From Eastern Europe to East Nashville to … In Process! The songwriter will be our guest on September 12.
photo by Dimitri Mais
by John Dennis.
It seems natural that Irakli Gabriel, a man hailing from the Eastern European nation of Georgia, would go on to live a life with art and music at its center. Why? Georgia is a storied land where wine was discovered 8000 years ago, and a land which even served as the destination for Jason and his Argonauts in Greek myth. More recently, Georgia was one of the many countries that suffered under Soviet rule, which both deepened and scarred the country’s rich cultural identity.
With that said, though Irakli’s heritage and childhood in Georgia help to explain the naturalness with which musical ability and passion came to him, the circumstances of the life he has worked to build upon it are nothing short of extraordinary.
Interestingly, it was not just the music of his homeland which inspired Irakli to devote his life to the art form at an early age. His mother introduced him to popular music from the West — namely Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, and Pink Floyd. Further, the music of the Beatles instantly proved to be as profound for him as it was for the millions of other kids living in their Western midsts.
It’s worth noting that Irakli’s mother exposed him to such amazing and provocative art while both were still living within the bounds of the Soviet Union. His mother did well to protect him from it, but the repressive nature of that government was made abundantly clear when, in his teenage years, Irakli went as an exchange student to Norway, where he was exposed an even larger variety of Western musical heroes — namely Dylan, Reed, Bowie, Cohen, and Waits. It was also during this period that Gabriel first started playing guitar and trying his hand at writing his own songs.
In 1992, his musical world opened even further when he immigrated to Long Island New York, where he studied music composition for short film and audio recording. Perhaps even more significant was his new access to live music regularly being performed in New York City by some of blues and rock’s greatest artists.
His education eventually led him to Amherst College, where he studied world and classic music and film. Upon graduating, he continued to play throughout the NYC music scene and regularly played in top clubs with a variety of different bands.
As Irakli’s live music career continued to expand, he worked professionally with the non profit Musicians On Call, which delivered music to the bedsides of patients as well as organized high profile fundraising and benefit events. He also worked with the esteemed music law firm Michael Sukin Law Group, which gave him experience working with top publishers, artists, and songwriters in a more professional capacity.
Though each of these roles were impressive and formative, perhaps the most noteworthy of Irakli’s many professional opportunities at that time came in the form of his active involvement in “Saturday Night Live” — both its shows and events. This, naturally, put him in close contact and collaboration with a myriad of legendary artists, which served as a truly unique learning experience.
A more significant event, still, came in 2013 when he began writing and performing with his wife, Anana Kaye, another esteemed Georgian artist. The couple recorded albums in NYC up until their decision to move to Nashville, TN in 2017.
Their musical accolades and renown only grew from there as they quickly became revered within the famed East Nashville Americana scene. Notably, this reverence culminated into a friendship and eventual collaboration with famed Americana/folk artist David Olney. Their joint album, “Whispers and Sighs,” went on to national acclaim and would tragically prove to be Olney’s last album — as he passed away suddenly while the record was in its final stages.
Though, understandably, still reeling from the loss of their friend, the couple has continued performing regularly in Nashville and abroad — an impressive highlight coming in the form of an opening slot and co-performance with the legendary rock band The Waterboys, who are personal heroes of Irakli.
Apart from his performances with Anana, Irakli also plays as a sideman for a number of well known Nashville artists and has written and produced projects with Country Rock performer Jenna Torres and Kerrville New Folk finalist Jason Erie.
Beyond his many professional accomplishments, his extraordinary journey has now led him to a happy home in Madison, TN with his wife, Anana, two dogs, and a cat. Also, while their musical star continues to rise, they operate an acclaimed local video company, Duende Vision, which specializes in music videos.
In addition to his native Georgian and English, Irakli speaks fluent German, Russian, and Norwegian.
To learn more about Irakli Gabril, visit the Anana Kaye website.
