Paul Grabowsky Solo Concert

April 2015 saw the performance of a solo piano concert by Paul Grabowsky at The Melbourne Recital Hall. The performance was based around the recent release of a new Grabowsky album titled SOLO and featured several tracks from this album.

Grabowsky states on his website (www.paulgrabowsky.com) that the solo album has been a long time coming because of doubts that he had about his ability to contribute significantly to the glorious existing literature of jazz solo piano. Both the album and the concert declare a triumphant rebuttal of this self-deprecation. His other demurral arises from the musical conversation that can arise within an ensemble whose elements can then rise to be greater than the sum of its parts.

This observation seems valid to me as far as it goes – the joy of ensemble improvisation is that it can rise to new heights. But surely the corollary of this observation is that only a true master can perform solo and have the conversation with himself and elevate it to a new level. Grabowsky does this and makes it seem effortless.

The solo performance, in the hands of a select few, is unimpeded and offers a dimension that the ensemble cannot as its disparate members take the conversation in directions not anticipated by all. I listened to the SOLO recording many times in the months preceding the recital and found the concert to be new and fresh to my ears despite my familiarity, as Grabowsky’s improvisational skills gave each lyric a new perspective. I believe that it would be unlikely that Grabowsky would play the same tune in the same way on any two occasions.

The ability to raise the level of conversation in a solo performance is the sign of a master. Witness the solo outings of Keith Jarrett, for example. Or the mastery of Thelonious Monk in the solo context where, I believe, he reaches his pinnacle.

I strongly recommend Grabowsky SOLO to you. The album can be purchased from ABC music or through the Grabowsky website.

The concert was held in the Melbourne Recital Centre which is a visually stunning performance space located in Southbank.

The Salon is the intimate space within the Recital Centre where a Steinway piano gave promise of the pleasure to come and the high ceiling and background mural occupied the eye before the entrance of the performer. The acoustic was excellent and enhanced the performance. When I got home and played the Grabowsky CD again I was able to appreciate the excellence of the sound recording on the disc.

Paul Grabowsky is a master of Australian music.