National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

Discover, showcases the range and depth of this groundbreaking instrumentalist, who has taken Galician music to all corners of the world. Proof is in the stunning list of guests that appear on Discover, including Linda Ronstadt, Los Lobos, Jackson Browne, Ry Cooder, Waterboys frontman Mike Scott, Sinéad O'Connor, Laurie Anderson, The Chieftains (who launched Núñez's career), flamenco singer Carmen Linares, Irish accordionist Sharon Shannon, Scottish accordionist Phil Cunningham, flamenco guitarist Vicente Amigo, Brazilian star Carlinhos Brown, Early Music master Jordi Savall, Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé, and Buena Vista Social Club members Omara Portuondo, Compay Segundo and Cachaito.

Núñez is one of Galicia's most revered artists, undisputed as the tradition's greatest piper. He is also enormously popular across the rest of Spain and throughout Europe and Latin America. He had a Number One hit and his records regularly attain gold and platinum status in Spain, while worldwide he has sold over a million albums. He is already known in Irish music thanks to his early "adoption" by The Chieftains (so close was his musical and personal connection he was dubbed "The Seventh Chieftain"). He played on many of the acclaimed Irish group's CDs including Treasure Island, The Long Black Veil, the Grammy-winning Santiago (inspired by Galician music), Mexican project San Patricio, and their latest release, Voice of Ages.

His first performance in the U.S. was with The Chieftains in the record-breaking 1994 Carnegie Hall "Daltrey Sings Townshend" concert. ("Quite an introduction," he laughs.) He also toured the U.S. with The Chieftains and did a few solo dates in 2005; then his career took off in Europe and Latin America.

Núñez could not have picked a better time to launch his new voyage to America. Following a decade in which Spain has focused its resources on promoting flamenco around the world, it's now time to look beyond this narrow definition of Spanish culture and explore the fascinating Celtic traditions of Galicia. Nüñez's home town of Vigo is a favorite destination for travelers, known for its wine and seafood and as a gateway for centuries of religious pilgrims traveling the Camino de Santiago (The Way of St James).

"Galicia," Nuñez explains, "is the magical part of Spain." A region both beautiful and mystical, it has a culture and music all its own. Galicia was shaped by an ancient history (tied to the Celts who inhabited that corner of the country over 2500 years ago). At the western-most part of Spain, perched on the Atlantic coast, Galicia is a land connected to cultures from across the globe, not only from their own seafaring history but from a constant influx of Christian pilgrims to Santiago de Campostela. Then, during the dictatorial Franco regime, flamenco was promoted as the "national music," while other regional arts, languages and cultures faced severe repression. Now, Galicia is undergoing a modern day renaissance, as its music and culture blossoms and spreads beyond its borders to growing acclaim.

Carlos Núñez is the undisputed master of Galicia's signature musical instrument, the gaita, or Galician bagpipes. "What the flamenco guitar is to the south, the gaita is to the north," he explains. "The pipes have been here for over a thousand years. They are the oldest in the world. Everyone knows Scottish bagpipes and Irish uillean pipes, but they are the descendants of the Galician pipes." The gaita is musically more flexible than its Irish and Scottish relations, and in the hands of Núñez -- who also plays pennywhistle, ocarina, Jew's harp, tin whistle and flute -- an exciting and funky 21st century instrument. "People say I play the pipes like the electric guitar!" he says.