Manos Panamericanos – Larry & Joe

Written by Lee Zimmerman for Bluegrass Today
3.10.25

Larry & Joe have forged a unique and decidedly daring partnership. Larry Bellorín hails from Monagas, Venezuela, and is a champion of what’s known as Llanera music, native to his country and that of Columbia. Joe Troop is a North Carolinian, and is a Grammy-nominated bluegrass/old time musician. Larry was forced into exile and sought asylum in North Carolina. After spending a decade in South America, COVID forced Joe’s “Latin-grass” outfit, Che Apalache, to take a hiatus and he returned to the US and his family in North Carolina. It was while curating a residency series in Durham that he met Larry, calling him on the recommendation of a mutual friend to ask if he wanted to play on the series. 

Now based in North Carolina, the duo, simply known as Larry & Joe, utilize their skills as singer/songwriters and multi-instrumentalists to create sounds that consistently push the parameters of folk music genres. The music they make blends Venezuelan and old-time music while relying on a varied array of instrumentation, including harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, maracas, guitar, and upright bass. The results aren’t only unexpected, but they also rely on a timeless tradition, a combination of cultures, and a sound that’s mined from a certain shared symmetry. 

Manos Panamericanos finds the pair making another bold move, one that brings them further south of the border and into realms where joy and celebration become a prominent part of the process. The two men play the bulk of the instruments throughout, excelling at creating festive rhythms that resonate throughout. Songs such as Silver Lining, Move On and Let Live and Appa Banjo Merengue are prime examples. They tap into timeless traditions, bending boundaries but still retaining the emotive and expressive qualities common to folk traditions that extend from north to south.

That’s not to say the album is devoid of Appalachian influences exclusively. Runnin’ From the Weather and Move On and Let Live retain an exuberant backcountry flavor, while Ya Volvere A La Sierra Blue Ridge express its fiddle flourish through a decidedly down-home approach. 

Manos Panamericanos offers an opportunity to relish and rediscover music that originates from different environs. And yet, the appeal is ultimately universal as well.

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