Andreas Varady

Andreas Varady is a jazz guitarist with a bent toward mixing post-bop, contemporary jazz and Gypsy swing. Born in Slovakia in 1997 to Hungarian parents, Varady grew up in a musical family and learned how to play the guitar from his father. A prodigy, by the time he was ten years old Varady (who had relocated to Ireland with his family) was busking regularly around Limerick and Cork and uploading videos of himself performing to YouTube. Around this time, he was contacted by producer David Lyttle, who had watched his videos. In 2010, Varady released his Lyttle-produced debut album, Questions, which helped raise his profile internationally. A year later, the burgeoning guitar sensation became the youngest headliner ever to appear at Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London. In 2012, Varady performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival as a guest of Quincy Jones' Global Gumbo showcase, and later signed a management deal with Jones. In 2014, Varady released his eponymous sophomore full-length album on Verve, which featured guest appearances from Roy Hargrove and Gregory Porter, among others.