Pianist, arranger and composer, Paul Grabowsky was in Canberra last week with chanteuse Robyn Archer presenting Keep Up Your Standards at the Canberra Theatre. Tony Magee caught up with Paul before the show to discuss his musical involvement with Robyn, plus a touch of the person behind the person.
Keep Up Your Standards is a show which focuses on the notion of cabaret as an artform. It is also an overview of Robyn Archer's cabaret career to date and a summary of her personal interests within this medium. The show is not a collection of songs revolving around a story, a person, a composer - whatever. It is cabaret in the original sense as defined by German and French culture of the early part of this century - a vehicle for political and social statement - something which both Archer and Grabowsky plunge themselves into with particular relish.
Most of the material has been chosen by Archer, though not all - there were the familiar (familiar to anyone who has ever compiled a cabaret) long sessions around a table, or perhaps spread all over a lounge-room floor, sifting through countless possible tunes/songs/ditties to include/rearrange/rewrite/throwout/never sing again/turn into a medley etc. Some of the material is from Archer's stable of proven stage winners. Other pieces are first time out - new for the show. Whatever the piece, the idea is to make it special. Sometimes this involves creating a completely new arrangement, possibly with a new musical style, or maybe just arranging for the instruments that will be available - piano, violin, percussion, accordion, guitar, double bass and trumpet in this case. Enter Grabowsky.
Keep Up Your Standards is not the first time the two performers have worked together. In the late 1970's the phone rang at Paul's house. "The musical director for Robyn Archer's show, A Star Is Torn, is sick. Can you take over Paul?" Paul did.
He sites one influence in his jazz piano playing as Bud Powell, although he hesitates to put too much weight on that one fact alone - fair enough too. Any musician who prides themselves as an innovator - and Grabowsky is definitely that - must have woven a complex web of influences from countless sources, resulting in one's own style and musical thought processes.
Perhaps the culmination of Grabowsky's journey through music so far, is his most beloved pursuit - The Australian Art Orchestra. "How do you define the music that you play in this?", I asked. "Well - it's contemporary music" came the mournful reply. Definitely fed up with that question. But rightly so. There is no 'definition'. No convenient little box to put it into. The orchestra is made up of improvising musicians. Careful! This does not mean it's a jazz orchestra! What it does mean is that Paul's vision of a music of the future is one that combines composed and improvised music as equals. A wonderful and exciting vision.
Originally published in Canberra's Muse Magazine, April 1996
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