Bill Gamble

Bill Gamble is a writer and musician living in Minnesota. He studied Music and German Philosophy at both Dartmouth College and the Free University of Berlin, and has consistently focused on the nexus between music and literature.

Bill is an accomplished keyboard player, and in recent years has focused on harpsichord, primarily English and Italian Renaissance (studied with Barb Weiss). As a composer he studied formatively and gratefully with Malcolm Goldstein, and has written music in a variety of styles, though primarily combined with his writings. He is fluent in five languages and enjoys writing in many idioms. In the past five years he has released 3 cds, including cowboy songs, art/political songs and traditional folk, and he recently recorded Veer, a series of string quartets based on 4-part waka, as well as a cycle of art songs about animals from the Book of Marco Polo.

In the course of writing his novel Li Anni Maravigvliosi, he composed several fragments of an invented language, and is currently working with a linguistics specialist to catalogue vocabulary and grammar of the language isolate, Yi Lula’kjecq (Music of the Moon).

Bill has worked on several projects with his wife, Anne Labovitz, including an illustrated anti-colonial story featuring a zebra and wildebeest, and art films featuring video and chamber music presented at various film festivals.

Music
Recording of flora|fauna, a cycle of animal art songs with interludes on viola da gamba and baroque recorder.
       2023
Tennis Shoes, collaboration with Decker Velie, of songs co-written with Velie.
       2022-23
Recording of Veer, 14 pieces for string quartet, in Zaragoza, Spain.    
       2022
Online collaboration with Pilar Almalé, Zaragoza, harpsichord and viola da gamba improvisations.
       2021
Chamber Music and Harpsichord compositions and performances. Most recently (summer 2018) performances of Li Anni Maravigliosi, a chamber music retelling of Marco Polo’s journey, at the Casino di Venezia, and 3 performances 2019 of same work in Minnesota.
       2013- 2020
Performances at variety of venues with a two-person band with Tony Glover and Galen Michaelson.
       2007-2012
Lift, a CD of original chamber and folk music, recorded at Waterbury Studios Minneapolis, Tom Tucker (longtime Studio Director for Prince) Producer.
       2013-2019
Trouble, a CD of alt-folk music, mainly original compositions, recorded at Wild Sound Studios Minneapolis, Benny Weinback Producer.
       2010
Performances at a variety of venues with band “Wild Bill and the Arkanauts”: Minnesota and Germany.
       2012-2020
CD of old country songs, recorded at Arketis Studios Minneapolis, Benny Weinbeck Producer.  
       2001
CD of original compositions with Decker Velie, recorded Sound 80 Studios Minneapolis, Billy Barber Producer.
       1983
Vertical Circle, a CD of Early Baroque keyboard works, recorded at SA Studios Minneapolis.
       1995
Studies (Dartmouth) in contemporary composition with Malcolm Goldstein and various performances.
       1977-1981
Studies at Dartmouth College in classical piano performance with Gabriel Chodos and Andrew Rangell, and various recitals.
       1977-1981

Literature
Poems
       1980-present
Experimental novel Li Anni Maravigliosi
       2019
Three Novellas
       2015
Martin and Mandy, novella
       2009
Haiku Series Farbenzug, published by Arketis Press
       2008
Novel, The Bluebird Bar and Grill
       2003
Novel, Path of Blossoms, excerpts published in Spinning Jenney  
       1995
Four Novellas, Avventura (published Arketis Press)
       1992

Visual Arts Projects – Collaborations with Anne Labovitz
Schale Series (1, 2, 3 & 4), scored music for short films
       2012-2015
Farbenzug – Artist’s Book with Haiku
       2009
Honoral and Zarina – Illustrated Children’s book
       2002

Permanent Collections
Ellis Island, song: Bob Hope Library, Ellis Island
Farbenzug Artist’s Book: Athenaeum, La Jolla,CA, and Minnesota Historical Society