Vocal Improvs created for a mix-media dance production.

3 Vocal Improvs

Valentine's Day

Riding, riding,
Wind in your hair 
This time you’re riding
But you’re not riding scared 
Cause you lived a tale to tell 
And you broke it’s spell 

Running, running,
Leaving it all behind 
You built a castle
But the water she crossed the line
Oh, when things fade 
Or take a turn along the way 
                                 
Well it’s just another day 
Everything’s gotta change 
Nothing stays the same 
Learning to ride the wave
Hoo-oo-oo
Hoo-oo-oo

Morning, morning,
The sun she’s on the rise 
Not one among us 
Can stop the wheels of time 
She takes and gives
The very best of life 

So love her, love her, 
Hold her while you can 
Will you uncover
The places that she’s been 
Hoo-oo-oo
Hoo-oo-oo

And it’s just another day 
On Valentine’s day 
And it’s another day
This Valentine’s Day 
Hoo-oo-oo
Hoo-oo-oo
Hoo-oo-oo

MUSICIAN CREDITS:
Gabrielle Pietrangelo: vocals and guitar
Steven Lee Tracy: keyboard, guitar and percussion

SONG CREDITS:
Written by Gabrielle Pietrangelo
Recorded by Steven Lee Tracy at Saint Cecilia's Studio (Tucson, AZ)
Mixed by Gabrielle Pietrangelo and Jim Waters (Tucson, AZ)
Mastered by Alan Silverman at Ariel Sound (Manhattan, NY)
Produced by Gabrielle Pietrangelo and Steven Lee Tracy

Valentine’s Day

Rise

Rise again, rise again
Blue of the water surrounds you
Light of the sun in your hair
Place where the land and sky hold the river
Smell of sagebrush in the air

Rise again, rise again
Voice of the water surrounds you
Gold of the sunshine in your hair
Place where the land and sky hold the river
Smell of sagebrush in the air
In the air

Driving into Taos
From the south I see
Light of the setting sun
Coloring the mountains
That surround her
I have come to feel my feet
Breathe my breath
In my heart I know 
I’m coming home again

Rise, rise, rise again
Rise, rise, rise again
Rise, rise, rise again
In my heart I know
I’m coming home

MUSICIAN CREDITS:
Gabrielle Pietrangelo: vocals, guitar and harmonium
Nicholas Coventry: violin and viola
Thøger Lund: upright bass
Casey Hadland: drums, bowed vibes and percussion

SONG CREDITS:
Written by Gabrielle Pietrangelo
Recorded by Jim Waters at Waterworks Recording Studio (Tucson, AZ)
Mixed by Rami Yadid (Tucson, AZ)
Mastered by Alan Silverman at Ariel Sound (Manhattan, NY)
Produced by Gabrielle Pietrangelo

Rise

El Gran Altar

Hoo-oo-oo
She lives in the arroyo bed
Dry in the summer heat
She swims through your dreams at night
When you’re sleeping
She calls your name
You swear the wind
Whispered something 
This time you’ll follow the wind

Her hair is the darkest red
Color of your birth
And if nobody welcomed you
To this Earth
She’s there in the heartbeat drum
Underneath your feet
This time you’ll follow the wind

Through the sun bleached day
And star filled night
Where the river carved the land with life
Over valleys and the mountain line
Ride on the desert wind

Hoo-oo-oo
Hoo-oo-oo

The sea of sand it reaches through
The dark around you 
El Gran Altar
You hear a desert prayer surround you
In this vast night her beauty is
The only guide
This time you’ll follow the wind

Through the sun bleached day
And star filled night
Where the river carved the land with life
Over valleys and the mountain line
Ride on the desert wind

Ah-ha
All the ways we’ve tried to control her
Dissolve into her vast sea
Ride on the desert wind
Ride on the desert wind (hoo-oo-oo)
Ride on the desert wind (hoo-oo-oo)

Through the sun bleached day
And star filled night
Where the river carved the land with life
Over valleys and the mountain line
Ride on the desert wind
Hoo-oo-oo

MUSICIAN CREDITS:
Gabrielle Pietrangelo: vocals, guitar and hammond organ
Satish Pilar: keyboard
Thøger Lund: upright bass
Casey Hadland: drums

SONG CREDITS:
Written by Gabrielle Pietrangelo
Recorded by Jim Waters at Waterworks Recording Studio (Tucson, AZ)
Mixed by Gabrielle Pietrangelo and Jim Waters (Tucson, AZ)
Mastered by Alan Silverman at Ariel Sound (Manhattan, NY)
Produced by Gabrielle Pietrangelo and Jim Waters

El Gran Altar

1953

Granddaddy behind the wheel
His two little girls in the back seat
Sonoran desert was like a dream
In 1953

Blue sky filled with clouds
Driving down south 6th Avenue
Grandma waiting there in her hat 
And scarf and her cowgirl shoes

And the sun was bright enough
To see for miles and miles
The summer rain ran free
In 1953

Little Julie, when you coming home?
Little Julie, you’ve been gone too long
Little Julie, come on home
We’re all waiting for you

Her sister laughing in a flatbed truck
She fell asleep on Grandma’s knee
The rodeo parade rolled by
In the sweet Arizona breeze

Blue sky filled with clouds
Parked down south 6th Avenue
The pretty girls all in their hats and scarves 
And their cowgirl shoes

And the sun was bright enough
To light the whole ride home
The desert wild and free
In 1953

Little Julie, when you coming home?
Little Julie, you’ve been gone too long
Little Julie come on home
We’re all waiting

MUSICIAN CREDITS:
Gabrielle Pietrangelo: vocals, guitar and piano
Thøger Lund: upright bass
Casey Hadland: drums

SONG CREDITS:
Written by Gabrielle Pietrangelo
Recorded by Jim Waters at Waterworks Recording Studio (Tucson, AZ)
Mixed by Rami Yadid (Tucson, AZ)
Mastered by Alan Silverman at Ariel Sound (Manhattan, NY)
Produced by Gabrielle Pietrangelo

1953

Bisbee Bluebird

Got a sad song to sing today
About a Bisbee Bluebird
Who got lost in the rain
Maybe he was just a vagabond child
With a sad face and a pretty smile

My Mama said, I sure know how to pick ‘em
So ripe they’re falling off the trees
Now I’ve got to take all this fruit
And make a bluebird pie
Just in time for New Year’s Eve

Looks like ours turned out
To be a sad, sad song
You were my Bisbee Bluebird
But then it all went wrong
Maybe it’s really me who’s a vagabond child
Searching for a song with a pretty rhyme

My Mama said, I sure know how to pick ‘em
So ripe they’re falling off the trees
Now I gotta take all this fruit
And make a bluebird pie
Just in time for New Year’s Eve
Just in time for New Year’s Eve

MUSICIAN CREDITS:
Gabrielle Pietrangelo: vocals, guitar, piano and organ
Nicholas Coventry: violin and viola

SONG CREDITS:
Written by Gabrielle Pietrangelo
Recorded by Jim Waters at Waterworks Recording Studio (Tucson, AZ)
Mixed by Rami Yadid (Tucson, AZ)
Mastered by Alan Silverman at Ariel Sound (Manhattan, NY)
Produced by Gabrielle Pietrangelo

Bisbee Bluebird

Summer Rain

Oh love, such heavy times
Let them vanish in the wind
Let me wash it from your skin
And all the pain in your mind
Let me hold you while you spin
Let it vanish in the wind

I’ll hold you
When you’re lying in your bed
I’ll soothe you
When you’re seeing scarlet red
I’ll feed you
When you’ve nowhere left to turn
I’ll love you
Like you’ve never known your worth
Hm-hm-hm

The summer rain will clean your mind
Let it vanish in the wind
Let me wash it from your skin
Oh, love, with every falling tear
Let me hold you while you spin
Let it vanish in the wind

I’ll hold you
When you’re lying in your bed
I’ll soothe you
When you’re seeing scarlet red
I’ll feed you
When you’ve nowhere left to turn
I’ll love you
Like you’ve never known your worth

Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Hm-hm-hm

MUSICIAN CREDITS:
Gabrielle Pietrangelo: vocals, guitar, hammond organ, piano and percussion
Thøger Lund: upright bass
Casey Hadland: drums

SONG CREDITS:
Written by Gabrielle Pietrangelo
Recorded by Jim Waters at Waterworks Recording Studio (Tucson, AZ)
Mixed by Rami Yadid (Tucson, AZ)
Mastered by Alan Silverman at Ariel Sound (Manhattan, NY)
Produced by Gabrielle Pietrangelo

Summer Rain

LYRICS:
I'm looking for a kind love
Got my sweetie on my mind love 
I'm looking for a sky true blue
So if you see my sweetie
Will you bring her right to me?
I'll be so glad when you do

Cause we all need a love like we never did before
And we all need to know that this time is for sure
And the world would be a brighter place forevermore
When you send her to my door

I'm looking for a kind love
I'm looking for a real love
I'm looking for a friend who's true
And when I find my sweetie
I'll pull her close to me
And look into her eyes true blue

True blue, true blue, true blue

Cause we all need a love like we never did before
And we all need to know that this time is for sure
And the world would be a brighter place forevermore
When you send her to my door

MUSICIAN CREDITS: 
Gabrielle Pietrangelo: vocals, ukulele, percussion & guitar     
Thøger Lund: stand-up bass

SONG CREDITS: 
Written and arranged by Gabrielle Pietrangelo
Recorded by Jim Waters at Waterworks Recording Studio (Tucson, AZ) 
Mixed by Jim Waters (Tucson, AZ) 
Mastered by Alan Silverman at Ariel Sound (Manhattan, NY) 
Produced by Gabrielle Pietrangelo

True Blue

Western Sea (Nayla's Song)

If I were the wind
If I were the Western Sea
I’d carry you home
I’d give all you need
To live free
To be free

This human comedy
Is a tragedy
We all know
But if you listen well
There’s a kinder spell
Blowing in the leaves

Doo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo
Doo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo
Doo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo
Doo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo

If I were the the wind
If I lift the veil of spring
Now winter is gone
Now new life will bring
What lives free

MUSICIAN CREDITS:
Gabrielle Pietrangelo: vocals, piano and guitar
Chris Peña: piano

SONG CREDITS:
Written by Gabrielle Pietrangelo
Recorded by Jim Waters
at Waterworks Recording Studio (Tucson, AZ)
Mixed by Jim Waters (Tucson, AZ)
Mastered by Alan Silverman at Ariel Sound (Manhattan, NY)
Produced by Gabrielle Pietrangelo

Western Sea (Nayla's Song)

Little Runaway

I’ve been dreaming
About a girl, a runaway
And all the words 
You could never say
Night weaves stars in her hair
She’s been waiting for you to find her
For years and years
She’s your little runaway

Hush little baby don’t you cry
You’ve got a heart as wild and open
As the desert sky
You’re my little runaway

Hmmm, hmmm

And when you found her there in the dark
She lit up like an old lantern
That still had a spark
Songbird sing for me your song
And I’ll be the hand you hold
I’ll be the place where you belong
My little runaway’s come home

MUSICIAN CREDITS:
Gabrielle Pietrangelo: vocals, guitar, harmonium and synth.

SONG CREDITS:
Written by Gabrielle Pietrangelo
Recorded by Gabrielle Pietrangelo (Tucson, AZ)
Mixed by Gabrielle Pietrangelo and Jim Waters (Tucson, AZ)
Mastered by Alan Silverman at Ariel Sound (Manhattan, NY)
Produced by Gabrielle Pietrangelo

Little Runaway

Return of the Sun 

Watch the sun move through the southern sky         
Casting long shadows on the ground
Think of you, wonder if you still
Are watching the wheel spinning round
Hm-hm-hm

The cold chills my face as the darkness falls
And the desert night feels like it won’t end
When I heard the news that you were gone
I thought I heard your voice on the wind
Hm-hm-hm

And I know you will be there 
Standing in the sunlight
Reaching out your hand for me to hold                                 
And I can see our faces 
Colored by the sun’s might
And I know you are safe and all is well
The return of the sun

The sun lifts her head over the mountain line
Greeting the darkness like an old friend
I watch the new day turning to a crimson sky 
And I hear your voice on the wind

And I know you will be there 
Standing in the sunlight
Reaching out your hand for me to hold                                 
And I can see our faces 
Colored by the sun’s might
And I know you are safe and all is well
The return of the sun

MUSICIAN CREDITS:
Gabrielle Pietrangelo: vocals guitar and hammond organ
Thøger Lund: upright bass
Casey Hadland: drums

SONG CREDITS:
Written by Gabrielle Pietrangelo
Recorded by Jim Waters at Waterworks Recording Studio (Tucson, AZ)
Mixed by Jim Waters and Gabrielle Pietrangelo (Tucson, AZ)
Mastered by Alan Silverman at Ariel Sound (Manhattan, NY)
Produced by Gabrielle Pietrangelo

Return of the Sun

Featuring pedal steel and 3-part strings, this moving track touches on themes of love, forgiveness and self understanding.

Back to the Heart

Gabrielle Pietrangelo's desert inspired, voice centered, indie-folk has been evolving in the Tucson region for two decades. Recently returning to solo songwriter roots after years in harmony-based collaborations, Gabrielle is currently working on a full-length solo album to be released in 2023. Driven by guitar and ethereal vocals, Gabrielle's music holds themes of nature, image invoking lyrics and personal spirituality.

https://www.gabriellepietrangelo.com/
https://linktr.ee/gabriellepietrangelo

Gabrielle Pietrangelo

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