High Wall: Real Life Film Noir

LARRY VUCKOVICH: High Wall
Tetrachord, 2008

MAINSTREAM JAZZ – A legendary San Francisco pianist; one of his very best CDs. All of Larry’s key influences are here: the tunes of bebop greats, Latin rhythms, Balkan harmonies, film noir romantic intrigue... but in the end, this is just straight-up classic jazz done right.

All tracks nice. Fo’s Picks: 1, 5, 8, 9, 10

1. 6:22 – hip 6/8 latin blues (think “Afro-Blue”), rolling with a tough-guy edge
2. 6:56 – bittersweet film theme, pretty but haunted: tender piano, calm rhythm
3. 6:10 – happy version of a bop classic: swings like crazy, everybody solos
4. 5:49 – funky li’l groove, catchy Crusaders tune glides smoothly
5. 6:43 – pretty original ballad, an elegant daydream evoking past glamour
6. 5:26 – well-known Russian folksong becomes an uptempo mambo
7. 4:38 – breezy early-60s bop with just a hint of bossa, flows easily
8. 5:48 – nifty, uptempo modern-bop with intriguing shadows
9. 5:59 – classical/jazz/flamenco hybrid: really digs in, fade-out, cool bass solo
10. 4:19 – sweet standard ballad, solo piano is gorgeous
11. 7:56 – live trio recording; minor-key blues chugs along
12. 7:52 – live quartet recording, Coltrane tune played with forceful elegance


[ Fo ] 3-Aug-08