Bartok meets Monk — and everything in between.
Internationally acclaimed Boston-based jazz pianist and composer Laszlo Gardony is one of the most expressive and technically skilled pianists working in jazz today. Winner of the Great American Jazz Piano Competition, he has performed in 27 countries and released 14 albums on the Sunnyside, Antilles, and Avenue Jazz labels. His trio’s latest album, Close Connection (Sunnyside Records, 2022), received a four-star review in DownBeat Magazine.
Born in Hungary, Gardony showed an early aptitude for the piano, improvising blues- and pop-inspired tunes as a child. Drawn to progressive rock as a teenager and immersed in gospel and jazz, he graduated from the Bela Bartok Conservatory and the Science University of Budapest before becoming one of Europe’s most sought-after accompanists.
A full scholarship brought him to Berklee College of Music in 1983; a faculty position upon graduation kept him in Boston. His 1989 trio session The Legend of Tsumi, with bassist Dave Holland and drummer Bob Moses, launched him into the national spotlight. For the past two decades his primary vehicle has been his trio with bassist John Lockwood and drummer Yoron Israel.
A Professor of Piano at Berklee — who also teaches at Harvard University’s Jazz Combo Initiative — Gardony continues to divide his time between composing, recording, touring, and teaching.
Berklee faculty page →Recorded & Toured With
Select Quotes
“The trio of pianist Laszlo Gardony, bassist John Lockwood, and drummer Yoron Israel is among the most seasoned, soulful, sensitive, and swinging groups around.”
“His genius is in making complex ideas simple — another kind of liberation.”
“Who’d ever have thought that Laszlo Gardony would turn out to be the ultra-hip 21st century Ramsey Lewis?”
Recommended by the Village Voice Jazz Consumer Guide: A (Highest Rating)
“A consistently inventive player who combines an ear for melody with a strong rhythmic sense that grabs the attention of even those who are normally resistant to jazz.”
Serious Play combines spontaneity and intent — a distinctive amalgam of central European folk strains, majestic classical piano and improvisational fearlessness. [4 stars]
Booking & Contact
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