Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Michaela Rabitsch / Robert Pawlik Quartet: Moods

Michaela Rabitsch / Robert Pawlik Quartet: Moods

By Jim Santella
August 26, 2009
View read count

From Vienna, Austria, trumpeter Michaela Rabitsch and guitarist Robert Pawlik lead a fine quartet steeped in the jazz tradition while offering a fresh voice for the evolving worldwide jazz scene. Communicating naturally with any audience, they interpret ten original songs on Moods while stirring the pot with a hearty, foot-tappin' thrill that's driven by the ensemble's convincing jazz and blues.

Ten years of performance and three CDs together have created a tight unit that thrives on beauty of tone, as fostered by Miles Davis, Pat Metheny and others. No gimmicks here, just the real deal.

Rabitsch sings with genuine authority and plays both trumpet and flugelhorn well. Her instrumental textures recall the best of Miles Davis while her vocals stand alone as a fresh voice that means every word. She tells stories through original lyrics and enjoys wordless vocals with her Latin numbers, recalling the excitement of Tania Maria and the sensuality of Astrud Gilberto.

Pawlik plays both amplified guitar and electric guitar as a complementary partner who blends well with trumpet and voice; the quartets also feature double bass and drums for a portion of the program as well as electric bass and percussion elsewhere. Thus, the music turns in different directions with changes in instrumentation and style.

A favorite selection? All ten. The quartet's music sends chills up and down the spine.

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Yaron Herman: An Urgent Need to Play
< Previous

9th Annual Satchmo Summerfest Heats ...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.