He is a son of the late Rose and Buddy Kahn. His mother was an opera singer with the stage name Rose Sherman in New York. His father was the bandleader at the Latin Quarter (nightclub) in New York under the name Buddy Harlowe. The young Harlow, is affectionately nicknamed el Judio Maravilloso (The Marvelous Jew). Harlow is a noted salsa bandleader and multi-instrumentalist, although he primarily plays piano. He produced over 260 albums for Fania Records. He is the director of the Latin Legends of Fania, among other groups.
Larry Harlow excelled at an early age at various instruments. The music and culture of New York’s Latino community led him to Cuba where he began an intense study of Afro-Cuban music. Harlow, who is known for his innovative blend of Afro-Cuban and Jazz styles of piano playing, studied music in the 1950s in Cuba but was unable to complete his degree before the Cuban Revolution forced him to leave the island. Larry and his orchestra, Orquesta Harlow, was the second orchestra signed to the Fania Label, Harlow has also produced over 106 CD’s for various artists and over 50 CD’s on his own besides the ones he produced for Fania. Among his most popular albums were “Abran Paso” and “Tributo a Arsenio Rodriguez” with Ismael Miranda as the lead singer. Larry's opera "Hommy," which is credited for getting Celia Cruz out of retirement, was the first Latin musical performance in Carnegie Hall. In other firsts, Larry was the first ever piano player for legendary salsa group "The Fania All-stars," generally regarded as the single most important Salsa group of all time and the first Recording Producer for legendary salsa group "The Fania All-stars," he also appeared with "The Fania All-stars," in the movies Our Latin Thing (Nuestra Cosa), Live In Africa and Salsa.
Larry's further contributions to music was to insist on the creation of the Latin Grammy Award. Harlow’s 1977 salsa suite La Raza Latina, an ambitious “history of Latin music in musical genre” with Rubén Blades, was nominated for a Grammy Award. Partially in recognition of his early efforts to establish the Latin Grammy as well as for his career contributions to the genre, Larry was presented with the Trustee's Award by the Latin Recording Academy in November, 2008.
[edit] El Judio ContraAtaKa
In 1994, he teamed up with Ray Barretto, Adalberto Santiago and cuatro guitar virtuoso Yomo Toro to found the Latin Legend Band, with the aim of both educating Latino and American youth about Latin music heritage and pioneering new ideas in the music, resulting in Larry Harlow’s Latin Legends of Fania Band 2006.
In 2005 he contributed to The Mars Volta's album, Frances the Mute, in which he played a piano solo towards the end of L'Via L'Viaquez. He also played live with The Mars Volta in some of their performances.
In 2008, Larry Harlow was presented with a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Larry Harlow currently resides with his wife in New York, and still regularly performs as "Larry Harlow and the Latin Legends of Fania".
INTRODUCTION
Orchestra Harlow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Risas)
Mi negro Hommy, como yo quiero a mi negro Hommy
Tan buen que é, oh, es un varón
Oh y como toca ese muchacho, oiga
Qué bendición tan grande, Hommy.
Hommy, tu nombre es Hommy
Que Dios te bendiga Hommy
(Risas)
The song "Introduction" by Orchestra Harlow starts off with the repeated phrase "Mi negro Hommy" which translates to "My black Hommy" in English. This phrase is repeated multiple times throughout the song, indicating a sense of admiration and love for someone named Hommy. It is clear that Hommy is a man, as he is referred to as "es un varón," which means "he is a man."
The singer goes on to express their appreciation for Hommy, stating that "como yo quiero a mi negro Hommy," which can be translated to "how I love my black Hommy." The singer goes on to mention Hommy's musical talent, saying "y como toca ese muchacho, oiga." This line speaks to Hommy's ability to play music, potentially indicating that he is a musician or part of the orchestra. The phrase "qué bendición tan grande, Hommy" can be translated to "what a great blessing, Hommy," further emphasizing the admiration and love the singer has for Hommy.
The song ends with the line "Que Dios te bendiga Hommy," which means "God bless you, Hommy." This final line indicates that the singer wishes only the best for Hommy and that they appreciate him greatly. Overall, the song "Introduction" is a tribute to a man named Hommy who is loved and admired for his musical talent and who is wished well by the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Mi negro Hommy, mi negro Hommy, es un varón
My black Hommy, my black Hommy, he is a man of great worth and dignity.
(Laughter)
The singer is expressing joy and happiness in this moment.
Mi negro Hommy, como yo quiero a mi negro Hommy
I love my black Hommy dearly, as he is a valuable friend and companion to me.
Tan buen que é, oh, es un varón
He is such a good person, oh, and a man of great merit and integrity.
Oh y como toca ese muchacho, oiga
Oh, and how that young man plays, listen to him!
Qué bendición tan grande, Hommy.
What a great blessing to have Hommy in our lives.
Hommy, tu nombre es Hommy
Hommy, your name is Hommy.
Que Dios te bendiga Hommy
May God bless you, Hommy.
Y para tí, va esta canción
And for you, this song is meant.
(Laughter)
The artist expresses joy, happiness or amusement again.
Writer(s): Jenaro Jr. Alvarez, Larry Harlow
Contributed by Alex L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@angelrosado1242
Wow this really is the greatest Latin opera ever