Multi-award-winning composer, pianist and MIJF Artist in Residence Paul Grabowsky AO shares his thoughts on jazz, and his extensive career in the music industry. Since the 70s, Paul Grabowsky has built a commanding international reputation working in Europe and the US, and performing alongside jazz icons Chet Baker, Art Farmer and Johnny Griffin. On home soil, he firmly established himself as one of Australia’s leading jazz musicians and composers with his own trio and sextet, and as musical director for Tonight Live with Steve Vizard.  This conversation is hosted by his friend and long-time collaborator, Steve Vizard.

This recording/video was produced at Eastside Recording studios (New York City) July 2015 with: George Lewis - Trombone and Electronics Rob Burke - Tenor and Soprano Sax Paul Grabowsky - Piano Mark Helias - Bass. Preamble: This recording explores and ask the question, ‘What happens when performing musicians and ‘the machine’ (Ableton Push Controller) improvise together?’ This video articulates what improvisation is in the context of musician and machine where interactions, with the focus on distinct, if perhaps overlapping, sub-sets the creation of collective improvisation. The machine is no longer a passive recorder but an active agent in the music making process. The creative and improvisatory preamble is: the composition, designed for musicians to identify musical territory, assess and respond to conditions suggested by the machine (Push Controller), which ultimately will create identities and positions - all of which are elements of an innovative model of improvisation and interaction. The research outcomes aim to promote a musical (machine) system design and real-time interaction aimed at achieving non-hierarchical, collaborative, and conversational musical spaces. The project is based on artistic research methodology where the creative process informs and develops the research question and dissemination. The compositional ideas are recorded by the four performers and elements programmed into the ‘Push Controller’. These recordings are then edited and manipulated (with effects) in preparation to be used as sounds and ideas; in a sense an improvising voice in the ensemble. These sounds are then available by members of the ensemble to be called upon 'in the moment'. CD to be released in 2017.

In the five years since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of March 2011, Australia has worked side-by-side with Japan to support recovery efforts in Tohoku. In September 2016, prominent Australian Jazz musicians, the Paul Grabowsky Quartet, visited schools in Iwate in North-eastern Japan as part of the Embassy’s annual ‘Jazz Journey’ project. The project was funded by the Australia-Japan Foundation and DFAT.

Mr Paul Grabowsky, founder of the Australian Art Orchestra gives this lecture entitled 'the complete musician' at The Australian National Univerisity on the 14 October 2010. Mr Paul Grabowsky challenges tertiary music educators to reflect on their current practice and consider how effective it is in actually preparing students for the careers they will now enter on graduation. Recognised as Australia's pre-eminent jazz pianist with over 26 recordings to his name, Mr Grabowsky is regarded as one of Australia's foremost screen composers with credits for over 17 film and 13 television scores including Human Touch. Innocence, Jessica, The Jungle Book 2, and Shiner. His works for the stage include the opera Love in the Age of Therapy and the multimedia production The Theft of Sita. He has also been involved in Tonight Live and was a composer for the 2000 Sydney Olympics opening and closing ceremonies. In 1994, Mr Grabowsky founded the Australian Art Orchestra and has been its Artistic Director ever since. Mr Grabowsky began classical piano lessons at age five, studying with Mack Jost. He later began informal studies in jazz, and devoted his energies fully to improvised music from 1978. He lived in Munich, Germany from 1980-1985, where he was active on the local and European jazz scenes, performing and/or recording with Johnny Griffin, Chet Baker, Art Farmer, Benny Bailey, Guenther Klatt, Marty Cook and many others. He has won three ARIA awards, an AFI award, a Helpmann Award and was Sidney Myer Performing Artist of the Year in 2000.

In this episode of The Art Hunter, David Hunt’s special guest is pianist, composer, arranger, and conductor, Paul Grabowsky. Paul Grabowsky is a pianist, composer, arranger, and conductor – and is one of Australia’s most distinguished artists.   Born in Papua New Guinea, Paul was raised in Melbourne. During the late 70s, he became prominent in the music scene in Melbourne, working in various jazz, theatre and cabaret projects.   He lived and worked in Europe and the US from 1980 to 1985, during which time he performed with many jazz luminaries including Art Farmer and Johnny Griffin. He returned to Australia in 1986 and established a reputation as one of Australia’s leading jazz musicians with such bands as his own trio and sextet, the Wizards of Oz and as musical director for singer Vince Jones.   He was musical director of Tonight Live with Steve Vizard (a nationally televised variety show) from 1990 to 1992.   He was Commissioning Editor (Arts and Entertainment) for ABC Television from 1995 to 1998.   He has written the scores for over twenty feature films in Australia, the UK and the US including "Innocence" (Paul Cox), "Last Orders", "The Eye of the Storm", "Words and Pictures" (Fred Schepisi) and "Shiner" (John Irvin). His television credits include the series "Phoenix" and "Janus" and the Emmy-winning "Empire Falls". His works for the theatre include four operas and various multimedia works. His most recent opera, created for soprano Emma Matthews, "The Space Between", with libretto by Steve Vizard, premiered at Arts Centre Melbourne in September 2018.   He is the Founding Artistic Director of the Australian Art Orchestra, which he led from 1994 to 2013.   He has won seven ARIA awards (most recently in 2019 for his recording ‘Tryst’ with singer Kate Ceberano)), two Helpmann awards, several APRA and Bell Awards and a Deadly award. He was the Sydney Myer Performing Artist of the Year in 2000 and received the Melbourne Prize for Music in 2007. He was the 2010 Australian National University H.C.Coombs Fellow.   He was Artistic Director of the Queensland Music Festival from 2005 to 2007 and was Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival of Arts for 2010 and 2012.   He is currently a Professor at Monash University, and director of the Monash University Academy of Performing Arts and the Monash Art Ensemble. In 2014 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for services to music and arts administration.   in the Art Hunter, David Hunt explores the artist with an in-depth look into their background; where they came from, the type and work they do, their latest work and where they see the future. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Host: David Hunt Producers: David Hunt and Simon Barnett (https://etainment.com.au/) Director: Tim Barnett  If you like the episode, please share and subscribe. To watch programs go to: https://thearthunter.tv --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wata: a Gathering for Manikay Performers, Improvising Soloists and Orchestra is a powerful new collaboration between MSO’s 2021 Composer in Residence, Paul Grabowsky AO, David Yipininy Wilfred, and his brother Daniel Ngukurr Boy Wilfred, which celebrates the ceremonial song cycles of the Wagilak people of northeastern Arnhem Land. Rwandese-British Composer, Artist, Broadcaster Stéphanie Kabanyana Kanyandekwe hosts Grabowsky, the Wilfred brothers and members of the Australian Art Orchestra as they explore – through story, conversation and song – the culture, country and music of Wata. Featuring Stéphanie Kabanyana Kanyandekwe host Paul Grabowsky AO David Yipininy Wilfred Daniel Ngukurr Boy Wilfred Aviva Endean Peter Knight Ears Wide Open is proudly presented by TarraWarra Estate, and supported by City of Melbourne and Creative Victoria. Learn more about MSO's Ears Wide Open program: https://www.mso.com.au/education/ears-wide-open/ - Follow MSO: Website: https://www.mso.com.au/​ Facebook: https://www.mso.com.au/facebook​ Instagram: https://www.mso.com.au/instagram​ Twitter: https://www.mso.com.au/twitter​ LinkedIn: https://www.mso.com.au/linkedin​ Spotify: https://www.mso.com.au/spotify​

The word jazz has confounded simple explanations throughout its relatively short history. Is it a definable musical genre, and therefore subject to precise definition, or does it describe an approach to music with specific processes and outcomes? Is it necessarily the property of a specific time and place, or is it a living, changing, organic phenomenon? What is its place in the current politics of music, and of art in general? ABOUT PAUL GRABOWSKY: Paul Grabowsky is one of Australia's most distinguished performing artists -- an acclaimed pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. He has written the scores for over twenty films in Australia, the UK and US including Innocence (Paul Cox, director), Shiner (John Irvin, director) and Last Orders and most recently, Eye Of The Storm (both Fred Schepisi, director). Works for the theatre include Love In The Age Of Therapy, commissioned by Opera Australia and Presidents Land, commissioned for the 2009 Queensland Music Festival. Grabowsky is the founder of the Australian Art Orchestra with which he tours internationally, collaborating particularly with traditional and contemporary indigenous performers. He has won four ARIA awards, two Helpmann awards and was the Sydney Myer Performing Artist of the Year in 2000, and received the Melbourne Prize For Music in 2007. He was Artistic Director of the Queensland Music Festival from 2005-2007 and of the 2010 and 2012 Adelaide Festival.

A pre-concert chat with Lawrence Cherney and Paul Grabowsky, Peter Knight from the Australian Art Orchestra and Composer Nicole Lizée on April 15th 2014 at Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity St. Paul's Centre, Toronto.

In this Monthly Talks event, Paul Grabowsky and Paul Kelly discuss the fascinating and (for most Australians) mostly unknown history of indigenous popular music: Aboriginal Australia’s hidden hit parade.

Melbourne's unpredictable weather did little to dampen the spirits of the more than 400 people who came to BMW Edge to see world-renowned musician Paul Grabowsky speak about his life's work in the third Monash Alumni Speaker Series event for 2012. At 'An evening with Paul Grabowsky', held on Thursday 9 August, moderator, alumnus Victor Finkel spoke with Mr Grabowsky about his foray into music, his classical training, his discovery of jazz and his mentors. The audience was also treated to a live demonstration of how Indigenous music has influenced his latest works as well as discussion about how artists come up with the score for feature films. But it was Mr Grabowsky's live piano performance that stole the night. The moving piece aimed to capture the mood of the evening's interview. Mr Grabowsky improvised the 10 minute performance, demonstrating his brilliance as an artist. Monash Alumni Relations thanks Slow TV for their permission to reproduce this video. Copyright: Slow TV Visit their website: http://www.themonthly.com.au/video