Grand Pianoramax

Grand Pianoramax operates as an open-ended collective centered on pianist Leo Tardin, combining keyboards, drums, and vocalists or MCs across a sound that blends jazz, electronica, hip-hop, and spoken word. Tardin, born in Geneva, Switzerland, settled in New York City after completing studies at the New School University in 2000 and first gained recognition by taking first place in the 1999 Montreux Jazz Festival International Piano Solo Competition. His initial release under the Grand Pianoramax name arrived in 2004 as the 12" EP Starlite on the ObliqSound imprint, which included remixes by Nuspirit Helsinki and Domu and was recorded with drummer Jojo Mayer plus producer Michele Locatelli. The project's first full-length album, also titled Grand Pianoramax, appeared in 2005 on ObliqSound and added Derenc Nemeth to the drum chair alongside Mayer. For the 2008 follow-up, The Biggest Piano in Town, Tardin reunited with two percussionists—Deantoni Parks, whose résumé includes the Mars Volta, and Adam Deitch, known for work with Talib Kweli—while expanding the roster to include vocal contributions from Mike Ladd, Celena Glenn, Invincible, and Spleen. Beyond the studio, Tardin kept the project active through live performances that assembled shifting configurations of keyboards, drums, and vocals as he moved between engagements in the United States and Europe.