Hungarian-born pianist Laszlo Gardony loves to perform his versions of jazz standards, and loves even more to compose new and original music - but he is most attuned to the production of creative work entirely in the moment. Everything else he plays is with an eye toward creating a context for devising and executing music on the spot. La Marseillaise is Gardony’s third solo piano album in seven years. That recent productivity is all the more remarkable considering that in the three decades of his career prior to that, he had recorded without accompaniment only once, on his highly regarded 1993 Sunnyside debut Changing Standards. Why the shift in emphasis? "I don’t know," Gardony admits. "But I like the possibilities of energy, orchestration, and vibe when playing in solo, and obviously it’s a very personal statement. I’m doing what feels natural to me at the time, and that joyful focus creates the music."
