Art of the Trio in Middletown

The Buttonwood Tree, 605 Main Street in Middletown, welcomes the Laszlo Gardony Trio on Saturday February 1 for an evening of exciting, interactive, pensive and far-reaching improvisations.

Pianist Gardony, a native of Hungary, came to the  United States in 1983 to study at The Berklee School of Music in Boston and, upon graduation, was offered a position on the faculty.  For the past decade, his main performance vehicle has been the Trio with bassist John Lockwood and drummer Yoron Israel.  They have played at numerous venues in this country and in Europe; their usual style is not to have a "set list" but to just begin to play, with each musicians making musical suggestions as to what direction the music will take.  Since all 3 are masters of their respective instruments and know hundreds, if not thousands, of songs, they rarely, if ever, repeat themselves.

Messrs. Lockwood and Israel have recorded 4 CDs with Mr. Gardony for the Sunnyside label, the latest being 2011's "Signature Time" which also features saxophonist Stan Strickland.   In 2013, the pianist released "Clarity", a 49-minute piano solo that he created one morning in October 2012.  Mr. Gardony sat down at a piano in a studio at Berklee, turned on a recording device and simply played. Best listened to in the fashion it was recorded (all the way through), "Clarity" is an excellent example of a fertile mind at play.

For the Buttonwood gig, it's the Trio. They are good friends and it shows in how they support, prod, push and interact on stage.  The show starts at 8 p.m.  For reservations, go to www.buttonwood.org or call 860-347-4957.