Carlos Varela

Carlos Varela is a singer-songwriter guitarist from Havana, Cuba, and is often referred to as "Cuba's Bob Dylan". In the 1980s he joined nueva trova, a politically motivated musical and poetic genre which itself began as a reaction to the unjust conditions that led to the Cuban Revolution. Silvio Rodriguez, one of the nueva trova founders, "discovered" him and helped the "nomo" [Gnome] (nickname coming from the way he dresses), taking him on a tour to Spain. In 2004 he toured with enthusiastic supporter, Jackson Browne, throughout England and Europe. Nowadays Varela's music is known best for its open criticism of the status quo, though it is still considered Nueva Trova, He tours extensively in countries like Austria, Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Spain, Denmark, USA, Mexico, Sweden, Santo Domingo, Panama, Holland, England and Ireland, sharing stages with renowned musicians from around the world. It's an honor to have him at JD's for the first time.

Artist Website