Gipsy Kings preview

Gipsy Kings
Ravinia, Highland Park
Friday & Saturday, August 17 & 18, 2007

Great music speaks no language. Although any Bob Dylan fan will tell you lyrics matter, rhythm and melody make our hearts flutter with the same intensity as the loveliest piece of poetry. Just ask Beethoven.

The Gipsy Kings bridge the gap between both worlds. Of course one would have to understand Spanish to truly inhabit both planes; for the rest of us, France’s best-selling band exist only in the sounds. Introducing the world on their 1988 debut to a style of music called “rumba Gitano” (a fusion of rumba and flamenco), the eight-piece band consisting of two sets of brothers continue the tradition on their latest release, Pasajero (Nonesuch).

The album’s 14 tracks glide by effortlessly in an acoustic whirl of poppy, danceable flamenco, something they have done across 15 releases, including greatest hits and live compilations. And these boys are no strangers to six-sting infamy. Brothers Nicolas, Canut, Patchal, Andre, and Paul Reyes used to back up their father, Jose, a flamenco legend who counted the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dali as fans.

Album opener “Si Tu Me Quieres (Yes, I Like You)” gets the juices flowing with a sultry pluck of strings, while “Sol Y Luna (Sun & Moon)” shows off a bluesy temperament. Although massively popular in France and the rest of Europe, many folks on this side of the pond may recall their version of The Eagles’ “Hotel California” from The Big Lebowski.

And if that doesn’t secure their street cred, nothing will.

— Janine Schaults

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly