Dave Koonse and his son
Larry Koonse have both been major guitarists in Los Angeles for quite some time, appearing on a countless number of sessions. They recorded an LP together for the Dobre label back in 1978, and
Dialogues of the Heart (recorded in 1997 but not issued until 2003) was their long overdue encore. These guitar duets show how complementary their styles remain after all these years as they dig into nine standards and Larry's original ballad "Jazz Passacaglia." The Koonses' treatments of such songs as "Beautiful Love," "You Must Believe in Spring," "Isfahan," and "Django" are melodic and tasteful, keeping the themes in mind throughout. Although
Larry naturally has a more modern style than
Dave, in this duet setting they often think as one and are largely indistinguishable from each other. The results are quite pleasing, gently swinging, and easily enjoyable.