Biography
I always loved music. I remember trying to learn English at a very young age, just to understand what they were singing about and I spend a lot of time drumming with chopsticks on anything that would sound good! I just loved the rhythm. I loved listening to soul and funk in that period.
In my early twenties I had the good fortune of rediscovering my voice and my talent.
Since then, my love for singing has always been my anker, my haven, my home.
For 2 years I sang in a reggeaband.
* Being able to truly sing and express myself freely..the way I feel deep inside....that is my goal....*˜
I started to take classical singing lessons to learn about the basic voice work and techniques, getting to know my voice and learning about its almost unlimited possibilities.
˜* If we all would do more singing, the world would be a better place, I am sure! *˜
I experimented with a lot of different music styles like pop, soul and funk, salsa, folk, rhythm and blues, country, hard rock and easy listening.
Then I heard Billy Holiday. She sang my blues like nobody else ever did. She inspired me enormously..and that's where I started to learn about blues and Jazz.
I took different classes with different teachers to learn more about singing Jazz...
In the last decade, I travelled many times to Portugal, where I became more familiar with Brazilian music, which I started to love.
Samba, Bossa Nova....It is wonderful to be able to sing them in their original language, Brazilian. They are like poems to me..no English translation can be that good.....
In the year 2000 I formed a band called "Lady sings the Blues & all that Jazz!" We have been playing at various sites in Portugal & Madeira including Fabrica do Polvora in Lisbon, the Vilamoura Jazz club, Stevie Ray's Blues & Jazz Bar in Lagos and the Loulé Jazz Festival 2001.
I have also been performing in California and I was invited by the SLO Jazz Federation for their 2004 annual Vocal Jazz Summit, where I had the pleasure of working with Jim Conroy, Sunny Wright, Julia Babbs, Edd Richards, Darrell Voss & Ken Husted.
These days I am getting more and more interested in the art of improvisation, making things up is fun! The joy of Jazz is the possibility to improvise, never to sing a song the same way twice.....
In February 2004 I recorded a CD with Darrell Voss (drums & percussion), Ken Husted (string bass), Garry Drysdale (on guitar) and Felix Menneau (piano), at the Blue Universe Studio in San Luis Obispo, California.
I have been so lucky as to meet some wonderful musicians in Amsterdam,
Clarence Becton (drums), Dirk Balthaus (piano) and Carlos Monteiro (Bass).
We have been performing together for several years now as the
"Gabriele van der Linden Quartet " and the chemistry is "Magic".
In November 2009 we recorded a live CD at The Marnixstudio in Amsterdam. Our repertoire consists of jazz standards played just a bit different, bossa nova's in their original language and we just love to play Monk tunes!
For more information about the musicians of the "Gabriele van der Linden Quartet" see the link page!
In 2007 I started a 4 year training Voice & Breathing therapy & Overtone singing. I am now at my 4th year and have started to give workshops and therapy sessions to individuals. It is all about rediscovering your natural breathing and inviting your whole body to breath and to become your instrument. This has a spectacular effect on your voice. Singing with your whole being....discovering your unique sound. I am excited about it because it works!
I had many wonderful teachers along the way, as there are Saskia Marz, Jo Alice, George Webb, my dear friend Marchelma Wijnands, and lately Josee Koning, Connie de Jongh, Deborah Carter and lately Borg Diem Groeneveld.
