Blending languages, cultures, and musical sounds, one of the more unique live shows on the road this fall is the duo Larry & Joe – performing in more than 30 cities from September through December 2023.
Larry & Joe’s debut album, Nuevo South Train features original songs and innovative interpretations of traditional folk tunes from Venezuela and the American South, a style they call “Latingrass.” The twelve tracks were produced by guitar virtuoso Charlie Hunter and include the Llanera classic, “Caballo Viejo” and Bluegrass favorite “Roll in my Sweet Baby’s Arm,” and the original song “Border Wall” sung in English and Spanish with a gospel-tinged refrain calling out for reflection.
Larry Bellorín hails from Monagas, Venezuela and is a legend of Llanera music, a sub-genre of Joropo. Larry was forced into exile and is an asylum seeker in North Carolina where he worked as a construction worker. Joe Troop is from North Carolina and is a Grammy-nominated bluegrass and old-time musician. Joe, after a decade in South America, got stranded back in his stomping grounds during the pandemic. Joe’s acclaimed “Latingrass” band Che Apalache took a hiatus, and he shifted into action teaming up with Larry to create this special album and bilingual live show.
Currently, based in the Triangle of North Carolina, both men are versatile multi-instrumentalists and singer-songwriters whose mission proves music has no borders. As a duo they perform a fusion of Venezuelan and Appalachian folk music on harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, maracas, cuatro, upright bass, and whatever else they throw in the van. Larry & Joe’s performance features a distinct blend of musical heritage and storytelling about how music and social movements coalesce.
Today Glide is premiering their performance video for “Los Doce,” which captures the chemistry and the magic of these two unlikely band mates. What is striking in this performance and perhaps to anyone who has been lucky enough to catch this duo live is the way their two musical cultures blend so seamlessly. In this case, we find Troop using his banjo to interpret a classic bambuco from Colombia in a way that feels almost classical in its precision, and Larry Bellorín providing the backbone with his cuatro as both draw inspiration from a Venezuelan version of the tune. Truly impressive stuff.
Joe Troop describes the inspiration behind the tune:
Los Doce is originally a bambuco from Colombia, but our rendition was inspired by the Venezuelan supergroup Ensamble Gurrufío’s version, which is a joropo oriental. But our unorthodox version was born right here in North Carolina. This piece has really gotten around! The banjo plays something akin to the mandolin’s role, and Larry lays it down on the cuatro – his first instrument. We filmed this video at a historic home in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Thanks to our buddy Hunt Mallett for the hook up!
We think the banjo sounds good in joropo. What do y’all say?
WATCH:
