Carlos Núñez U.S. Tour 2017 in Washington, D.C.

Galicia’s foremost bagpiper Carlos Núñez opens his 2017 U.S. tour in Washington, D.C., celebrating the 20-year anniversary of his debut album.

Carloz Núñez is the world’s most famous player of the gaita, the bagpipes of Galicia. To celebrate the 20-year anniversary of his debut album A Irmandade das Estrelas (released in the U.S. by RCA Victor as Brotherhood of Stars), which featured such artists as The Chieftains, Ry Cooder, old Cuban soneros and Portugal’s Dulce Pontes, Núñez has recorded a new track entitled A Irmandade das Estrelas 2. It features 20 young Spanish folk players in their 20s, which legendary film director Carlos Saura included in his movie J: Beyond Flamenco.

One of the highlights in that track is a 21 year-old accordion player named Itsaso Elizagoien, who has been touring in Europe with Núñez ever since, and will join his band for this U.S. tour.

As part of the 20-year anniversary celebrations, Carlos played at Santiago’s Cathedral with 75 musicians, including Early Music luminaries and young folk musicians playing Medieval instruments for the first time, such as Carmen Gallego, who will also be joining the band in this tour.

Carlos Núñez has become Galicia’s foremost traditional music ambassador, sharing these uniquely expressive sounds with the world. His music goes from ancient Celtic music to Medieval and Baroque.

The gaita is Galicia’s signature sonic symbol, dating back at least to the 11th century, and Carlos’s mastery of this bagpipe has been integral to its rising popularity inside and outside Spain. His ability in fingering the chanter to bend, extend, or cut notes, sustain and change tempos, explore harmonic nuances and tonal colors, and complement and counterpoint other musicians’ playing has earned him the sobriquet “the Hendrix of the bagpipes” (Chicago Sun-Times).

…inventive, brilliant, progressive-minded and a great showman to boot, Núñez fired the imaginations of his own people to such a degree that Spain’s Celtic music scene is on fire.

–BBC