Alum

Laszlo Gardony

Professor
Affiliated Departments
Piano
Faculty Bio E-Mail
lgardony@berklee.edu
Telephone
617-747-8187
Personal Websites
Laszlo Gardony's website

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Career Highlights
  • Leader of own trio, quartet, and sextet, as well as solo pianist
  • Has 13 albums featuring 49 original compositions, 18 solo piano improvisations, and 28 original arrangements of jazz standards, rock and traditional songs, released on the Sunnyside, Antilles, and Avenue Jazz labels
  • Performances and/or recordings with Dave Holland, David “Fathead” Newman, Randy Brecker, Dave Liebman, and Eddie Gomez, among many others
  • Appearances at major venues including jazz festivals and jazz clubs, such as Symphony Hall (Boston), the Opera City Concert Hall (Tokyo), the Blue Note and Birdland (New York City), the Monterey Festival, and the Bracknell Festival (London), among others
  • Both the 2015 live sextet recording Life in Real Time (Sunnyside Records) and the 2017 solo piano album Serious Play (Sunnyside) named by the Boston Globe as among the 10 Best Nationwide Jazz Releases of the Year
  • Compositions featured on Blue Note, Accurate, and Jazziz Critics' Choice CDs
  • Featured sideman with Yoron Israel's High Standards, Matt Glaser's Wayfaring Strangers, and the John Coltrane Memorial Ensemble, among others
  • Selected recordings as sideman include Yoron Israel's Visions: Music of Stevie Wonder (Ronja Music Company), The Wayfaring Strangers' This Train (Rounder) and Shifting Sands of Time (Rounder), Garrison Fewell's Reflection of a Clear Moon (Accurate), Shelley Neill Quintet featuring John Blake Jr.'s The Blues Runs through It (Cobalt Blue Music), and Christian Artmann's Our Story (Sunnyside)
  • Other critically acclaimed releases include La Marseillaise (2019), Clarity (2013), Signature Time (2011), Dig Deep (2008), and Natural Instinct (2006), among others, all Sunnyside Records
Awards
  • Recipient of three Boston Music Award nominations
  • First prize, 1987 Great American Jazz Piano Competition
Education
  • Diploma, Berklee College of Music
  • B.M., Bela Bartok Conservatory
  • M.Ed., ELTE Science University
In Their Own Words

"I focus on finding the musical styles and the performers that truly inspire and excite my students. Then I find ways to expand their horizons and further develop their performing and writing skills, using their favorites as launching pads for discussion and expansion. My goal is to help them develop into well-rounded musicians who retain their love of music and develop their original voice, all the while learning about the masters and honing their musical skills. My happiest moments as a teacher come from seeing a student's eyes light up about an assignment, a recording, or either their own performance or mine. I feel that because I've helped my students learn how to evolve effectively and joyfully they can learn life lessons in addition to their musical training."

"I teach students ways of practicing in which inspiration and analysis mutually support each other. My aim is to teach them an appreciation of both intuition and analysis so there is no conflict between the two. Instead, they mutually enhance each other. I want to see my students grow more inspired as well as more knowledgeable. I always emphasize having fun while learning, enjoying the process. I encourage my students to always practice in a musical way, never approaching music mechanically or viewing it as a mere skill."

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