DANIEL ESTRIN, HOST:

And finally today, you'll know their sound when you hear them.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

ESTRIN: Guitarists Juan Carlos Allende and Miguel Pena are Los Macorinos. They've been playing together for almost 20 years and recently put out their first instrumental album. It's called "Nosotros," and it pulls from the repertoire of Chavela Vargas, the legendary ranchera singer. Betto Arcos has this profile.

BETTO ARCOS, BYLINE: As a guitar duet, Los Macorinos have a singular style. Pena plays the rhythm bass, some harmony and a few flourishes. Allende plays the melody. Sometimes their sound is a confluence of South American musical traditions, as in this song called "Sombras."

(SOUNDBITE OF LOS MACORINOS' "SOMBRAS")

ARCOS: And other times their sound is steeped in the Mexican ranchera guitar style, as in the classic "Cruz De Olvido."

(SOUNDBITE OF LOS MACORINOS' "CRUZ DE OLVIDO")

ARCOS: Allende says he figured out his picking technique after the index finger of his right hand stopped working.

JUAN CARLOS ALLENDE: (Through interpreter) I never thought I would have to resort to the guitar pick to have a more powerful and clear sound. So I had to start practicing more with it and take this issue seriously because I thought it was going to be difficult to recuperate the index finger.

ARCOS: Allende and Pena started playing as a duet when they were recruited by Chavela Vargas to accompany her on a legendary comeback tour in 2003. With a sparse and intimate style, they adapted to her needs. Pena says Vargas did not just sing, she transmitted

MIGUEL PENA: (Through interpreter) Every word had an intention. When she said, drink this bottle with me, she would say it in such a way that she would transfer her intention to the audience.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "EN EL ULTIMO TRAGO")

CHAVELA VARGAS: (Singing in Spanish).

ARCOS: Their working relationship lasted 10 years, until her death in August 2012. But long before they started accompanying Vargas, Allende and Pena had separate and remarkable careers. Seventy-seven-year-old Allende was a cellist in the symphony orchestra of his hometown, Bahia Blanca, Argentina. He switched to classical guitar and moved to Mexico in the late 1980s. He's worked with a number of big music figures, including the late Argentine composer Eduardo Falu and Mexico's Alejandro Fernandez.

Eighty-four-year-old Pena hails from Mexico's western state of Jalisco, and he studied guitar at the National School of Music in Mexico City. He's played with dozens of artists in every music genre, including Lola Beltran, Liza Minnelli and Herb Alpert. In 1975, he landed a full-time job as the guitarist of Mexico's superstar pop singer Jose Jose.

PENA: (Through interpreter) But at a certain point, you say, I don't want to play this for the rest of my life. I want to play other music, other arrangements and have other responsibilities. Fortunately, I've always done the job with a lot of pleasure.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TU CARCEL")

LILA DOWNS: (Singing in Spanish).

Their beautiful style captures different guitar traditions from Latin American genres, as well as creating their own minimalistic, soulful style.

ARCOS: Singer Lila Downs says they're great musicians who are also fellow collaborators.

DOWNS: And we were, as well, very fortunate to have them record with us some beautiful rancheras and teach us about breath in guitar playing. With their music, they elevate our feelings - always fun and always conscious of beauty in every note that they play.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MEXICANA HERMOSA")

NATALIA LAFOURCADE: (Singing in Spanish).

ARCOS: In early 2017, Allende and Pena were invited to record two albums with pop singer Natalia Lafourcade. Pena says he asked Lafourcade why she was interested in them. After all, they're three times as old as she is.

PENA: (Through interpreter) She said, I need your experience. I like how you match together. You don't sound like a romantic trio or like jazz. You sound a bit Mexican. You have a particular stamp.

ARCOS: That year, Lafourcade's first album with Allende and Pena, titled "Musas: An Homage To Latin American Folklore In The Hands Of Los Macorinos," got a Latin Grammy. Lafourcade invited Allende and Pena to receive the award at the ceremony in Las Vegas.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

LAFOURCADE: (Through interpreter) Next to me are two great musicians, Los Macorinos. I wanted to do this project with them to connect myself to music and folklore, to the composers I admire and to Mexico and Latin America.

ARCOS: Over the years, Allende and Pena have also worked with singer Eugenia Leon. She recorded one song in the new album.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LA NOCHE DE MI AMOR")

EUGENIA LEON: (Singing in Spanish).

ARCOS: Leon was the executive producer and gave it to them as a gift. She says both guitarists have contributed enormously to Mexican music.

LEON: (Through interpreter) Their work gathers a significant period in the history of Mexican music, which has its pinnacle with their work as Los Macorinos. And with this album, I'm sure many young musicians are going to follow their school.

ARCOS: Allende says they're very thankful to Leon for giving them a chance to show their work as an instrumental guitar duet.

ALLENDE: (Through interpreter) The album of Los Macorinos gave me the opportunity to go deeper in Mexican folklore. I am thankful for that, as it took me to the heart of the sensibility of this musical culture that is so full of life.

(SOUNDBITE OF LOS MACORINOS' "LA LLORONA")

ARCOS: Violinist, guitarist and singer Ernesto Anaya was Lafourcade's music director during one of her tours with Los Macorinos. He says Allende and Pena are the unsung heroes behind many projects. But at the end of the day, what matters is who they are as musicians.

ERNESTO ANAYA: (Speaking Spanish).

ARCOS: Anaya says what's significant is that they're gifted musicians, not for being with, but for being so talented and for what they've contributed to those who have been around them.

For NPR News, I'm Betto Arcos.

(SOUNDBITE OF LOS MACORINOS' "LA LLORONA")

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