Erin Propp and Larry Roy are the kind of musicians who make you lean and listen. There’s a sincerity to their sound, full of nuance and subtlety, clarity and precision.
The partnership has been a fruitful one, earning a Juno-nomination for their first album, Courage My Love, released in 2012 and plenty of hype around their sophomore album, We All Want the Same Things, which came out just under a decade later.
At the root of their musical partnership, one will find a mutual respect and admiration.
“We love playing together,” says Propp. “We’ve lasted a long time together because we just enjoy each other’s company.”
Though ticketed, public performances are perhaps not as frequent as audiences would like – can one really get too much Erin Propp and Larry Roy? – the pair have kept up the music making, exploring new material and ideas.
“It hasn’t changed from when we started working on music together 12 or 13 years ago,” says Roy. “Some magic happens – as cliché as that sounds – but for us it’s genuine.”
For an upcoming engagement as part of the Jazz Winnipeg and Fort Garry Hotel partnership, the duo has enlisted the playing of lauded musicians – bassist Karl Kohut (an “ace in the hole,” according to Propp) and pianist Will Bonness.
“Will Bonness was part of both records,” says Roy. “He was virtually on all the tunes.”
Revisiting tracks from the discography has been a welcome experience, reflects Propp.
“It’s not like a back-in-time thing,” she says. "It feels very present, it feels still fulfilling, (and) it feels new again to do it years later.”
Coinciding with Mother’s Day, the pair have also picked some tunes to reflect the warmth and grace of the day.
“What are some of the most beautiful melodies that we could bring to the audience that they have never heard us play?” says Roy. “The thing that can’t miss is when you ask Erin Propp to sing a tune that she’s never sung before, you know you’re going to get something special.”
Erin Propp and Larry Roy perform on Sunday, May 12 in The Club Room at the Fort Garry Hotel. The show begins at 7 p.m.
For tickets and more details, visit: www.jazzwinnipeg.com
Listen to the full conversation to hear more about the performance, what it means to Erin to be singing on Mother’s Day, and more.