Area music aficionados will have an up-close opportunity to hear the only truly American art form — Jazz — at a free live concert on Sunday, March 27, at 2 p.m. at the Plaza Blas María Uribe in historic San Ygnacio.
New York based bassist/composer and producer Marcos Varela headlines the afternoon concert that is dedicated to the memory of his late father Alfonso Varela. Both are descendants of the founding families of San Ygnacio.
San Ygnacio is also the name of Varela’s award winning 2016 debut record. His forthcoming Creative Capital Award will be composed in part about his origins in the region in combination with musical tributes to heroes of the Mexican Revolution.
The concert, which is sponsored by the South Arts Foundation and the River Pierce Foundation, is free and open to the public.
Varela is a skilled doubler at both acoustic and electric bass, and is among the most highly respected bassists/musicians in the American and International Jazz/music scene. His talents have earned him awards that include YoungArts, Creative Capital, Jazz Road and accolades as a musician, composer, producer, band leader, and educator.
In his hometown of Houston, Varela attended the renowned High School for the Performing & Visual Arts, which paved the path for him to attend the storied New School in New York on scholarship. As a professional musician, he continues to be very active in the New York jazz and contemporary music scene, and has made a name for himself as one of the most in-demand bassists in the City and worldwide. He regularly performs with a wide variety of ensembles and band leaders including the Mingus Big Band, Nasheet Waits, John Holiday, George Cables, Ingrid Jensen, Billy Hart, Antoine Roney, Charli Persip, Clifton Anderson, Jason Moran, Geri Allen, The Last Poets, Leslie Odom Jr., Frank Lacy’s Vibe Tribe, Kendrick Scott, Billy Harper, Tyshawn Sorey, and Bob Mover, among others.
Varela was also selected as a member of Jazz at Lincoln Center and trombonist Vincent Gardner’s Jazz Houston, which has featured guests including Gregory Porter, Wynton Marsalis, Ruben Blades, and Jon Faddis.
Varela has composed music for several film and television projects, including director Domenica Cameron-Scorsese’s film Roots in Water.
Legendary bassist Ron Carter contributed to the liner notes for Varela’s Origin Records debut album San Ygnacio, writing that Varela’s “Tone, Choice of Notes and Compositions will place his playing and name on the list of bassists to be heard.” In addition, he said, “Mr. Varela belongs in the top bass players in the industry and his impressive resume confirms my words. He is a fine example of talent that is essential to the scene.”
In addition to sideman work, Varela leads his own projects, including a European tour that featured a festival headlining performance of the music of his San Ygnacio album at the historic Jazz á Liège festival in Liege, Belgium. He has also headlined leading an all star quartet at Prishtina’s Jazz Week in Kosovo in March of 2020. He opened for the legendary Mavis Staples with his “San Ygnacio Project” in Houston at Discovery Green in October 2021 and most recently headlined the 30th anniversary of the Bilbaina Jazz Association in Bilbao, Spain at the historic Teatro Arriaga Antzokia in December 2021.
Varela’s newest projects include “One Mind,” recently released on the Spanish label Fresh Sound Records with pianist Peter Zak, Seamus Blake, and Billy Drummond. The most recent release on the same label, Illumination, featured Rob García, Varela, John O’Gallagher, and Noah Preminger. It was released on December 15, 2020.
Varela is a recent recipient of a South Arts “Jazz Road” grant and is a Creative Capital fellow and awardee.
