Uplifting and defiant, some times soothing and sometimes explosive, the Cuban musician Carlos Varela is courageously outspoken in the manner of a true revolutionary, albeit one who now finds himself in the curious position of sometimes being critical of the ongoing (fifty-four years now) revolution in his own country. To celebrate his career’s thirtieth anniversary Varela invited a group of renowned artists and friends to join him in two legendary concerts at the Teatro Nacional de Cuba in January 2013 , which inspired the Canadian film director Ron Chapman to make The Poet of Havana. Last year Varela received an honorary degree in law from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario in recognition of his musical talent and the importance of his voice inside and outside Cuba.