Larry Koonse, Kathleen Grace - Sessions at Stained Glass December 7, 2025

What a pleasure it was yesterday afternoon to be in a room full of people whose attention spans are fully intact. A rapt, diverse audience listened to music led by guitarist Larry Koonse with Darek Oles on bass, Joe La Barbera on drums and Peter Smith on piano. I've been wanting to get to Peter Smith's monthly Sessions at Stained Glass at the cavernous First Baptist Church in Pasadena since he initiated them. The performance space is reached after winding your way through dim hallways and up staircases to a charming room at the top of the beautiful church containing Peter's grand piano and recording equipment.

This was a perfect opportunity to see the marvelous singer Kathleen Grace, who closed out a very satisfying show with three songs including "Embarcadero," written by Darek Oles with lyrics by Grace who recorded it with Larry Goldings on her 2020 release "Tie Me to You." Her final number was a nod to the holidays, a lighthearted "White Christmas" which included Irving Berlin's rarely heard verse. The gifted pianist Sam Javitch said, "That was probably the most swinging version of White Christmas ever." Sam was not wrong.

There were other musicians showing respect as well. The talented and in demand percussionist Aaron Rafael Serfaty walked in, grabbed a chair directly in front of Joe La Barbera and said, "I'm here for my lesson." Vocalists Liz Cole and Jeffrey Gimble were also in the house. Putter Smith was also in attendance and Koonse gave him a much deserved acknowledgment from the band stand.

I took the opportunity to have Joe La Barbera sign my copy of his excellent book, "Times Remembered," which details his experience as Bill Evans' drummer during the final years of the Bill Evans Trio.

Check out Peter Smith's Sessions at Stained Glass. He has been consistently presenting a world class lineup, creating a unique listening space for the music he loves.