. He’s a comedian with an otherworldly aura and he’ll cure you. In the last verse, a doctor tells a man that if reading a good book, or loving a woman, can’t light his spirits, he should go see Garrick. The patient says, ‘I am Garrick. Change my prescription.’ This is my version of the story.” The jazzy big band arrangement brings to mind the hits of Cab Calloway, with Moreno crooning the cheerless lyric with an insouciant nonchalance.
Other stand out tracks include “No Regrets,” a bossa nova sung in Spanish and English, driven by the acoustic bass of David Piltch and Moreno’s mischievous vocal; “Fin” a tropical groove that blends a 50s country waltz with Hawaiian lap steel, mariachi guitars and a sassy vocal from Moreno, Y Tu Sombra” a ballad accented by Aymanns’ subtle percussion accents and the smoky cabaret number “Daydream By Design,” a bright and breezy performance that shows off Moreno’s excellent phrasing and Golding’s sprightly piano work.
The inventive orchestrations of Illustrated Songs highlight Moreno’s remarkable growth as a singer and songwriter. “I wanted to push myself this time and explore all the colors I hear in the music. Edith Piaf, The Boswell Sisters, classic boleros and Trio Los Panchos got into my brain and transported me to another era. I tapped into that when I was composing these songs”
Gaby Moreno was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Her family wasn’t particularly musical, but Moreno was singing before she could talk. “When I was 2 years old, my mom would take me to parties,” Moreno recalls. “I’d get up on a table and say, ‘Ladies and gentleman, Gaby Moreno will now sing for you!’ I was not shy at all. When I was five, I was singing along to a classical piece and she heard I had perfect pitch. She took me to voice lessons; I never stopped.
Moreno continued performing at festivals, mostly Disney and Broadway tunes. She also listened to Latin pop music on the radio until a fateful trip to New York City. “I like musicals, so my parents took me to see Les Miserables. After I heard an African-American woman singing on the street, I went to the nearest record store, saw they had a blues aisle and bought a bunch of CDs: The first song I put on back home was Koko Taylor’s ‘Wang Dang Doodle.’
The blues overtook Moreno’s life. She studied hard and discovered early jazz, torch songs, soul, R&B and artists like The Boswell Sisters and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, as well as the classic Mexican sounds of Trio Los Panchos. “I learned English from blues records. I’d read the lyrics, then go to my dictionary. In school, we had basic English, but the records made me interested in learning it and singing it.”
The sax was the first instrument that spoke to Moreno, but when her mother bought her a guitar, she was captivated. “As soon as I knew a couple of chords, I started writing songs. I wanted to play the blues.
As soon as she was out of high school, Moreno came to the U.S. and enrolled at the Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles. “I met my drummer Sebastian as well as my bass player Leslie there. Living in Los Angeles, surrounded by different musician friends, I discovered the classic rock of the Kinks, Zombies and Harry Nilsson.”
In 2006, she won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest with her song “Escondidos,” first in the Latin category, then overall. That success gave her the confidence to produce her debut album, Still The Unknown. The album was played on KCRW and NPR, getting excellent reviews praising its sparse, elegant sound and Moreno’s quietly soulful vocals. The record’s success led to opening slots on tours with Tracy Chapman and Ani DiFranco. In 2010, an instrumental piece Moreno wrote with musician friend Vincent Jones was selected as the theme for the new NBC show Parks and Recreation. The theme earned an Emmy Nomination. Moreno’s tunes were also used on E!’s Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, Lincoln Heights and Ghost Whisperer on ABC and MTV’s The Hills.
In the summer of 2010, Moreno played the Roskilde Festival in Denmark with singer/composer Van Dyke Parks, performing traditional Latin American songs mixed with Calypso and Americana music. Parks and Moreno are planning a recorded collaboration of standards, but in the meantime Moreno will stay busy touring Europe, Latin America and the US to support Illustrated Songs.
's Ariana Morgernstern, Producer of Morning Becomes Eclectic
, featured Moreno in an October 2008 podcast and bestowed "Today's Top Tune" status on her song "Song of You" for a day as well. She said she was "caught by surprise with its organic and understated feel. She sings beautifully both in English and Spanish."
NPR
.org reviewed Moreno's debut record Still the Unknown and said: "Whether Moreno decides to stick with pop, soul or Latin (or a fusion of all three) for future releases, Still the Unknown is a promising debut that indicates she won't go unnoticed for much longer." NPR.org - Gaby Moreno Song of You
In 2006, she won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest with her song “Escondidos,” first in the Latin category, then overall.
In July 2010 Moreno was nominated alongside her co-writer Vincent Jones for an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Main Title Theme Music for their theme song to NBC's
"Parks and Recreation
.".
In 2010 Moreno was awarded "Favorite American Latino Indie Artist" at the American Latino Awards (run by American Latino TV
).
In 2011 the following comments were made about Gaby:
"Gaby Moreno’s soulful vocals and ability to switch languages and genres have made her a rising star.”
-NPR All Things Considered
"The Guatemalan songwriter Gaby Moreno plucked ragtimey syncopations on a well-worn acoustic guitar, and let loose a tangy, bluesy voice with the feistiness of Édith Piaf."
- NY Times
"Moreno's breathtaking voice is passionate and stylistically malleable, as she glides back and forth easily between bossa nova and bluesy rock."
-NPR Tiny Desk Concerts
“This Guatemalan American singer-songwriter alternates fluidly between languages, whether spoken (English and Spanish) or musical, easing in and out of everything from folksy alt country to retro blues rock …Plucky, quirky and insightful, Moreno has the grace and the skill to make it big.”
– Rhapsody: #3 Top 10 Latin Alt Albums of Spring 2011
“Our little secret is neither little nor secret any more ...[On] Illustrated Songs, influences of soul and Spanish ballads explode in a synergy of musical pieces that impeccably represent a young artist with a rich, old soul”
– Al Borde
“I really fell in love with this record, because there is so much to her voice …her voice really stands out - very sweet and soulful … adapting to different genres of music … she can go from a dreamy/folksy, very laid back feel, to a tougher edge blast of R&B, to a song that reminds me of something from the 1920’s ...to a Brazilian bossa nova song that she sings in English and Spanish.”
– Felix Contreras, NPR’s “Alt. Latino”
“The Best [New] Latin Music... Meet your next favorite from the Spanish-speaking world: Gaby Moreno, Old-School, soulful pop... Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald are hard acts to follow, but Gaby Moreno takes her idols’ signature bluesiness and marries it with a little Latin flare”
– Latina
. Later in November 2009, Moreno toured as direct support for Ani Difranco
, on an east coast tour. Difranco invited Moreno back out on tour Jan/Feb 2010.
In early 2011 Moreno and her band played their first headlining tour. They toured through Holland and Belgium
performing as part of the "World Sessions" tour. In addition, Moreno and her band opened as direct support for Nouvelle Vague for three shows in Germany
.
2009 - The Cove - sang the song "Smile" (written by Charlie Chaplin
) in the Academy Award-winning documentary
2010 - "Quizas" - cover song
2010 - A Good Old Christmastime EP (released independently)
2011 - European release of "Still the Unknown" (World Connection Records)
2011 - Illustrated Songs
(released independently)
Guatemala City
Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and is an award-winning singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
. She now resides in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Biography
Gaby Moreno’s new album, Illustrated Songs, continues her love affair with the sounds of the blues, soul and jazz that captivated her as a girl. Although she was born and raised in Guatemala, it was the sounds of the American South that inspired her to become a songwriter and recording artist. “I heard an African American woman singing on the street in New York City when I was younger. I just froze. When I asked her what she called that music, she looked at me and said, ‘That’s the blues, honey.’”As Moreno devoured albums by Robert Johnson, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald, she discovered an affinity for the vintage African American sounds of the 20s, 30s and 40s. She combined them with the sound of the Latin music she loved from the same era to create the 12 tunes on Illustrated Songs. Her affection for old fashion music is even reflected in the record’s title.
“The illustrated song is a type of visual art from the vaudeville era of the 20s,” Moreno explains. “You could consider it an early kind of video. They’d project still images from glass slides on a screen and have live musicians playing to accompany the pictures. Since this album was inspired by the music of the 20s and 30s, the title went well with the mood of the record. Every song is in its own little world.”
Moreno co-produced Illustrated Songs with engineer Ryan Freeland (Aimee Mann, Grant-Lee Phillips, Ray LaMontagne). The album was cut live, in four days, with her regular rhythm section; Sebastian Aymanns on drums, bassist Leslie Lowe and Moreno herself on guitar, complimented by a string, horn and woodwind section arranged and conducted by Paul Bryan (Aimee Mann, Grant-Lee Phillips) as well as guest musicians Patrick Warren, Larry Goldings, Greg Leisz, Bob Mintzer, David Piltch and Mark Goldenberg.
Illustrated Songs includes tunes in Spanish and English. Moreno’s supple vocals are both soulful and elegant, casting an inviting spell that’s midway between innocence and experience. The album opens with “Intento,” a meditation on love’s uncertainty set to a laid back, vaguely Latin pop rhythm. Patrick Warren’s serene piano compliments Moreno’s wistful vocal. “I found a poem in a journal I wrote when I was 17,” Moreno says. “It fit a melody I had that I couldn’t find any words for. I don’t usually work that way, but it was a perfect fit.”
“Ave que Emigra,” was inspired partly by Gaby’s own experience migrating to the USA as well as the Arizona's anti-immigration stance. Its Latinized Bo Biddley beat supports a rocking, mostly acoustic performance, marked by tasty mandolin fills, Lowe’s syncopated bass line and Moreno’s playful vibrato. “Mean Old Circus” has an ominous feel, intensified by a dark arrangement that veers from a verse using calliope/oran, sinister accordions and Celeste to a sprightly ragtime chorus. Moreno gets in touch with her inner Aretha on “Sing Me Life,” one of the album’s most soulful tracks. The arrangement tips its hat to the ‘60s sound of Stax/Volt with Golding’s big Hammond B3, Greg Leisz’s tough distorted guitar and Moreno’s strong, dynamic vocal.
Bob Mintzer’s baritone clarinet sets the melancholy tone for “Garrick,” a tune based on “Reir Llorando (Laughing Crying),” a poem by Juan De Dios Peza, that Moreno loved as a girl. “Everybody says go see Garrick if you’re depressed. He’s a comedian with an otherworldly aura and he’ll cure you. In the last verse, a doctor tells a man that if reading a good book, or loving a woman, can’t light his spirits, he should go see Garrick. The patient says, ‘I am Garrick. Change my prescription.’ This is my version of the story.” The jazzy big band arrangement brings to mind the hits of Cab Calloway, with Moreno crooning the cheerless lyric with an insouciant nonchalance.
Other stand out tracks include “No Regrets,” a bossa nova sung in Spanish and English, driven by the acoustic bass of David Piltch and Moreno’s mischievous vocal; “Fin” a tropical groove that blends a 50s country waltz with Hawaiian lap steel, mariachi guitars and a sassy vocal from Moreno, Y Tu Sombra” a ballad accented by Aymanns’ subtle percussion accents and the smoky cabaret number “Daydream By Design,” a bright and breezy performance that shows off Moreno’s excellent phrasing and Golding’s sprightly piano work.
The inventive orchestrations of Illustrated Songs highlight Moreno’s remarkable growth as a singer and songwriter. “I wanted to push myself this time and explore all the colors I hear in the music. Edith Piaf, The Boswell Sisters, classic boleros and Trio Los Panchos got into my brain and transported me to another era. I tapped into that when I was composing these songs”
Gaby Moreno was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Her family wasn’t particularly musical, but Moreno was singing before she could talk. “When I was 2 years old, my mom would take me to parties,” Moreno recalls. “I’d get up on a table and say, ‘Ladies and gentleman, Gaby Moreno will now sing for you!’ I was not shy at all. When I was five, I was singing along to a classical piece and she heard I had perfect pitch. She took me to voice lessons; I never stopped.
Moreno continued performing at festivals, mostly Disney and Broadway tunes. She also listened to Latin pop music on the radio until a fateful trip to New York City. “I like musicals, so my parents took me to see Les Miserables. After I heard an African-American woman singing on the street, I went to the nearest record store, saw they had a blues aisle and bought a bunch of CDs: The first song I put on back home was Koko Taylor’s ‘Wang Dang Doodle.’
The blues overtook Moreno’s life. She studied hard and discovered early jazz, torch songs, soul, R&B and artists like The Boswell Sisters and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, as well as the classic Mexican sounds of Trio Los Panchos. “I learned English from blues records. I’d read the lyrics, then go to my dictionary. In school, we had basic English, but the records made me interested in learning it and singing it.”
The sax was the first instrument that spoke to Moreno, but when her mother bought her a guitar, she was captivated. “As soon as I knew a couple of chords, I started writing songs. I wanted to play the blues.
As soon as she was out of high school, Moreno came to the U.S. and enrolled at the Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles. “I met my drummer Sebastian as well as my bass player Leslie there. Living in Los Angeles, surrounded by different musician friends, I discovered the classic rock of the Kinks, Zombies and Harry Nilsson.”
In 2006, she won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest with her song “Escondidos,” first in the Latin category, then overall. That success gave her the confidence to produce her debut album, Still The Unknown. The album was played on KCRW and NPR, getting excellent reviews praising its sparse, elegant sound and Moreno’s quietly soulful vocals. The record’s success led to opening slots on tours with Tracy Chapman and Ani DiFranco. In 2010, an instrumental piece Moreno wrote with musician friend Vincent Jones was selected as the theme for the new NBC show Parks and Recreation. The theme earned an Emmy Nomination. Moreno’s tunes were also used on E!’s Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, Lincoln Heights and Ghost Whisperer on ABC and MTV’s The Hills.
In the summer of 2010, Moreno played the Roskilde Festival in Denmark with singer/composer Van Dyke Parks, performing traditional Latin American songs mixed with Calypso and Americana music. Parks and Moreno are planning a recorded collaboration of standards, but in the meantime Moreno will stay busy touring Europe, Latin America and the US to support Illustrated Songs.
Critical praise
KCRWKCRW
KCRW is a public radio station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, carrying a mix of National Public Radio news, talk radio and freeform music format. The general manager of KCRW is Jennifer Ferro...
's Ariana Morgernstern, Producer of Morning Becomes Eclectic
Morning Becomes Eclectic
Morning Becomes Eclectic is a three-hour adult album alternative radio program first aired in 1977 and broadcast live every weekday from KCRW in Santa Monica, California. The show's name is a play on the Eugene O'Neill trilogy of plays, Mourning Becomes Electra.The show is hosted by Jason Bentley,...
, featured Moreno in an October 2008 podcast and bestowed "Today's Top Tune" status on her song "Song of You" for a day as well. She said she was "caught by surprise with its organic and understated feel. She sings beautifully both in English and Spanish."
NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
.org reviewed Moreno's debut record Still the Unknown and said: "Whether Moreno decides to stick with pop, soul or Latin (or a fusion of all three) for future releases, Still the Unknown is a promising debut that indicates she won't go unnoticed for much longer." NPR.org - Gaby Moreno Song of You
In 2006, she won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest with her song “Escondidos,” first in the Latin category, then overall.
In July 2010 Moreno was nominated alongside her co-writer Vincent Jones for an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Main Title Theme Music for their theme song to NBC's
"Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
.".
In 2010 Moreno was awarded "Favorite American Latino Indie Artist" at the American Latino Awards (run by American Latino TV
American Latino TV
American Latino TV is an award winning nationally syndicated television program produced by American Latino Syndication, a division of LATV Networks. The weekly magazine and culture lifestyle program showcases American and foreign-born Latinos making a positive impact in American society...
).
In 2011 the following comments were made about Gaby:
"Gaby Moreno’s soulful vocals and ability to switch languages and genres have made her a rising star.”
-NPR All Things Considered
"The Guatemalan songwriter Gaby Moreno plucked ragtimey syncopations on a well-worn acoustic guitar, and let loose a tangy, bluesy voice with the feistiness of Édith Piaf."
- NY Times
"Moreno's breathtaking voice is passionate and stylistically malleable, as she glides back and forth easily between bossa nova and bluesy rock."
-NPR Tiny Desk Concerts
“This Guatemalan American singer-songwriter alternates fluidly between languages, whether spoken (English and Spanish) or musical, easing in and out of everything from folksy alt country to retro blues rock …Plucky, quirky and insightful, Moreno has the grace and the skill to make it big.”
– Rhapsody: #3 Top 10 Latin Alt Albums of Spring 2011
“Our little secret is neither little nor secret any more ...[On] Illustrated Songs, influences of soul and Spanish ballads explode in a synergy of musical pieces that impeccably represent a young artist with a rich, old soul”
– Al Borde
“I really fell in love with this record, because there is so much to her voice …her voice really stands out - very sweet and soulful … adapting to different genres of music … she can go from a dreamy/folksy, very laid back feel, to a tougher edge blast of R&B, to a song that reminds me of something from the 1920’s ...to a Brazilian bossa nova song that she sings in English and Spanish.”
– Felix Contreras, NPR’s “Alt. Latino”
“The Best [New] Latin Music... Meet your next favorite from the Spanish-speaking world: Gaby Moreno, Old-School, soulful pop... Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald are hard acts to follow, but Gaby Moreno takes her idols’ signature bluesiness and marries it with a little Latin flare”
– Latina
Tour
In August 2009 Moreno toured along with established singer/songwriter Tracy ChapmanTracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.-Biography:Tracy Chapman was born in Cleveland,...
. Later in November 2009, Moreno toured as direct support for Ani Difranco
Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
, on an east coast tour. Difranco invited Moreno back out on tour Jan/Feb 2010.
In early 2011 Moreno and her band played their first headlining tour. They toured through Holland and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
performing as part of the "World Sessions" tour. In addition, Moreno and her band opened as direct support for Nouvelle Vague for three shows in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Discography
2008 - Still the Unknown (released independently)2009 - The Cove - sang the song "Smile" (written by Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
) in the Academy Award-winning documentary
2010 - "Quizas" - cover song
2010 - A Good Old Christmastime EP (released independently)
2011 - European release of "Still the Unknown" (World Connection Records)
2011 - Illustrated Songs
Illustrated songs
An illustrated song is a type of performance art and was a popular form of entertainment in the early 20th century in the United States.Live performers and music recordings were both used by different venues to accompany still images projected from glass slides...
(released independently)