Piano Works: Solo Piano Interpretations of The Great American Songbook and Beyond        

Welcome to the world of Piano Works!

Piano Works is a concert program of solo piano interpretations of  Great American Songbook standards along with interpretations of songs from a variety of traditions, including jazz, pop, reggae, country, Jewish, Hispanic, and traditional American folk music.  Piano Works is a lively musical journey on acoustic piano filled with passion, creativity, humor, and swing, all performed by pianist/arranger/improviser Lou Walinsky.  Along with playing the music, Lou also introduces each piece with pertinent and interesting information about the song, its composer, or the arrangement itself. 

You will find many favorites here – songs that sound familiar, yet are uniquely arranged and presented.  Arrangements of songs like George Gershwin’s classic “I Got Rhythm”, Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)”, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Climb Ev’ry Mountain”, Lennon and McCartney’s “When I’m 64”, or old jazz/pop standards like “Sweet Georgia Brown” and “On The Sunny Side of the Street”. 

Expect the unexpected in a Piano Works concert: Arrangements of songs like the traditional sea chantey “Shenandoah”, the Spanish song “Gracias a la Vida”, the French song “La Vie En Rose”, the country song “Crazy”, Pharrell William’s “Happy”, or Bob Marley”s “One Love”.

The pieces are all arranged, but the presentation varies from performance to performance due to the improvisation that is integral to the interpretations. Piano Works combines crucial elements in classical music and in jazz and is intended for anyone who is passionate about good music, regardless of category.  The program is conceived, arranged, and performed by Lou Walinsky.  Being highly influenced by songs from the Great American Songbook and from many other traditions, Lou’s goal has been to interpret the songs through his own lens, while remaining true to the soulful essence and intent of each particular song.  Piano Works is the result of a process that began early in Lou’s career and which has been developing for many years.