 Their live performances and recordings are characterized by the addition of long-forgotten pieces, rescued through research and interaction with other scholars experienced in Venezuelan music.The group also performs versions of "gaitas" or traditional Venezuelan music.Music critic Alex Ross, then working for "The New York Times", attended Ensamble Gurrufío's performance at Carnegie Hall in 1994, stating that the group "illustrated the merengue, the joropo, the vals and other Venezuelan dances" and described their work as "complex pieces" that were "embroidered ... with deft improvisational touches".