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'Jimi Hendrix of the bagpipe' comes to Sidney

Spanish musician Carlos Nunez grew up in the 'Scotland of Spain' and that culture influenced his music
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Carlos Núñez may be the world's most famous player of the gaita, the bagpipes of Galicia, Spain

Not all rockstars play guitar.

Carlos Núñez is a Grammy-winning and platinum-selling artist dubbed by Miami Herald as, "the Jimmy Hendrix of the bagpipe."

He's also a multi-instrumentalist and he's bringing his talent to B.C. with first-time performances in Sidney, Oct. 10 at Mary Winspear and Port Coquitlam, Oct. 14.

“Carlos is an astonishing performer who brings together Celtic music traditions and people from all over the globe," said Carolyn PhillipsCusson, director of Celtic Performing Arts and presenter of the shows in a press release.

Núñez, raised in the unique culture of Spain's northwest, has performed for audiences in Europe, South America, the U.S. and Canada's East Coast. His current North American tour will conclude in Nova Scotia where he will be featured as a finale performer at the Celtic Colours International Festival.

He was only eight years old when he learned to play the pipes and performed internationally by the age of 13. He learned to play the recorder in school, and the next natural step in Galicia, known as the Scotland of Spain, was to learn to play the pipes, or "the gaita" which predates Scottish bagpipes.

“As a teenager, Carlos was discovered by Irish legends The Chieftains,” Phillips-Cusson said. “He became an honorary member of the band, and they recorded the Grammy Award-winning CD, Santiago, together.”

Núñez is also a master of the recorder, the pennywhistle, the ocarina, assorted pipes, a Breton oboe called the 'bombarde,' Breton bagpipes, the tin whistle, and the flute.

Touring with Núñez is a five-piece band and a dynamic Celtic Performing Arts dance troupe under the direction of Carolyn Phillips-Cusson.