Lakeshore Records release Laura Karpman's original soundtrack to Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed. The poignant modern jazz score acts as the backdrop for an intimate portrait of actor Rock Hudson, one of Hollywood’s most celebrated leading men of the 1950’s and ‘60’s and an icon of Hollywood’s Golden Age, whose diagnosis and eventual death from AIDS in 1985 shocked the world, subsequently shifting the way the public perceived the AIDS pandemic...

Born Roy Fitzgerald and renamed “Rock Hudson” by his agent, with his 6’5” frame, strong physique and chiseled good looks, Hudson was the embodiment of romantic masculinity and heterosexuality. The film explores the story of a man living a double life, one whose public persona was carefully manufactured by his handlers and orchestrated by the studio system, while fearing a potentially career-ending discovery that he was privately living as a gay man.

Laura Karpman's jazz-infused score for the documentary Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed is upbeat, glitzy and showy. It's bordering on lounge jazz. Nowhere is this more evident than on the opening 'Showbiz', which wonderfully encapsulates a romantic notion of a fun, decadent bygone Hollywood era.

Discussing the project, Karpman says: "The score for this documentary film is rich, complex and in most cases, pure jazz. Jazz is a multi-faceted musical language that brings welcomed dimension to this complex story, exploring Hollywood history, the queer closet and the onset of AIDS. I am proud and honoured to have worked on this important film, and want to thank all my musicians, especially Elena Pinderhughes, who continues to be my good luck charm!”

While it's perfect for the project, whether or not you'll want to own the album comes down to just one question: Do you enjoy jazz? If the answer is "No!", then there is absolutely nothing here that will make you change your stance on the genre.

Personally, I enjoyed it, but it's not one I'll be digging out to play very often.

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Darren Rea