GABI (In-The Round) - Release Party!

Koo Koo is the first offering from GABI (neé Gabrielle Herbst) on Software.

Gabrielle's formal training began at an early age, studying Balinese dance and gamelan in Indonesia while learning both the clarinet and piano. Herbst continued her training at Bard College where she studied voice and composition under the tutelage of Joan Tower, Zeena Parkins and Marina Rosenfeld. Her work has already been showcased at Robert Wilson's Watermill Center, as well as Roulette, who earlier in 2014 commissioned and premiered her first opera Bodiless.

Herbst's experience writing for chamber orchestra and mixed instrumentation inspired her to develop a repertoire of short-form, vocal-centric compositions under the name GABI. These were driven by solitary explorations in early 2013 with a dual-track loop pedal.

"Koo Koo" marks GABI's studio immersion to further develop these vocal compositions. She is joined by her band Matthew O'Koren (percussion), Rick Quantz (viola), Josh Henderson (violin), and Aaron Roche (electric guitar / trombone). The song is framed by a hypnotic refrain of the words "I wait for you" embedded in a latticework of arpeggios and melodies con moto.