Jazz Articles about Larry Vuckovich

Larry Vuckovich/Jon Hendricks: Reunion

by Mark F. Turner
May 1, 2004

Two venerable kings of swing, pianist Larry Vuckovich and vocalist Jon Hendricks, reunite on Vuckovich’s latest recording, Reunion. Vuckovich’s career began in 1959 with a Lester Young influenced tenor player Brew Moore, who was a notable saxophonist and friend of Charlie Parker. Vuckovich’s recent recordings Young at Heart and Blue Balkan: Then and Now prove his musical longevity. Jon Hendricks has been called the “Father of Vocalese” and a jazz vocal innovator who has performed with jazz greats Art Blakey, ...

Larry Vuckovich: Blue Balkan: Then and Now

by Mark F. Turner
June 17, 2002

The true test of good jazz is its ability to withstand time. Whether it's a decade or a millennium; good music is always refreshing and moving whenever heard. Jazz pianist Larry Vuckovich's recording Blue Balkan was recorded in 1980 and featured world inspired music with a stellar cast of musicians. Critically acclaimed, it was hailed for its diverse talent and global influences. It has recently been re-released with over thirty minutes of new music and still proves ...

Larry Vuckovich: Young At Heart

by C. Michael Bailey
February 1, 2001

Pianist Larry Vuckovich and friends provides a heartfelt tribute to Lester Young, Count Basie, and Charlie Parker.

This sextet sounds and swings like a big band, reminding me of Basie's Kansas City Seven. The two-tenor front of Jules Broussard and Noel Jewkes provides a riffing wall of sound that possesses a powerful momentum as Vuckovich steers his tribute group through chestnuts associated with Lester Young, Count Basie, and Charlie Parker. Inspired by Phil Schaap's WKCR (New York) tribute to Prez ...

Larry Vuckovich: Young at Heart

by Dave Nathan
December 1, 2000

Every now and then you come across an album which falls into that “comfortable as an old pair of slippers" zone. The music here is pretty much laid back and relaxed, transporting the listener to a smoky lounge as a small group plays good solid straight ahead jazz. Such is the case with pianist Larry Vuckovich's CD, Young at Heart. Vuckovich emigrated from Yugoslavia to San Francisco with his family in 1951 and as a youngster started to hang around ...