Abstrakt:
In this study we are discussing an important figure in Slovak jazz history – the pianist Ladislav Gerhardt. From the historical view of Slovak jazz development we could consider him as a pioneer of modern jazz in Slovakia. His musicianship in this genre was appreciated multiple times not only by the music institutions, critics, and important jazzmen from abroad but also by his colleagues – musicians and last but not least by the public. He became known for his first Slovak jazz LP “We Got Married Well“ (1970) although it was published with a delay due to the cultural politics in formal Czechoslovakia, the LP documents his style almost ten years after his performance on scene. Later on, he became a hard bop and even soul pianist. Ladislav Gerhardt was known not only as an interpreter but also as a composer. His works interacted with more genres. He composed jazz, popular, symphonic, scenic and film music. He wrote more than 300 compositions and a lot of arrangements.