Episode 32 - Larry Unger

The intro and interstitial tracks from today’s episode are Lowdown Hoedown/Beth Cohen’s/Kolomeike from Notorious’ their 2006 eponymous album, Door County #2/Sweetbriar from the Reckless Rambler’s album Lowdown Hoedown published by Great Meadows Music, Two Rivers from Uncle Gizmo’s eponymous album, and Blues at Daybreak from the 2010 Notorious album The Road To Damascus.

See the Contra Pulse website for transcripts and more. Or go straight to the transcript.

And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent.

Be sure to check out Larry’s many recordings here on his website!

See and hear Larry Unger in action:

Here’s some video from this interview of Larry demonstrating his guitar technique

Larry has played for countless dances! Here are a few videos:

• With Audrey Knuth and Emily Troll in Greenfield, MA
• With Notorious at Echo Summit Dance Camp in 2019 and at the Dance Flurry in 2012
• And here with fiddler Karina Wilson (who you heard in our previous Contra Pulse episode!) at a contra dance in Denver, CO

You can hear tunes written by Larry in so many places:

• Here he is playing with fiddler Audrey Knuth (with an impressive instrumental background!)
• Playing his waltz "Two Rivers" for dancers at Norse Hall, Portland Oregon, September, 2019
• By Rhiannon Giddens & Francesco Turrisi at Le Café de la Danse Paris
• And a pandemic era solo banjo tune

How many instruments does he even play!?

• Playing “Shenandoah” slide guitar style on a National
• A fretless gourd banjo at “FunFest” in Evart, MI
• And how about this jaw harp / hurdy-gurdy duo!
   

Many dances have been written to Larry’s tunes:

• Voici some dancers in France dancing to his tune “Ariel Julia,” and here are some Tango Fusion dancers dancing to the same tune at the First Night Show at the Saratoga Dance Museum on New Year's Eve 2008.
• Here some English country dancers enjoy Larry’s tune “Judy and Jim's Wedding” while dancing “Sunlight Through Draperies” by Tom Ruby