You can say anything you like about how the jazz scene in NYC is better than LA, but for my money, you just can’t find a better trio of guys than Valley Boys Tom Warrington/b and his trio mates here consisting of Larry Koonse/g and Jo La Barbera. These guys are the epitome of style and taste, you can see them almost any night at one of the few remaining clubs, and they don’t cost an arm and a leg to get in. And the food in Little Tokyo, or at Barone’s, Zankou or Canter’s Deli is as good, if not better than anything in the Big Apple. So THERE!
But I digress. The music here is cool, hip and intimate chamber jazz at its zenith, with the three all stars communicating with the cleverness of dialogue from The Thin Man series. Leader Warrington sets the pace and tone, be it the grooving “Bolivia” or the bluesy “Sixth Sense” while La Barbera, always the master of elegance, adds just the right flavor, like a Chef in Thai Town. Koonse alternates between a cool and languid electric ax as on “No If But When,” but shines like a sparkling night when he goes acoustic, on “Shall We” and the luminescent “Star Jasmine.” Subtle, clever and classy, this is music made for quiet nights and quite stars. You can have your East Coast, this is music from the Best Coast.
