UA hoarse and powerful voice, recognizable among all, resounds in a small studio in the Hérault, accompanied by guitars and unleashed percussion. It was in Lunel-Viel that Nicolas Reyes, emblematic figure of the Gipsy Kings, gathered his group for the final adjustments before the launch of a new international tour of nearly forty dates in England, Germany, Turkey, Azerbaijan…
Only one is planned in France, on June 24, at the Lunel dare Festival, in Hérault. “The family, who lives in Arles, will finally be able to come and see us play”, welcomes the “padre”, impatient to reconnect with the scene after the Covid years.
Meanwhile, the other half of the group, led by lifelong friend Tonino Baliardo, traveled the United States, Canada and also part of Europe. “They are in such demand that it was easier to split the group,” explains Ghislain Cuney, their manager. After a date on the Côte d’Azur for a private concert, the group joins, this Monday, May 15, the mythical Royal Albert Hall, where it had already shone six years ago in front of 5,000 people.
The room is full, and faced with demand, another date should be announced in 2024. “It’s a magical place, remembers Nicolas Reyes. Either way, whether you’re playing in arenas or in a fancy venue like the Royal Albert All, everyone always ends up standing. »
“Guitar Geniuses”
In 2014, the year of the Grammy Award won for the album Savor Flamenco, the group caused a sensation. “Their music is warm, exuberant and wildly popular,” wrote British music journalist Simon Broughton at the time. “In recent years, they have been more successful abroad than in France, regrets the programmer of the Lunel festival, Hervé Jeanne. The public was perhaps wrongly tired. They remain musical and guitar geniuses, ”he asserts.
Since the split with Chico, now leader of Chico and the Gypsies, the tribe has grown. To ensure the Catalan rumba-salsa-Latin jazz fusion, which characterizes the new Gipsy Kings sound, the old-timers always have the gnaque: Joseph Gauthier, “the gypsy Pavarotti”, provides the lead voice, Bernard Paganetti, the bass, Quentin Bourcy, drums, Pacheco, percussion.
Among the youngsters, we can count on Juan Abandonado, Yoan Reyes, young son of Nicolas, and Nillo Bayardo, great-grandson of Manitas de Plata. “I am happy with this transmission, confides Nicolas Reyes. With them on stage, I feel like I’m still young! »
Since 1983, release date of their first album, Happiness, the Catalan rumba of the Gipsy Kings keeps the crowds dancing. “We are always asked for the tubes sway et Djobi-Djoba, confides Nicolas Reyes. And even if we have two hundred titles in our repertoire, we will always please the public with the hits they love. »
“From childhood, they stand out”
The love affair with the public began in Saint-Tropez, in 1978, when Brigitte Bardot invited them to a private party. “It was madness, people were dancing on the tables. We didn’t stop them anymore, they wanted to invite us everywhere. We were so much in demand that we even had to share! »
The musical history dates back to the early 1960s, when Manitas de Plata was discovered in the Camargue by photographer Lucien Clergue. The genius guitarist was then accompanied by singer José Reyes, Nicolas’ father. “The duo even performed before the United Nations in 1965, allowing the recognition of the gypsy people around the world,” says Payou Baptiste, national delegate of the French Union of Gypsy Associations, who knew them well.
“They rub shoulders with Picasso, Chaplin, Dalí and record in the biggest studios in Paris or the United States. But they never miss a single pilgrimage to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and even adapt their schedule for this celebration. »
READ ALSOSimple and family funeral for the legendary guitarist Manitas de PlataJosé’s son, Nicolas, and Manitas de Plata’s nephew, Tonino, then followed the meteoric career of their elders from Arles and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, where they in turn were spotted. “They have talent genes. From childhood, they stand out, ”says Payou Baptiste again.
According to its spokesperson, the gypsy community regrets the splits and lawsuits that have tarnished the group’s image since the 1990s, but recognizes a real “plus” for gypsy culture in Europe and around the world. He welcomes “a rediscovered agreement”. In a few years, when Chico, André, Nicolas and Tonino decide to stop, he even begins to dream of “a tour that brings them together”.
Change of direction
Before Daft Punk dethroned them, the Gipsy Kings remained for two decades the most famous French group on the planet, acclaimed from Japan to the United States, adored by Carlos Santana or Eddie Van Halen, among others. Their cover of the Eagles hit, Hotel California, is even found on the soundtrack of the film The Big Lebowski (1998).
In 1993, Nicolas Reyes agreed to sing on The Bullfight, by Francis Cabrel, one of the artist’s most committed texts. The album sold 3 million copies and the song thrilled the whole of France, even in the arenas of Nîmes!
He then invites the singer of Astaffort on his album. The two artists have a common passion for the guitar and a great mutual respect. In the 2000s, change of course, with an acoustic album orchestrated by the producer of jazz singer Norah Jones, then another album with Latin sounds.
For this tour, Nicolas Reyes cheerfully draws from the repertoire of his entire career, advised by Yoan, his son. “My father walks to the heart, mixes the rhythms, between ballads and salsas, so that it is always a party on stage. The magic is already working.
2023-05-15 17:44:57
#Gipsy #Kings #successful
