Michelle Nicolle & Paul Grabowsky - Noir

Michelle Nicolle and Paul Grabowsky have been aware of each other for a very long time. As Michelle says, she ‘grew up’ watching Paul on television and was aware of his work with the great Vince Jones and others; somewhat later Paul became aware of Michelle’s trajectory toward becoming, in his words, ‘one of the greatest jazz singers Australia has produced’.

A few years back they began a conversation around songs they were drawn to, and it was immediately clear that their tastes converged at the melancholy, the testimonial, the heartbreak ballads that speak of love’s sometimes bitter ironies. The Covid lockdowns certainly helped them to focus on this project, one that led to the recording of their ABC Jazz album ‘Noir’, a collection of standards and originals that reveal sentiment rather than sentimentality, great beauty in deepest shadow, empathy and calm.

As Paul puts it, ‘we have found a happy place in these sad songs, in which each shadow reveals new light’.

“Even in the current era of unprecedented excellence in jazz albums, pianist Paul Grabowsky and vocalist Michelle Nicolle are something else. Arguably the two finest exponents in Australian jazz of their respective artistries, pianism and vocalising, Noir is like a meeting at the summit. Sometimes in rhapsodic introductions before Nicolle begins her brilliant vocals, and sometimes accompanying those vocals, Grabowsky..…….does not simply reproduce the harmonic changes we usually expect to hear; like all great jazz pianists, he creates new and imaginative chord structures which redefine the tune under exploration. Think of the two masterly albums recorded by Bill Evans and Tony Bennett in the 1970s. Grabowsky and Nicolle are in that league. Noir is a statement for the ages. It’s that good."

The Weekend Australian, November 8, 2025 Eric Myers ★★★★★

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Street One | Reserved | Duration 80 Minutes
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