Two of Australia’s all-time music greats, Paul Kelly and Paul Grabowksy, will team up for a rich-and-rare performance together at Subiaco’s Regal Theatre on Friday, October 9.
Each, of course, are leaders and laureates in their musical corners. Paul Kelly is in many ways a national icon, lyrically capturing the essence of the lived Australian experience in songs that have themselves become beloved standards.
Paul Grabowsky is the acclaimed Australian pianist/composer/arranger/conductor who has carved an impressive presence on the international jazz scene, scored over 20 feature films, and spearheaded many award-winning projects and collaborations over the years.
Both Pauls have been awarded the Order of Australia and have won multiple ARIA Awards during the course of their careers. They even share an ARIA Award for their 2020 album, Please Leave Your Light On, a release inspired by Frank Sinatra’s iconic partnership with orchestrator Nelson Riddle. The album combined Kelly’s beloved songs with Grabowsky’s astonishing powers to reimagine them, with nothing more than voice, piano and the occasional harmonica.
“The reason I love working with Paul is that he always surprises me,” says Kelly. “He’s endlessly fertile, turning my songs inside out and upside down – to quote Diana Ross – and finding things in them I didn’t know were there. And that makes me sing them differently. Singing with Paul is like walking a tightrope. It’s as if we are acrobats together. We have to pay serious attention to one another to pull the songs off. I like that.”
Grabowsky added “Paul is a generous collaborator, always listening closely to what I am doing, and giving me the freedom to bring my own interpretation to the songs. I think people will hear, and hopefully enjoy, the deep communication that we are bringing to the performance.”
Paul Kelly and Paul Grabowksy hit Regal Theatre on Friday, October 9. Tickets go on sale through Ticketek at 9am Friday, July 16. For more info head to www.mellenevents.com
