Showing posts with label Paul Grabowsky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paul Grabowsky. Show all posts

Sunday, July 3, 2022

Vince Jones & Paul Grabowsky - Provenance

Size: 113,2 MB
Time: 48:46
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. Rainbow Cake (4:38)
02. Oh My Love (4:55)
03. We've Only Just Begun (4:42)
04. Stella By Starlight (4:32)
05. If You Never Come To Me (4:37)
06. Each Other's Child (3:31)
07. May I Come In (4:15)
08. Between Your Eyes (4:01)
09. So (4:15)
10. This Is Always (4:18)
11. The Parting Glass (4:55)

Provenance is the new album from two legends of Australian music – a survey of intimate ballads that showcases the superlative craftsmanship of platinum-selling legendary singer Vince Jones and multi-ARIA-winning pianist Paul Grabowsky.

The title refers to the returning-to-roots that this album represents. Vince and Paul first worked together in the 1980s, when Grabowsky was music director to Jones; Provenance marks a renewed collaboration between the pair after several decades apart. But the word also describes the music which the duo chose to record: ballads that showcase the essential elements of their craft, elements that have been the foundations of their astonishing careers, pared down to the intimate combination of piano and voice (and occasionally piano and flumpet – a hybrid of trumpet and flugelhorn).

Provenance is “a collection of timeless songs with beautiful melodies”, as Vince puts it. The album begins with ‘Rainbow Cake’, composed by the pair in the 1980s. ‘Oh My Love’, written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, takes on touching poignancy in this new rendition; and from there the album presents classic songs from a variety of genres as well as a number of Vince’s own compositions.

Provenance

Friday, October 8, 2021

Paul Kelly & Paul Grabowsky - Please Leave Your Light On

Styles: Vocal And Piano
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 43:11
Size: 99,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:43) 1. True To You
(4:05) 2. Petrichor
(3:42) 3. When A Woman Loves A Man
(4:09) 4. Sonnet 138
(3:00) 5. Time And Tide
(3:04) 6. Young Lovers
(4:17) 7. Every Time We Say Goodbye
(4:10) 8. Please Leave Your Light On
(3:22) 9. You Can Put Your Shoes Under My Bed
(4:07) 10. Winter Coat
(2:20) 11. God's Grandeur
(3:05) 12. If I Could Start Today Again

One of Australia's most popular and acclaimed singer/songwriters since the '80s, Paul Kelly has practically nothing to prove, but admirably he's still eager to try new things. Paul Grabowsky is among the Antipodes' most celebrated jazz pianists, and when he was asked to stage a series of concerts in which he would perform with vocalists he admired, he invited Kelly to join him for one of the shows. They were happy with how the performance worked out, and chose to re-create it in a recording studio over the space of three days. 2020's Please Leave Your Light On features ten numbers from Kelly's songbook, along with one new song ("True to You") and one cover (Cole Porter's "Every Time We Say Goodbye"), all sung by Kelly with only Grabowsky's spare piano arrangements for company (except for a bit of harmonica on "If I Could Start Again Today"). In Grabowsky's hands, Kelly's songs sound like contemporary standards, and that suits them well; his feel for the music recognizes the qualities of Kelly's melodies even as he recasts them into a different but respectful form.

In the quietude of these surroundings, Kelly's phrasing is strong yet subtle, showing an impressive emotional range and no hint of unnecessary force, with a full understanding of how to best communicate his stories. The piano work is every bit as impressive as the vocals, leaving more than enough room for Kelly's voice but carrying his melodies with an artful touch, uncluttered and all the more eloquent for it. Best of all, the piano-and-voice format doesn't blunt the edges of the songs, and if this isn't rock by any means, "Time and Tide" and "Winter Coat" haven't lost their bite in the translation.

Kelly and Grabowsky have said they had the collaborations between Frank Sinatra & Nelson Riddle and Tony Bennett & Bill Evans in mind while working on this project, and as grand as that may sound, the comparison isn't so far off. The intuitive respect and interplay between the singer and the accompanist on Please Leave Your Light On is masterful, and this is an unexpected triumph for them both.~Mark Deming https://www.allmusic.com/album/please-leave-your-light-on-mw0003399138

Personnel: Piano – Paul Grabowsky; Vocals [Vocal], Harmonica – Paul Kelly

Please Leave Your Light On

Sunday, November 22, 2020

Kate Ceberano And Paul Grabowsky - Tryst

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:23
Size: 145,9 MB
Art: Front

( 5:20) 1. Wild Is The Wind
( 4:08) 2. Song For You
(13:57) 3. For Cilla - Medley
( 5:10) 4. Make You Feel My Love
( 5:18) 5. Suzanne
( 9:09) 6. Melange D'Amour - Medley
( 6:14) 7. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
( 3:44) 8. I Touch Myself
( 4:54) 9. Forever Young
( 5:23) 10. Skylark

Tryst brings together two Australian musical icons in a fertile collaboration, effectively combining the proven commercial appeal of singer Kate Ceberano with the keyboard mastery of a celebrated jazz musician Paul Grabowsky. Ceberano is not a complete jazz singer she does not improvise, nor indulge in wordless vocals but her considerable strengths are palpable here: a gorgeous voice, authoritative phrasing, and a feel for lyrics that renders them truthful. In Make You Feel My Love, she sings “I could hold you for a million years” so tenderly that one feels she means it. It’s significant that the latter is a big hit from the pop singer Adele. In a repertoire brimming with quality, Ceberano takes on some of the more esoteric songs that have emerged in popular music over recent years, including Wild Is The Wind (previously best-known for versions by Nina Simone and David Bowie); Leon Russell’s A Song For You; Leonard Cohen’s Suzanne; the Divinyls’ I Touch Myself; Bob Dylan’s Forever Young; and others.

Great versions of such songs are already in the collective memory, and only a brave vocalist would take them on in such a highly exposed setting, backed only by solo piano. Still, with nowhere to hide, Ceberano brings the project off with considerable aplomb. The multi-talented Grabowsky is a tower of strength, his accompaniments incisive and sparse when required, and orchestral when passion in the music calls for a fuller sound. Blessed with the keyboard touch and melodic sensibility we associate with great jazz pianists such as Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett, he provides introductions, interludes and improvisations, where he moves through the harmonic changes in masterly fashion. For the purist jazz fan, he provides the album’s chief interest. While not wishing to snap at the heels of two such distinguished artists, there is an aberration in the medley For Cilla, Ceberano’s tribute to Cilla Black. In Burt Bacharach’s This Girl’s In Love With You the chosen key is a little too high for Ceberano’s voice, and there are uncomfortable moments as she strains to hit the top notes of the melody. I am surprised that the producers (Mal Stanley and Grabowksy himself) did not rectify this admittedly minor oversight.~ Eric Myers https://ericmyersjazz.com/cd-reviews-page-22

Tryst

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Paul Grabowsky - Tales of Time and Space

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:38
Size: 171,4 MB
Art: Front

(9:28)  1. Tailfin
(8:50)  2. Sideshow Sarabande
(5:13)  3. Silverland
(6:58)  4. Angel
(9:48)  5. Medium Rare
(8:29)  6. Wist
(6:52)  7. Reason and Rhyme
(6:49)  8. Updraft
(7:03)  9. Circle of Trust
(5:04) 10. Silverland

There is little question that for the public at large, pianist and bandleader Paul Grabowsky is the largest question mark when it comes to the personnel on this album. Holding company with Branford Marsalis, Joe lovano, Scott Tinkler, Ed Schuller, and Jeff "Tain" Watts is no small feat. And although the liner notes to Tales of Time and Space attempt to answer the question of who Grabowsky is, the just-under-fifty Australian pianist is more than a musician with wide ranging roots in jazz and film scoring, he's a consummate pianist and composer who warrants significant attention. Aside from those facts, the other welcome surprise here is that although Tales is a one-off recording with a ton of talent something that often results in a muddy or uninspired date this is a tight ensemble with purpose and drive. Everyone shines and has his particular moments, but first and foremost they serve Grabowsky's music and vision. Recorded in 2003, Tales of Time and Space has the elegance of a modern straight-ahead jazz recording that one might hear in performance at Jazz at Lincoln Center, but the music also has depth and fire that can sometimes be lacking in such establishments. Marsalis' command of the sometimes unwieldy soprano is inspired, continuing his impressive development of an individual voice on the instrument he has been cultivating more publicly of late. And while his quartet band mate Watts, the modern tenor giant Lovano, and the highly adaptive and imaginative bassist Schuller all turn in quality performances, Tinkler and his swaggering trumpet provide a particular voice that nearly eclipses them.

With a strong full sound and a background tying him with the leader, Tinkler more than holds his own on tracks like the opening "Tailfin, where he uses a plunger alongside Lovano and Marsalis, who states a theme that pulls in different directions of space and time following an opening drum solo that sets a locomotive pace. Grabowsky himself finally comes in following all this action underneath the band, and he almost immediately falls away when Tinkler races out front. Tinkler's articulation is crisp and never escapes him during his invigorating solo. He eventually pulls up his pace in time with the plaintive soprano that emerges behind him, eventually giving way to Grabowsky, who sounds somewhere between Kenny Barron's natural flow and Ran Blake's reductive use of space and sound. There is little question why everyone involved was excited after the inspired take of "Tailfin. And the majority of the album follows suit. The one misstep, however, is the inclusion of a remix of "Silverland (dedicated to the Australian rock trio Silverchair). While it is an interesting track unto itself, with Watts mixed way up front, its inclusion here seems out of place with the overall feel of the album. This quibble aside, Tales of Time and Space is an excellent recording for those who enjoy straight-ahead ensemble playing that straddles the mainstream jazz vernacular and a loose and outer-reaching feel. ~ Michael McCaw https://www.allaboutjazz.com/tales-of-time-and-space-paul-grabowsky-sanctuary-records-review-by-michael-mccaw.php
 
Personnel:  Paul Grabowsky: piano;  Joe Lovano: tenor saxophone; Branford Marsalis: soprano saxophone; Scott Tinkler: trumpet;  Ed Schuller: acoustic bass;  Jeff "Tain" Watts: drums.

Tales of Time and Space

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Paul Grabowsky - Solo

Size: 155,5 MB
Time: 67:25
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz: Piano Jazz, Contemporary Jazz
Art: Front

01. Angel ( 8:47)
02. October ( 5:55)
03. 'round Midnight (10:38)
04. The Last King Of Poland ( 4:39)
05. The Happy-Go-Lucky Country ( 6:31)
06. Cole For Cook ( 6:32)
07. Stars Apart ( 6:52)
08. The Bean ( 4:14)
09. Helix ( 6:34)
10. I Get Along Without You Very Well ( 6:38)

Despite a long and distinguished career, Paul Grabowsky has never released a solo piano album. Until now...

Armed with only his hands and a grand piano, the virtuosic Australian pianist Paul Grabowsky re-imagines a number of his own compositions for solo piano. He also brings to the table the Hoagy Carmichael classic 'I Get Along Without You Very Well' and Monk's 'Round Midnight.' The album is dedicated to Grabowsky's former piano teacher, Mack Jost, and was recorded at the ABC's Iwaki Auditorium in Melbourne for Jazz Up Late with Gerry Koster.

Solo