I guess my first piece of advice to anyone attempting to express the passion and virtuosity of the Gipsy Kings via a computer keyboard would be to NOT crank the recorded music of this genre-unto-itself “rumba flamenco” outfit as a way of stimulating the muse.
It’s the hips that first get involved but, soon, with other parts of the articulated skeleton demanding equal time, the would-be typist finds itself upright with everything from the phalanges to the cervical vertebrae brought into play. It’s truly uncontrollable. St. Vitus, no doubt, included them on his first iPod.
Now, admittedly, there is absolutely nothing inherently wrong with physical exuberance as a response to audio stimuli. In fact, it’s the gateway to ecstasy, to rapture, not to mention the random “charley horse” or pulled “glute.” It’s intricate stuff and, although I wouldn’t recommend you try this at home, the portly gray dude just can’t help himself.
But I digress. There’s history and tradition and war and peace and love and betrayal and bigotry and tolerance to deal with before we can truly understand why we are visited by “happy feet” whenever the Gipsy Kings come calling. Certainly, within just such a multi-layered cocoon, reposes the story of the Reyes and Baliardo clans.
As Spanish gypsy families who were able to hightail it into France and escape the anti-minority politics of the fascist Generalissimo Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s, they both maintained their wandering lifestyles by harvesting crops and making music. Their kids, of course, tagged along and paid attention, at least to the music.
The genesis of what is now the Gipsy Kings can be traced to the timeframe following the passing of the patriarch, famed flamenco vocalist Jose Reyes. It was then his sons met and shared wine, guitars and songs with the Baliardo brothers.
It wasn’t long before a rather fortuitous bonding between the older brothers, guitarist Tonino Baliardo and vocalist Nicolas Reyes, had them “busking” as street musicians in the tourist towns along the Mediterranean. What would become the Gipsy Kings was now on the fast track.
As this process evolved, their now totally infectious and trademark “Rumba Gitano” sound arrived to much fanfare. The infusion of Western Pop, Latin, Arabic, reggae, jazz and the gypsy of Django Reinhardt into the traditional flamenco of their fathers turned out to be a recipe for success, and, it should be added, ecstatic dancing.
Not that that quite special passion and improvisational “edge” that makes traditional flamenco such a popular music throughout the world has been diluted, by any stretch. It has never left. It has always been there and always will be. It’s in their blood! Their DNA! Their very soul!
And, to this day, it’s within the raging collective aesthetic sensibility of Tonino and Nicolas that the ensemble continues to receive its driving force, its artistic propulsion. No worries, you won’t have any trouble locating these two amid the highly structured symmetry of the band’s onstage structure.
Not that this majestic sound doesn’t owe much of its passion to the collective force of the ensemble’s incessant rhythm guitars and harmony vocals. When they really find their groove, they become “one” and much more than the sum of their parts.
The Reyes and Baliardo families, having long settled, respectively, into the towns of Arles and Montpelier in the “Camargue” region between the two arms of the Rhone River delta in the South of France, now mainly manifest their gypsy wanderlust while on the road with their band.
Those of you who were lucky enough to catch the Gipsy Kings brilliantly singular take on the flamenco form back in 2008, the last time they visited Park City, probably already have tickets for this upcoming Saturday night when they return to the friendly confines of the Snow Park Amphitheater at Deer Valley.
It’ll all be in there. All you have to do is listen. From the historical bigotry of Europeans toward gypsies in general to the specific slights undergone in both Spain and France by the Reyes and Baliardo families to the unconditional love, pride, and passion they feel for each other and their performance art.
This music is just so soulful, so stirring, so rousing, so exciting, so stimulating, so exhilarating! It’s flat-out mind blowing is what it is. It’s about the far reaches of the human heart. It’s about love! But what else could it be? It’s straight outta Camargue!
Jay Meehan is a culture junkie and has been an observer, participant, and chronicler of the Park City and Wasatch County social scenes for more than 40 years.