JAZZ REVIEW : Koonses Play the Pier at Santa Monica

The father-and-son guitar team of Dave and Larry Koonse starred in a show Sunday afternoon at the pier at Santa Monica, one of a series of well-attended Sunday jazz matinees held in a canopied area that seats about 300.

Both are seasoned artists, with Larry playing most of the lead and solo roles while the senior Koonse furnishes sympathetic rhythm backup. Typically, in their opening tune, Kurt Weill’s “Speak Low,” Larry came through with a bright, energetically swinging solo before yielding to his father, whose choruses were on a low-key level in keeping with the title.

With the gentle lapping of nearby waves supplying a subliminal counterpoint, the group dipped into a tasteful repertoire that ran from Michel Legrand’s “You Must Believe in Spring” to Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Triste,” the latter showing both guitarists in a groove that built carefully in intensity. Lending consistently solid support were Paul Kreibich on drums and David May on bass.

Perhaps inevitably the set also included “How Deep Is the Ocean.” More relevant were a subtle rendition of Bill Evans’ “Blue in Green,” and a trio number, with Larry Koonse, Kreibich and May. Their “All the Things You Are” was highlighted by a spirited guitar-and-drums exchange.

The pier series is being temporarily suspended but is expected to resume soon.