Born in Caracas in 1958, there was never any question that Carlos Guedes was destined to be a musician - his parents recall that Carlos began to sing before he could even talk.

By the age of 6 he had begun playing the four-stringed cuatro, the national instrument of Venezuela. But then, while studying both classical and traditional Venezuelan folk music in Caracas, Carlos fell in love - first with the harp, and then with contemporary jazz.

In his early teens Carlos was already performing with some of Venezuela's best known ensembles. He played many different styles with his harp, including jazz, rock, pop, salsa and gaitas. Gaitas is the regional music found north of Lago de Maracaibo, a lake located next to Maracaibo City, the second largest city in Venezuela.

Carlos came to the United States in 1981 to complete his musical education, first at the University of Nebraska and later at North Texas State University. It was in Nebraska that Carlos met guitarist Tim Kobza, and together they formed Desvio ("Detour" in Spanish). Following their move to Texas, they began to play with a variety of the area's finest musicians. After sitting in with Desvio on several occasions, Brazilian-born drummer and percussionist Tonico Vanalli joined the band full-time in 1987.

The reaction to Carlos' music was both quick and favorable. He was invited to perform with such internationally renowned jazz artists as Paquito D'Rivera, Najee, Tito Puente, Tuck & Patti, Ray Charles, Earl Klugh, Tania Maria, Dan Haerle, and David Benoit, to name just a few. Today, Carlos and Desvio regularly perform - not only in the United States, but in Europe and South America as well.