Thoruhgout his career playing the gaita (Galician bagpipe) Carlos Núñez , a charismatic piper from Spain’s northwestern coast, has collaborated frequently with the Chieftains, Ry Cooder, and Sinead O’Connor. Carlos Núñez tours with a dynamic ensemble that fuses individual and ensemble playing with bouzouki, Spanish guitar, dancing fiddle, and passionate whistles.
Núñez began his international career at the age of 13 as a soloist with the Lorient Festival Orchestra. There he won the Macallan Trophy three years in a row for his performance on the gaita, an instrument he took up at the age of eight. Discovered there by The Chieftains, Núñez first collaborated with the Celtic superstars on the soundtrack to Treasure Island in 1989. Since then, he has been a guest on several of their albums, including the Grammy Award winners The Long Black Veil and Santiago. Núñez himself was the inspiration for Santiago, The Chieftains’ own exploration of Galician music.
Núñez also received classical training on the recorder at the Royal Conservatory of Madrid, but would not be swayed from his first love, the Galician musical tradition.
All of these experiences resulted in the recording of Núñez’s first BMG recording, Brotherhood of Stars (A irmandade das estrellas), co-produced by Núñez, Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains, and Ry Cooder. The album was certified platinum in Spain, breaking all previous sales records for this kind of music.
Núñez subsequently embarked upon a tour of all the major Celtic festivals in Europe, culminating in a performance before an audience of 80,000 at WOMAD in Gran Canaria, Spain. This was followed by a world tour with The Chieftains in 1997. In 1999 Núñez was a featured performer on Paddy Moloney’s album Christmas in Rome, a collection of holiday music from around the world.
Two years in the making, Os Amores Libres (which translates as “Free Loves”), released in 1999, was an even more ambitious record than its predecessor. It encompassed music and musicians from the Galician and Andalusian traditions within Spain, as well as the music of gypsies from Romania, Muslims and Sephardic Jews. All these are cultures that passed through Spain at one time or another, leaving their imprint upon the native music as well as carrying its influences abroad. The album was a serious piece of musical scholarship, illuminating this borrowing and trading of musical styles and revealing the inner connections among seemingly disparate cultures.
Núñez enlisted the services of over 100 musicians to realize his vision, some world famous, others known primarily to knowledgeable insiders and serious devotees. Among the best known of these guests are Jackson Browne, Mike Scott (formerly of the Waterboys), Teresa Salgueiro (Madredeus), Derek Bell and Kevin Connell of The Chieftains, producer/keyboardist Hector Zazou, Afro Celt Sound System mastermind Simon Emmerson, Breton guitarist Dan Ar Braz, Donal Lunny (Bothy Band, Planxty), Flamenco vocalist Carmen Linares, Israeli vocalist Noa, and piper Paddy Keenan. Also appearing were such diverse performers as the Romanian Gypsy band Taraf of Caransebes, the Sufi Andalus Tangiers Choir, and Galician peasant vocalist Divina.
His third CD, Mayo Longo (BMG Music Spain, 2000) took Núñez closer to pop structures, getting airplay in pop radio. Todos os Mundos followed in 2002.
At thirty, he released his first CD with Sony Music, Almas de Fisterra, which was also released in France. It was a tribute to Finisterres (land’s end), which are found both in Galicia and Brittany. For three years, Núñez spent many weeks in Brittany, selecting the best musical pieces. He collaborated with some of the most famous Breton musicians, such as Alan Stivell and guitarist Dan Ar Braz.
In 2004 Núñez entered the world of cinema. Spanish director Alejandro Amenábar asked him to compose a song for his movie Mar Adentro. This led to his participation in the movie score. The movie won an Oscar as well as 14 Goya awards (the most prestigious Spanish movie awards).
Cinema Do Mar (2005) explored the world of soundtracks, including music from Mar Adentro and several Japanese productions.
Throughout the years, Carlos Núñez has sold over 1,000,000 CDs worldwide and is regarded as one of the most reputable musicians in the Celtic music scene.
In 2016 Núñez participated in the movie J: Beyond Flamenco by Carlos Saura, the celebrated Spanish filmmaker who introduced the passion of the jota, a popular traditional waltz-like castanet dance with its origins in Saura’s home province of Aragon.
Carlos Núñez describes his 2023 album Celtic Sea as music inspired by the sea and the historical connections it has facilitated among the Celtic peoples of the Atlantic for millennia. Brittany Ferries, a shipping company founded in Roscoff by Breton farmers, celebrated its 50th anniversary by supporting the creation of this album, embodying the inter-Celtic spirit that unites the Atlantic Celts. Brittany Ferries continues a tradition of cultural exchange across the Celtic Sea that dates back 10,000 years.
Furthermore, Brittany Ferries has played a significant role in modern interceltism, providing a means for numerous musicians, including The Chieftains and Polig Monjarret, to travel and share their music. This album features contributions from artists who have journeyed on Brittany Ferries, enhancing the sense of cultural exchange.
Núñez emphasizes that the album’s music is deeply connected to the Celtic world‘s ability to intertwine various artistic expressions, such as music, dance, literature, painting, and sculpture. The Celtic tradition, characterized by both orality and written forms, bridges the gap between popular and cultured expressions, collective tradition, and individual composition.
Celtic Sea features artists of all generations, highlighting the intergenerational and timeless nature of Celtic music. The album incorporates historical instruments like the prehistoric Atlantic lyres and draws from diverse Celtic music repertoires and techniques, including the bagpipe rhythm, Scotch snap, double tonic harmony, pibroch, and various manuscripts and collections from different Celtic regions.
The Celtic Sea, historically known as Mare Brittanicum, has been a conduit for cultural and linguistic connections among the Atlantic Celtic nations. In the 16th century, Georges Buchanan identified the links between the languages of these regions, coining the term “Celtic” to describe their shared heritage.
The album draws inspiration from the “Alalá do Pindo,” a melody from the northwest of Galicia, reflecting the inter-Celtic spirit. This tune embodies characteristics that resonate with musicians from Scotland, Ireland, and Brittany, making it a fitting starting point for the album’s creation.
Discography:
A Irmandade das Estrelas (BMG Ariola, 1996)
Os amores libres (BMG Ariola, 1999)
Mayo Longo (BMG Ariola, 2000)
Todos os mundos (BMG Ariola, 2002)
Almas de Fisterra (Sony Music, 2003)
Cinema do mar (Saint George, 2005)
Alborada do Brasil (Sony Music, 2009)
Discover (Sony Music, 2012)
Inter Celtic (Sony Music, 2014)
Celtic Sea (Arfolk, 2023)
DVDs
Carlos Núñez & Amigos en casa (Sony/BMG, 2004)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
Updated biography and discography.