Carlos Varela (bandleader) explained

Carlos Varela was a Cuban musician. He was leader of the "Havana Madrid Orchestra" during the 1930s–1950s at New York's Havana-Madrid club on Broadway.^[1] He was one of the founding members of the Latin-American Music Society, an artists' rights and trade group, founded by musicians Noro Morales, Machito, Bartolo Hernández, Jose Curbello and Varela, with Morales' manager, lawyer Bernie Ackerman in New York in 1947.^{[2] [3]}

In the 1980s, Varela offered private piano lessons to young students from his small Miami apartment.

Notes and References

1. Esquire: Volume 24 William S. Burroughs: The Shoaf Collection (University of Virginia Library) - 1945 "The Havana-Madrid, Broadway's most revered rumba conservatory, is acting as joyous gymnasium for the sultry shaking-up ... Catalino's super-spirited orchestra is chief purveyor of Latinity, with Carlos Varela's able bunch also ..
2. Billboard - 1 Nov 1947 - Page 24 "Latin Musickers Plan Big Festival For Rumba Fund NEW YORK, Oct. 25.— Newly formed LAMS (Latin-American Music Society) held its first official meeting, after election of initial officers, Thursday (23) and voted to stage a giant ..."
3. Billboard - 18 Oct 1947 - Page 18 "The Latin-American Music Society (LAMS), a new trade group that may eventually include m&st of the country's rumba maestros, kicks off Tuesday (14) with a meeting of five charter members who will elect initial officers" .. "LAMS, brain child of the Ackerman-Lieberman legal office (Ackerman is also pm of band leader Noro Morales), incorporated September 23 with a group composed of Morales, Machito, Bartolo, Jose Curbello and Carlos Varela."