Laszlo Gardony's solo album, "Serious Play," is a resubstantiation for the jazz connoisseur. It is a clear declaration of what jazz can and should be in the 2020s: a demonstration of a level of technique so high that it subsumes itself into the art of expression.The album is a sort of Mega-Stuff Oreo, with the “cookies” (the first and last tracks) being gorgeous reworks of the standards "Georgia On My Mind" and "Somewhere Over The Rainbow", and the “stuffing” being the eight tracks of pure and original improvisation in between.Both of the standards are treated with love, respect, and creativity. Gardony is so confident of his jazz bona fides that he treats these classics with an expressive restraint that brings out the quiet yearning each of these numbers embodies. What makes a song into a standard is its universal message, but here, today, that quiet yearning fits a special place in the soul.Gardony’s improvisations show how thoroughly he has integrated different musical DNA threads into his being. You will hear the clarity and precision of his original training in Western classical music, as well as folk music- not only Eastern European, but also African, Celtic, and maybe even Tibetan. You will feel the elements of Blue Grass, Blues, Swing, Jive, and, of course, New Orleans, Chicago, and Bop.Each time I listen to this album, I come up with a different favorite among the improvisation tracks. I’m listening as I write this review, and at this moment my favorite is a brilliant jewel, "Night Light," which is only two minutes long. It is a very contemplative two minutes, with a tiny nod to Monk. It always catches at me.Serious Play is a milestone in the creative output of one of today’s premier jazz musicians, Laszlo Gardony. Highly recommended.