Larry Unger

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Larry Unger has been a full time musician since 1984, and has presented a diverse range of musical performances at contra dances, Scottish dances, waltzes, dance weekends, dance camps, festivals, and concerts all across the United States and in Canada, France, Scotland, Denmark, and Sweden. He's one of the busiest musicians around, playing for more than 150 dances every year.

He has played guitar, banjo, and bass with many top bands for contra dances including Reckless Abandon, Uncle Gizmo, Big Table, and the Reckless Ramblers. He has also accompanied such fiddlers as Elke Baker, Rodney Miller, Alisdair Fraser, Matt Glaser, Ralph Blizard, and Lissa Schneckenburger to name a few. The bands Larry has been a part of might vary in style from Oldtime to New England to Celtic, but they are all lively groups with exciting rhythms and an emphasis on fun. They might also play some of Larry's many original fiddle tunes.

Larry has written more than 600 fiddle tunes and waltzes, many of which have been recorded by one of his bands or by other bands. His tunes are widely played at contra dances everywhere. He has published 2 books of original tunes, as well as one CD of original waltzes (with Ginny Snowe), another CD with the contra dance band Uncle Gizmo, and a brand new CD with the Reckless Ramblers.

Besides playing for contra, waltz, swing, or Scottish dances, Larry also gives solo concerts which include a wide variety of music including fingerstyle blues and slide guitar, rags, oldtime banjo tunes, original waltzes and fiddle tunes, as well as melodies played on a handful of unusual instruments like banjo guitar, fretless banjo, and piano harp. He has a great breadth of understanding of traditional music to complement his considerable technical proficiency on stringed instruments, and enjoys telling the stories about the origins of his music and the people who taught him.

Larry has spent countless hours playing blues with Etta Baker, John Jackson, Turner Foddrell, Ted Bogan, and other masters of the style as well as playing at numerous sessions at old time fiddle conventions in the south. He has even played for Bill and Hillary Clinton!

Unger teaches guitar and oldtime banjo at the Music Emporium in Lexington, Massachusetts. (He has also been known to teach bass or ukelele lessons.) He also gives workshops at camps and weekend festivals on a variety of topics from guitar and banjo, to dance band workshops and tune writing workshops.

Larry Unger & Eden MacAdam-Somer - Notorious Eden MacAdam-Somer and Larry Unger bring together traditional and contemporary acoustic music from around the world, creating a dynamic, swinging sound that is sure to get you on your feet. With Eden on fiddle and vocals and Larry on guitar and banjo, their music is full of rhythmic drive and melodic candor. Their show is always new and exciting, presenting everything from traditional American and Celtic fiddle tunes to jazz, blues, and the group's original compositions. This is the first recording for Eden and Larry. They have been on the road together playing concerts, contras, and waltzes. This CD is a slice from that eclectic blend. CD Price: $14.97

Larry Unger and Ginny Snowe - Waltz Time II All instrumental waltzes played on fiddle, guitar and other instruments, with the added talents of others including Lissa Schneckenburger, Eden MacAdam-Somer, Nat Hewitt, Loretta Kelley, Billy Novick, Annie Raines, Ilene Stahl, Rushad Eggleston, Sam Bartlett, Mark Hellenberg, Corey DiMario, Mike Peipman. From the autumnal first track, "Two Rivers", with Eden MacAdam-Somer's ethereal fiddle guiding us through a musical landscape that seems to mimic the natural, through to the gorgeous, sparklingly unflappable "I'm Takin'; My Time", Waltz Time II is both thoughtful and witty. - Aurelia Carter, Wordworth Magazine CD Price: $14.97

Larry Unger and Ginny Snowe - Waltz Time "Stop! If you think a collection of eighteen waltzes sounds tedious, think again! There is a lot of music going on here, as composer and guitar genius Larry Unger invites fiddlers Mary Lea, Elke Baker, Matt Glaser, Ruthie Dornfeld, Amy Richardson Larkin, and keyboardist Ginny Snowe to exercise their seductive musical wiles on some of his nicest tunes. Percussion effects are added by Lee Blackwell, Daniel Moncada, and Sarah Tenney to give the tunes here just the right blend of danceabiliy. It's hard to choose from so many beautiful moments." - Sing Out Magazine CD Price: $14.97

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