Gipsy Kings News
The Gipsy Kings, featuring Nicolas Reyes, play French rumba flamenca at City Winery in Chelsea, NYC; on Friday, January 27, 2023 at 7pm and 9pm.
Gipsy Kings are French Rumba Flamenca
The Gipsy Kings started out in the 1970s as Los Reyes, a flamenco band of the extended Reyes family (Kings family). The families are Spaniards who moved to France to escape the horrors of the Spanish Civil War.
Los Reyes began calling itself the Gipsy Kings because they traveled a lot like the Roma people who created Flamenco in Southern Spain. The core of the group are lead singer Nicolas Reyes and lead guitarist Tonino Baliardo.
The band’s breakthrough came with their self-titled third album, “Gipsy Kings” in 1987. It produced their biggest hit “Bamboléo.” After that they became huge and collaborate with the best of the best around the world. Even if you don’t know their name, you probably know their music.
Key Albums
“Allegria” (1982).
“Gipsy Kings” (1987) was the band’s breakthrough.
“Este Mundo” (1991) was nominated for the “Best World Music Album” Grammy.
“Love and Liberté” (1993) won the “Best Pop Album” Latin Grammy, and was nominated for the “Best World Music Album” Grammy.
“Tierra Gitana” (1996) was nominated for the “Best World Music Album” Grammy.
“Compas” (1997) was nominated for “Best World Music Album” Grammy.
“Savor Flamenco” (2013) won the “Best World Music Album” Grammy.
New York Venues
Rumba Flamenca
Spanish Flamenco blends many musical traditions from the road between Northern India and Southern Spain. One road went through Europe. The other went through North Africa. The Gipsy Kings have taken Flamenco all over the world by blending it with many Global Music traditions. Flamenco seems to blend with everything.
Rumba Flamenca is a style of Spanish Flamenco that made the round trip (ida y vuelta) from Spain to the Americas and back again. It incorporates Cuban rhythms and movement.
That’s not so strange when you consider that Flamenco in Spain already has Mother Africa in it. Spain and Africa are less than ten miles apart, and people migrated in both directions.
Today Flamenco has absorbed the Cajon, the shipping box used as percussion. It’s not from Spain. The Cajon is associated with Peru where Flamenco guitar legend Paco de Lucia found one, but it originated in Cuba.
Even though there are technical distinctions, Rumba Flamenca really has become core Flamenco.