Michaela Rabitsch

Michaela Rabitsch

Musicians | Instrument: Trumpet and vocals | Location: Vienna

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...

—Jim Santella, All About Jazz

Updated: March 19, 2024

Born: March 8, 1963

Michaela Rabitsch, singer, composer and Austria’s only female top jazz trumpet player is called a modern day female Chet Baker by the US magazine Jazzscene. Michaela and her ingenious partner, composer and incredible fluid guitarist Robert Pawlik present „Gimme The Groove “,  their 6th common studio release and celebrate their jubilee 20 years together on the road. 

The tunes root on the one hand in the melodic stiles of the Jazz tradition, like Hardbop, Swing, Modern Jazz, New Orleans Second Line and Blues, and, on the other hand, form fusions with elements of Indian, African or Latin American music. 

Their songs are inspired by their numerous tours through Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa, with 2000 concerts in more than 50 countries, playing in intimate Jazz clubs as well as on big stages and at international festivals – from Tokyo to Teheran, Kuala Lumpur to Yerevan, Cape Town to Delhi, Shanghai to Almaty, Hong Kong to Cracow, Havana to Moscow, Chicago to Ottawa, Penang Island to Ankara … 

Vienna’s „first couple of Jazz“ presents a diversified and sophisticated musical experience extraordinaire, with their signature sound of Jazz spiced up with a touch of World!

For twentyfive years now Michaela and Robert have shared their private and musical lives, co leading their Jazz quartet and acoustic duo, writing for both groups and enjoying a busy tour schedule. They are presenting a program between Jazz, Fusion and Worldmusic with catchy melodies, strong harmonies, groovy rhythms and adventurous improvisations in a fine balanced vocal-instrumental mix. 

The fact that they studied extensively the Jazz standard repertoire and a lot of  jazz related music genres gives them a rich musical vocabulary to draw from. 

Together they have developed a rich and eventful style, never trying to be purist’s only, but always looking for the core message of each song they are writing or playing, and how they can express it best. 

Their prior releases Moods, and Voyagers with exclusively original compositions not only earned them raving reviews, but opened the doors to perform at highly prestigious international Jazz Festivals, concert halls and clubs.

They were the first Austrian band to be invited to perform at Cape Town International Jazz Festival, South Africa – one of the leading jazz festivals worldwide and Africa’s grandest gathering, sharing the stage there with George Benson, McCoy Tyner, Regina Carter, Toots Thielemans or Jonathan Butler. 

Other important festival appearances: Tokyo Jazz Festival, Int. Jazz Festival Nisville, Jarasum Jazz Festival (Korea), Jazz au Chellah, Morocco), TANJazz (Morocco), Bansko Jazz Festival (Bulgaria), Festival Lent (Slowenia), International Jazz Festival Sibiu, Jazz at the Hermitage Garden (Moscow), Jazzfestwoche Burghausen, Int. Jazzfestival Ankara, Jazz Utsav Delhi, Int. Penang Island Jazz Festival (Malaysia), Kracow Summer Jazzfestival, Kuala Lumpur Jazz Festival, Havanna Jazz Festival (Cuba)  and many more. 

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4
Album Review

Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik Quartet: Voyagers

Read "Voyagers" reviewed by Ian Patterson


Trumpeter Michaela Rabitsch and guitarist Robert Pawlik's partnership spans fifteen years and, until now, three joint recordings. Their fourth recording presents another offering of all-originals, following Moods (Extrapolate, 2009), and is inspired by tours of Europe, Asia and Africa. Melody and groove are firmly to the forefront, evoking Balkan, Spanish and Arabic moods, as well as the Americas. Instantly appealing melodies and the generally sunny disposition of the music should make this a hit with lovers of smooth jazz, but ...

3
Album Review

Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik Quartet: Voyagers

Read "Voyagers" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Austrian vocalist/trumpeter Michaela Rabitsch and guitarist Robert Pawlik have fronted a quartet and performed as a duo for the past 15 years, releasing three CDs ahead of the present Voyagers. Concentrating on original compositions that lean in a commercial-popular direction, the pair has received a good deal of buzz. The majority of Voyagers is prepared very much with a broad European audience in mind. Rabitsch's vocals are smoky (she is no female Chet Baker-as the press has called her-because she ...

256
Take Five With...

Take Five With Michaela Rabitsch

Read "Take Five With Michaela Rabitsch" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Meet Michaela Rabitsch:Michaela Rabitsch, singer, composer and Austria's only and top female jazz trumpet player has released Moods, her third CD together with guitarist Robert Pawlik. Moods presents ten songs that reflect the passion, energy and emotions of their life.

This album is their first recording with exclusively original compositions, reflecting the core of their current work. They are presenting jazz with catchy melodies, strong harmonies, groovy rhythms and adventurous improvisations in a fine balanced vocal - instrumental ...

276
Album Review

Michaela Rabitsch / Robert Pawlik Quartet: Moods

Read "Moods" reviewed by Jim Santella


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 ...

274
Album Review

Michaela Rabitsch and Robert Pawlik Quartet: Moods

Read "Moods" reviewed by Michael P. Gladstone


For those in search of a reasonably unique ensemble, the Austrian-based Michaela Rabitsch and Robert Pawlik Quartet has something to offer. Rabitsch is one of Austria's most popular jazz trumpeters and vocalists, while Pawlik--her musical and domestic partner--is a guitarist. The remainder of their group provides acoustic bass and drums with the special appearance of electric bass and percussion.

Working as a team over the course of the past ten years, they have patented an interesting approach to ...

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281

Festival

Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik Quartet Appear at Cape Town International Jazz

Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik Quartet Appear at Cape Town  International Jazz

Source: All About Jazz Blog

Festival, Africa's Premier Jazz Festival Saturday, April 3, 2010, 19:45 Cape Town, South Africa, Cape Town International Jazz Festival, Stage: Moses Molelekwa Master Class on April 4, 2010, time: TBA The Space Theatre Michaela Rabitsch, singer, composer and Austria's only and top female jazz trumpet player and her ingenious partner - composer and guitarist Robert Pawlik are pleased to announce their appearance at the 11th Annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival, presenting their junior release Moods. They present ...

119

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Michaela Rabitsch

Jazz Musician of the Day: Michaela Rabitsch

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Michaela Rabitsch's birthday today!

JAZZ MUSICIAN OF THE DAY Michaela Rabitsch

Michaela Rabitsch, singer, composer and Austrias only female top jazztrumpetplayer releases now her third CD together with guitarist Robert Pawlik. “Moods" presents ten songs that reflect the passion, energy and emotions of their life... more

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258

Performance / Tour

Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik at Green Hours (Romania) on March 4th

Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik at Green Hours (Romania) on March 4th

Source: Michael Ricci

Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik come back to Romania, after two very successful Festival appearances at Sibiu Jazz Festival and Ploiesti Hot Jazz Summit in 2007, they perform at Green Hours, the most well known jazz club in Bucharest, Romania, at the 4th of March 2010. The Show starts at 21:00. greenhours.ro

Michaela Rabitsch--singer and Austria's only female top jazz trumpet player--described as “a modern day female Chet Baker" by the US Jazz magazine Jazzscene --and her ingenious partner - ...

381

Event

Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik Quartet Appear at Festival Lent, Slovenias Premier Summer Festival

Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik Quartet Appear at Festival Lent, Slovenias Premier Summer Festival

Source: All About Jazz

Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik Quartet appear at Festival Lent, Maribor, Slovenias premier summer festival Wednesday, July 8, 2009, 21:00 Maribor, Slovenia, Festival Lent, Stage: Judgement tower Michaela Rabitsch, singer, composer and Austrias only and top female jazz trumpet player and her ingenious partner, composer and guitarist Robert Pawlik are pleased to present their junior release Moods in Maribor, Slovenia. They present songs that reflect the passion, energy and emotions of their life. Moods is their ...

214

Recording

Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik Quartet - Moods

Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik Quartet - Moods

Source: All About Jazz

With “moods" Michaela Rabitsch - singer and Austria's only female top jazztrumpetplayer and her congenious partner - guitarist Robert Pawlik are presenting 10 songs out of their lifes. Once melancholic - subtle, then full of energetic power, once misterious, once offensive - as moody as life can be. With lyrics, directly accessed from life , they are touching with tunes which play through all the facetes of being. Once it concerns the quiet lonely moments, then again about ...

253

Recording

Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik Quartet - Moods

Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik Quartet - Moods

Source: All About Jazz

With “moods" Michaela Rabitsch - singer and Austria's only female top jazztrumpetplayer and her congenius partner - guitarist Robert Pawlik are presenting 10 songs out of their lifes. Once melancholic - subtle, then full of energetic power, once misterious, once offensive - as moody as life can be. With lyrics, directly accessed from life , they are touching with tunes which play through all the facetes of being. Once it concerns the quiet lonely moments, then again about rollicking pleasure, ...

......One seldom equates Austria with having any significant jazz talent, outside of Joe Zawinul, but Moods, by Michaela Rabitsch and Robert Pawlik, proves conclusively that jazz lives on in Austria. (John M. Peters, Music Watch #11, Great Britain)

Voyagers has just about everything one could ask for in a contemporary release with flavor off the charts, a smoking hot band, and rock solid tunes. 
Technically proficient and artistically gifted but perhaps most importantly...Voyagers is incredibly entertaining! ( Brent Black, Critical Jazz, USA) 

From Austria they come and this trumpet/guitar led crew just might conquer the world with their sound

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Primary Instrument

Trumpet and vocals

Location

Vienna

Willing to teach

Beginner to advanced

Chet Baker
trumpet and vocals
Miles Davis
trumpet
Lee Morgan
trumpet

Contact

Management and booking

Michaela Rabitsch
[email protected]

Links

Followers

All About Jazz user Shaul Dover All About Jazz user bernard tachon All About Jazz user Nicole Bookman All About Jazz user Michaela Rabitsch All About Jazz user Matthew Shell All About Jazz user Juanita Towler All About Jazz user Daniel Roure All About Jazz user Sal La Rocca All About Jazz user Mark Haskins All About Jazz user Christopher Burnett All About Jazz user David Howard All About Jazz user Billie Davies PR All About Jazz user Ken Joslin All About Jazz user Christos Anestopoulos All About Jazz user Zoran Marić

Music

The End

From: Moods
By Michaela Rabitsch