The Sydney jazz scene has taken some hits of late, losing long-established rooms such as Ultimo’s Foundry 616 and, more recently, Mary’s Underground (formerly The Basement) in the CBD.

Which makes initiatives like the Willoughby City Council-supported Jazz at The Lounge series at The Concourse in Chatswood all the more welcome. Granted, this pop-up venue lacks some ‘cool’ (the vibe is municipal, the long rows of seats unsympathetic, the sound quality patchy), but it’s heartening to see local government backing what many might dismiss as a niche form.

And that investment seems to be paying off if this gig by Melbourne-based pianist Paul Grabowsky and singer Michelle Nicolle is anything to go by. There were just a few empty chairs in a room that can seat 300 – an impressive turnout.

Paul Grabowsky and Michelle Nicholle. Photo © John Lloyd Fillingham

Opening with Cole Porter’s Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye, the program draws largely on Grabowsky and Nicolle’s recent album Noir. Their approach is refreshing. From the start, Grabowsky digs deep into the harmonic and rhythmic possibilities of each song, dismantling chords and sidestepping expectations about where his fingers will land. Nicolle...