Pick Up My Pieces: The Music of Willie Nelson presented by Gabrielle Stravelli“Willie Nelson once described country music as ‘Three chords and the truth.’ Stravelli gets that and she brilliantly conveys the emotional truth—whether joy, or in the case of so many country tunes, heartbreak—behind each song. Gabrielle Stravelli, a brilliantly talented artist in her own right, succeeds in creating completely new works of art while honoring Nelson’s achievements.” -The Huffington PostAward-winning vocalist and songwriter, Gabrielle Stravelli is coming back to the Delray Beach Playhouse to present her newest album “Pick Up My Pieces: The Music of Willie Nelson.” The CD is dedicated to the music and life of the “Red Headed Stranger,” and covers the full spectrum of Nelson’s catalog; from his early hits like “Three Days” and “Blame It On The Times” to favorites from his blockbuster album of American standards like “Stardust” to eternal classics like “Crazy” and “Nightlife.” Alongside the music, Stravelli will weave in stories from Nelson’s famously colorful personal life and storied 50-plus year career, while honoring and reimagining the music of one of America’s greatest songwriters.“Much like her subject, Willie Nelson, GabrielleStravellihas stuck to her artistic vision, and gone forward where others might have compromised or thrown in the towel. Her program of songs written by and/or associated with Willie Nelson found her reconceiving the Nelson material in a jazz context with intelligence, imagination, musicality and a voice that equaled all of the challenges that the material presented.” –Joe Lang, Jersey JazzGabrielle Stravelli has garnered critical acclaim and a loyal following through her rich sound, original compositions and her unique take on an array of material from the Great American Songbook, as well as by contemporary artists. A trained actor, Gabrielle has a soulful sensitivity for the story in the lyric and was called “a powerhouse of individual expression” by the Village Voice.Gabrielle began singing professionally at age 15, as a soloist with the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea in New Jersey, and has since performed on stages from Azerbaijan to New York including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Birdland, The Jazz Standard, Cabaret 313 (Detroit), Nighttown (Cleveland), Vitello’s (LA) and multiple national music festivals – to name just a few.Highlights of her work in recent years include touring the world as a United States Department of State “Jazz Ambassador,” headlining the 2018 WBGO Jazz on the Mountain Festival, and touring the US with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.