Paul Grabowsky | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Paul Atherstone Grabowsky |
| Born | 27 September, 1958 Lae, Papua New Guinea |
| Origin | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician and composer |
| Instrument(s) | Piano |
| Website | paulgrabowsky |
Paul Atherstone Grabowsky AO , born 27 September 1958, is an Australian pianist and composer, founder of the Australian Art Orchestra.
Born in Lae, Papua New Guinea, Grabowsky is a pianist and composer of music for film, theatre and opera. His father Alistair had lived in Papua New Guinea with his wife Charlotte since the 1930s working on oil rigs, building roads, flying planes. Grabowsky described his ancestry as "failed Polish aristocracy". [1] His grandfather was a legitimate Polish Count of the Grabowski noble family, a descendant of Jan Jerzy Grabowski from where he gets his title; his grandfather was exiled from Poland and lived in Scotland. [2] His older brother Michael took great interest in the young composer and later worked with Paul co-ordinating and producing many of his television and film scores in the 1990s.
Grabowsky grew up in Glen Waverley, Melbourne, Australia, and began piano lessons when he was five years old. He studied the classical repertoire with Mack Jost, senior lecturer in piano at the Conservatorium of Music at the University of Melbourne from the age of seven until his university years. He attended Wesley College and it was that school's jazz band which introduced him to the genre.
Immersing himself in jazz, Grabowsky left the conservatorium in 1978 to pursue musical studies at the Juilliard School in New York and then embarked on extensive travel in Europe. 1980 he worked in the Melbourne cabaret/comedy scene where he began his relationship with Steve Vizard and Robyn Archer. He flew in 1980 to London where he travelled via Spain to Germany; he lived there in Munich until 1985. He had been back in Australia for Christmas 1982 when, on the invitation of Red Symons, he co-composed his first film score, the first of many. In Europe he played with many musicians including Chet Baker, Art Farmer and Johnny Griffin as well as influential European artists. In 1983, Grabowsky formed the Paul Grabowsky Trio with Allan Browne and Gary Costello. The duo recorded the album Six by Three , which was released in 1989 and won the trio an ARIA Music Award at the ARIA Music Awards of 1990.
After his return to Australia in 1986, he played in various jazz ensembles. Grabowsky produced Vince Jones' ARIA Award-winning album It All Ends Up In Tears. In 1987, Grabowsky formed the Wizards of Oz with Saxophonist Dale Barlow, bassist Lloyd Swanton and drummer Tony Buck. Wizards of Oz recorded Soundtrack and won the ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 1989. During this time, he also wrote the score to the film The Last Days of Chez Nous and for television shows Phoenix , Janus and Fast Forward .
Grabowsky and the Groovematics were the innovative house band on the Seven Network TV show Tonight Live with Steve Vizard from February 1990 to November 1993. This show was live five nights a week. Grabowsky also continued to compose scores for feature films many of which won awards.
In 1990 he was commissioned to write several pieces for the Munich-based jazz/contemporary-music group Die Konferenz. One group of these was based on songs of Édith Piaf ("Et les Affaires Piaf"), while a second group was based on songs from German UFA films from the 1920s to 1940s ("Es wird einmal ein Wunder"). With the support from its artistic director Richard Wherrett, this led to the formation of the project Ringing the Bell Backwards at the Melbourne International Arts Festival and eventually to the Australian Art Orchestra in 1994. That year, Grabowsky wrote a piano concerto for Michael Kieran Harvey.
He is married to Margot Salomon and in 1991 their first child was born; Isabella Grabowsky. Their son Guy Grabowsky was born in 1995..
In 1995, the Australian Art Orchestra toured Europe, and later India in 1996. Grabowsky directed the Victorian Arts Centre's Summer Music programme. Late that year he was commissioned to front the 14-part ABC TV series Access All Areas. As Commissioning Editor for ABC Television Arts and Entertainment (1996–1998), he commissioned the documentary series Long Way to the Top . During the late 1990s, Grabowsky concentrated on writing music for film and television: Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999) and Innocence (2000) by Paul Cox, Siam Sunset by John Polson, the NBC mini-series Noah's Ark , the UK production Shiner . Northern Rivers Performing Arts (NORPA) commissioned his first opera, The Mercenary with a (libretto by Janis Balodis).
In 2000, the project The Theft of Sita (a collaboration with Wayan Yudane) came to fruition; it combined jazz elements, Balinese gamelan music and puppetry. The piece premiered in Adelaide, and has since toured worldwide. In that year, Grabowsky was also involved in the writing music for the opening ceremonies of the Sydney Olympics and the Paralympics. Since then, he has written the opera Love in the Age of Therapy (libretto by Joanna Murray-Smith) commissioned by Melbourne Festival and Sydney Festival, and the symphony Streets of Hurqalya (26 June 2002), commissioned by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Among his recent film scores are Fred Schepisi's Last Orders and It Runs in the Family , The Eye Of The Storm,Empire Falls (HBO) Paul Cox's The Diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky , and Disney's The Jungle Book 2 . From 2003 to 2007, Grabowsky was commissioner at the Australian Film Commission. In 2004 he became involved in Charles Darwin University's Remote Indigenous Music Program. [3]
In 2004, Grabowsky visited the remote community in the Northern Territory called Ngukurr, in order to meet the traditional songmen. He met with the local elders and, after hearing two Wagilak songmen sing, asked permission to bring his orchestra on a return visit. When he returned in 2005, he brought singer-songwriters Archie Roach and his wife Ruby Hunter, along with 10 members of his Australian Art Orchestra. After working together for five days, the musicians staged a concert in the town. The European musicians learnt about the manikay (song cycles) and were led to experiment with whole new ways of exploring sound. [4]
The resulting project, called Crossing Roper Bar, toured the Northern Territory, played at the Birrarung Marr park in Melbourne, the National Gallery of Victoria, Apollo Bay Music Festival and the Sydney Opera House. When the group travelled to Gulkula to play at the 2006 Garma Festival, the Yolngu songmen from nearby regions were amazed, thinking that those songs had been lost long ago. In 2010 a Crossing Roper Bar album was released. [4]
In 2005, Grabowsky was appointed Artistic Director for the Queensland Music Festival 2007. [5] His song cycle Before Time Could Change Us , lyrics by Dorothy Porter and featuring Katie Noonan, was commissioned by the Queensland Music Festival and released in 2005 by the Warner Music Group. The album peaked at number 65 on the ARIA Charts and number 3 on the ARIA Jazz chart. [6] He recorded an album of original jazz compositions, Tales of Time and Space, with Branford Marsalis (soprano sax), Joe Lovano (tenor sax), Scott Tinkler (trumpet), Ed Schuller (bass) and Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums). In 2007 he was appointed inaugural patron of the National Film and Sound Archive's project Sounds of Australia. [7]
On 4 January 2008, the prestigious Adelaide Festival of Arts appointed Grabowsky as its artistic director for the 2010 festival, its 50th anniversary year. He was then asked to stay on and direct the 2012 Adelaide Festival. [8]
In June 2012, Grabowsky was appointed Vice-Chancellor's Professorial Fellow in the School of Music at Monash University and in July 2012, he was appointed Executive Director, Performing Arts, Academy of Performing Arts, Monash University.
In 2014 Grabowsky was awarded the Order of Australia (AO) for services to music as an educator, a mentor composer and pianist. He won his 5th Aria Award in 2014 for his sextet recording of original compositions The Bitter Suite.
In 2015/2016 he wrote the music and songs for theatre work Last Man Standing performed by the Melbourne Theatre Company, words and play by Steve Vizard; the two teamed again to write another new music theatre work, Banquet of Secrets, performed by the Victorian Opera company.
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 [9] [10] | Lost and Found(as Oehlers Grabowsky Keevers) | Best Independent Jazz Album | Nominated |
| 2010 [11] | On a Clear Day | Best Independent Jazz Album | Nominated |
| 2014 [10] | The Bitter Suite | Best Independent Jazz Album | Won |
| 2017 [12] | Provanance (with Vince Jones) | Best Independent Jazz Album | Nominated |
| 2020 [13] [14] | Tryst | Best Independent Jazz Album or EP | Won |
The APRA Awards (Australia) are annual awards to celebrate excellence in contemporary music, which honour the skills of member composers, songwriters and publishers who have achieved outstanding success in sales and airplay performance. They commenced in 1982. Paul Grabowsky has won seven awards from twenty nominations.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | "Disappearing Shoreline" | Most Performed Australasian Jazz Work | Won |
| 1990 | "Tonite I'm Alive with You" (with Yuri Worontschak) | Most Performed Australasian Jazz Work | Won |
| 1993 | Phoenix (Series 2) | Television or Film Theme of the Year | Won |
| "Welcome to the World of Major Crime" | Jazz Composition of the Year | Nominated | |
| 1996 | Mushrooms | Best Film Score | Nominated |
| 2000 | Siam Sunset | Best Film Score | Nominated |
| 2001 | Innocence | Best Film Score | Nominated |
| 2004 | "Stars Apart" (performed by Allan Browne) | Most Performed Jazz Work of the Year | Nominated |
| 2005 | Art of War | Best Music for a Television Series or Serial | Nominated |
| 2006 | "Silverland" | Most Performed Jazz Work of the Year | Nominated |
| Unfolding Florence: The Many Lives of Florence Broadhurst | Best Music for a Documentary | Won | |
| 2009 | "Raindrop" | Jazz Work of the Year | Nominated |
| 2013 | "Falling" (with Gabriella Smart) | Instrumental Work of the Year | Nominated |
| 2014 | "Tall Tales" (performed by Monash Art Ensemble) | Jazz Work of the Year | Won |
| 2015 | "Love Like a Curse" (performed by Monash Art Ensemble) | Jazz Work of the Year | Nominated |
| "The Nightingale and the Rose" (with Genevieve Lacey and Flinders Quartet) | Instrumental Work of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2016 | "Nyilipidgi" (with Young Wägilak Group) | Jazz Work of the Year | Won |
| "Spiel" (with Niko Schäuble) | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | "Moons of Jupiter" | Jazz Work of the Year | Nominated |
| 2018 | Comeclose and Sleepnow: Six Liverpool Love Songs (with The Monash Art Ensemble and Gian Slater) | Vocal / Choral Work of the Year | Nominated |
The ARIA Music Awards are annual awards, which recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987. Paul Grabowsky has won seven awards from seventeen nominations.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Six by Three (as Paul Grabowsky Trio) | Best Jazz Album | Won | [15] |
| 1991 | The Moon & You | Nominated | [15] | |
| 1993 | Tee Vee | Nominated | [15] | |
| The Last Days of Chez Nous | Best Original Soundtrack/Cast/Show Album | Nominated | [16] | |
| 1996 | When Words Fail (as Paul Grabowsky Trio) | Best Jazz Album | Won | [15] |
| 1998 | Angel(as Paul Grabowsky Trio with Shelley Scown) | Nominated | [15] | |
| 2000 | Siam Sunset | Best Original Soundtrack Album | Nominated | [16] |
| 2001 | Three(a.k.a. PG3) (as Paul Grabowsky Trio) | Best Jazz Album | Nominated | [15] |
| 2004 | Tales of Time and Space | Nominated | [15] | |
| 2005 | Before Time Could Change Us(with Katie Noonan) | Won | [15] | |
| 2006 | Always(with Bernie McGann) | Nominated | [15] | |
| 2014 | The Bitter Suite | Won | [15] | |
| 2015 | Solo | Nominated | [15] | |
| 2016 | Provenance(with Vince Jones) | Won | [15] | |
| Nyilipidgi(with Monash Art Ensemble, Daniel Ngukurr Boy Wilfred & David Yipininy Wilfred) | Best World Music Album | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Tryst(with Kate Ceberano) | Best Jazz Album | Won | [15] |
| 2020 | Please Leave Your Light On(with Paul Kelly) | Best Jazz Album | Won | [15] |
The Australian Jazz Bell Awards, (also known as the Bell Awards or The Bells), are annual music awards for the jazz music genre in Australia. They commenced in 2003. [17]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Paul Grabowsky | Australian Jazz Artist of the Year | Won |
| 2007 | "Five Bells" – Paul Grabowsky | Australian Jazz Composition of the Year | Won |
| 2009 | Lost and Found (as Oehlers, Grabowsky, Beck) | Best Australian Contemporary Jazz Album | Won |
The Helpmann Awards is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia since 2001. [18] Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The Theft of Sita (with I Wayan Gde Yudane) | Best Original Score | Won | [19] |
| 2003 | Love in the Age of Therapy (with Joanna Murray-Smith) | Best Original Score | Nominated | [20] |
| 2005 | Tales of Time and Space | Best Performance in an Australian Contemporary Concert | Nominated | [21] |
The Music Victoria Awards are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Torrio! (With Mirko Guerrini & Niko Schäuble) | Best Jazz Album | Nominated | [22] [23] |
The Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards commenced in 1984 and recognise outstanding achievements in dance, drama, comedy, music, opera, circus and puppetry.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Paul Grabowsky | Individual Award | awarded |
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [28] | ||
| The Moon + You |
| – |
| The Zurich Sessions(with Sunk Poeschl and Peter Bockius) |
| – |
| Tee Vee | - | |
| The Last Days of Chez Nous (soundtrack) |
| – |
| Phoenix (soundtrack) |
| – |
| Viva Viva [32] |
| – |
| Angel (with Shelley Scown) |
| – |
| Keep Up Your Standards (with Robyn Archer) [33] |
| – |
| Passion(with Australian Art Orchestra) [34] |
| – |
| Noah's Ark (soundtrack) |
| – |
| Siam Sunset (soundtrack) |
| – |
| Shiner (soundtrack) |
| – |
| Last Orders (soundtrack) |
| – |
| Big Adventure(with Philip Rex and Niko Schauble) [35] |
| – |
| Tales Of Time And Space [36] |
| – |
| Ruby (with Archie Roach, Ruby Hunter and Australian Art) |
| – |
| Before Time Could Change Us (with Katie Noonan) |
| 65 |
| Hush Collection (Volume 3: Paul Grabowsky) |
| – |
| Always (with Bernie McGann) |
| – |
| Hush Collection (Volume 7: Ten Healing Songs by Paul Grabowsky) |
| – |
| Lost and Found [37] (with Jamie Oehlers and David Beck) |
| – |
| On a Clear Day [38] (with Jamie Oehlers) |
| – |
| The Bitter Suite [39] [40] (as Paul Grabowsky Sextet) |
| – |
| Solo [41] [42] |
| – |
| Words and Pictures [43] (Soundtrack) |
| – |
| Spiel [44] (with Nikolaus Schäuble) |
| – |
| Provenance [45] (with Vince Jones) |
| – |
| Nyilipidgi [46] (with Daniel Ngukurr Boy Wilfred, David Yipininy Wilfred and Monash Art Ensemble) |
| – |
| Shift [47] (with Rob Burke, George Lewis and Mark Helias) |
| – |
| Torrio! [48] (with Mirko Guerrini, Niko Schäuble) |
| – |
| Moons of Jupiter [49] (featuring Scott Tinkler, Erkki Veltheim and Peter Knight) |
| – |
| Tryst [49] (with Kate Ceberano) |
| 147 [50] |
| Please Leave Your Light On [51] (with Paul Kelly) |
| 3 [52] |
Catherine Yvette Ceberano is an Australian singer and actress who performs in the soul, jazz, and pop genres, as well as in film and musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar. Her single "Bedroom Eyes" received a platinum sales certification in 1989. As of 2023, Ceberano has 11 platinum and 8 gold albums Ceberano was the artistic director of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2012, 2013, and 2014.
Katie Anne Noonan is an Australian singer and songwriter. In addition to a successful solo career encompassing opera, jazz, pop, rock and dance, she was the singer in the band George and remains the singer in the band Elixir; performs with her mother Maggie Noonan; and plays with her band The Captains. Noonan was the musical director of and performed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games' opening and closing ceremonies.
Archibald William Roach was an Australian singer-songwriter and Aboriginal activist. Often referred to as "Uncle Archie", Roach was a Gunditjmara and Bundjalung elder who campaigned for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. His wife and musical partner was the singer Ruby Hunter (1955–2010).
Lior Attar, better known simply as Lior, is an independent Australian singer-songwriter based in Melbourne. He is best known for his 2005 debut studio album Autumn Flow and for the song "Hoot's Lullaby".
Ruby Charlotte Margaret Hunter, also known as Aunty Ruby, was an Aboriginal Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist, and the life and musical partner of Archie Roach.
Richard Leo Tognetti AO is a leading Australian musician recognised internationally as a violin soloist, ensemble player, leader, composer and arranger, conductor and artistic director.
Brett Dean is an Australian composer, violist and conductor.
Megan Alexanda Washington is an Australian musician and songwriter who has worked mononymously as Washington. Originally performing jazz music, her style shifted to indie pop and alternative rock. She has released four studio albums, I Believe You Liar, There There, Batflowers, and Hot Fuss (2022). Both I Believe You Liar and There There reached the top 5 on the ARIA Albums Chart and Batflowers peaked in the top 25.
Allan Vincent Browne was an Australian jazz drummer and composer first known for his work in The Red Onion Jazz Band in the 1960s.
Australian singer-songwriter Washington has released four studio albums, nine extended plays, and thirty-three singles.
Genevieve Lacey is an Australian musician and recorder virtuoso, working as a performer, creator, curator and cultural leader. The practice of listening is central to her works, which are created collaboratively with artists from around the world. Lacey plays handmade recorders made by Joanne Saunders and Fred Morgan. In her collection, she also has instruments by David Coomber, Monika Musch, Michael Grinter, Paul Whinray and Herbert Paetzold.
Before Time Could Change Us is the collaborative studio album by Australian jazz writer/singer and composer Paul Grabowsky and singer-songwriter Katie Noonan. The album was released in August 2005. and peaked at number 65 on the ARIA Charts for the week commencing 22 August 2005.
Peter Knight is an Australian musician, composer and producer. He was the Artistic Director and co-CEO of the Australian Art Orchestra from 2013 to 2023 and founding member of Melbourne group Way Out West., 5+2 Brass Ensemble, and Hand to Earth
The Australian Art Orchestra (AAO) is one of Australia's leading contemporary ensembles. Founded by pianist Paul Grabowsky in 1994, it has been led by composer/trumpeter/sound artist Peter Knight since 2013 and led by pianist/composer/producer Aaron Choulai since 2023. The Orchestra explores relationships between musical disciplines and cultures, imagining new musical concepts that reference how 21st century Australia responds to its cultural and musical history.
The ARIA Music Award for Best Jazz Album is an award presented within the Fine Arts Awards at the annual ARIA Music Awards.
Jamie Oehlers is an Australian jazz saxophonist. Winner of the World Saxophone competition in 2005, Jamie is recognised as one of Australia's leading jazz artists, performing at festivals and clubs around the globe. He was nominated for ARIA Awards for Best Jazz Album in 1999, in 2005 and in 2008 and has won multiple Australia Jazz Bell Awards for Best Jazz Release, as well as Australian Jazz Artist of the Year. Jamie is also the Head of Jazz Studies at the prestigious Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.
Tryst is a collaborative studio album by Australian recording artists Kate Ceberano and Paul Grabowsky, released on 3 May 2019. The album is a collection of love song and reinterpretations from the past 50 years.
Paul Grabowsky Trio were an Australian jazz ensemble founded in 1983 by Paul Grabowsky on piano. By 1989 he was joined by Allan Browne on drums and Gary Costello on double bass. They won Best Jazz Album for Six by Three (1989) at the ARIA Music Awards of 1990 and for When Words Fail (1995) in 1996. The trio disbanded in 2001. Gary Costello died in December 2006, aged 54; Browne died in June 2015, aged 70.
When Words Fail is a studio album by Australian recording jazz trio Paul Grabowsky Trio. The album is the second for the trio of Paul Grabowsky (piano), Gary Costello (bass) and Allan Browne (drums).
Please Leave Your Light On is a collaborative studio album by Australian musicians Paul Kelly, and Paul Grabowsky. The album was released on 31 July 2020. The collection features Kelly performing songs from nine of his albums, along with the previously unreleased track "True to You" and a cover of Cole Porter's "Every Time We Say Goodbye" to new interpretations by Grabowsky.
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