- country:Spain
- region:Galicia
- style(s):Celtic
- label:SonyBmg France
- type:Band
- gender:male, female
- instrumentation:instrumental, vocal
- artist posted by:Magnetic Music
Line up
- Carlos Núnez (gaita, recorder, whistle)
- Niamh Ní Charra (fiddle, concertina, vocals)
- Pancho Alvarez (Bouzouki)
- Xurxo Núnez (drums + bodhran)
Links
CARLOS NUNEZ
The new king of the Celts
The world press celebrates him as charismatic and brilliant. His CD sales have achieved gold or even platinum. As the producer of the Chieftains album 'Santiago' he won a Grammy award and he had a No.1 hit in the Spanish charts. Carlos Nunez is a star. Seeing him perform live, one is gripped by his sensitivity, energy and virtuosity. Carlos says: 'In Galicia we play Celtic music as the Irish, Scottish and Bretons do, but we add Spanish passion and temperament, that's our trademark'. This Spanish -Celtic spark spreads worldwide like wildfire and generates a flame of enthusiasm.
This great showmanship would be however quite shallow if it was not imbedded in a deep knowledge of the cultural roots. Galicia is a celtic enclave far north in the Iberian Peninsula and sea voyages have a very significant importance. All those daring sea voyages are reflected in the traditional music. This music navigates between Ireland and Brittany in the North, to Portugal and North Africa in the South, to the West even to the other side of the Atlantic to Cuba and Argentina. The greatest significance for Carlos Nunez in the revival of Galician folk music lies in his musical journey of discovery following the trail of his predecessors who left Galicia so many years ago. He is like a pathfinder following those long forgotten cultural journeys and infuses them with new life. He builds musical bridges between different regions and musical styles. His CDs are grounded in well researched and exciting stories and backgrounds. He is responsible for keeping the 'Brotherhood of Celts' alive and kicking by initiating collaborations with artists and bands such as Alan Stivell, The Chieftains, Frankie Gavin, Donal Lunny, Paddy Keenan, Liam O'Flynn, Bagad de Kemper, Capercaillie, Mike Scott from the Waterboys or Liam O'Maonlai from the Hothouse Flowers, and inspiring them to put something special together. For someone who did so much to strengthen the pan-Celtic bonds, it is no surprise that the biggest Spanish newspaper 'El Pais' calls Carlos 'The new king of the Celts', a title that is well justified.
Carlos began to play the 'Gaita' the Galician bagpipes when he was eight years old. At the age of 12 he performed as the soloist with an orchestra at the 'Festival Interceltique' in Brittany. This gave him an opportunity to hear the Chieftains for the first time and his musical direction in life was influenced profoundly on that occasion. A few years later, he was invited to tour world wide with the Chieftains as their special guest for many years and features on their recordings, 'The Long Black Veil' and 'Santiago'. He even initiated that second album, where the grand masters are in search of the Irish-Galician connections and he was responsible as co-producer. This earned him the title ' the seventh chieftain' and a Grammy award. In the meantime he studied the recorder and baroque music with distinction in the conservatory in Madrid. Another of Carlos' great achievement is that he has managed to integrate the recorder into folk music. Participation in the IFF by Carlos Nunez and his band is a crowning tribute to our pan-Celtic collaboration.
Agents D, CH, DK, CZ