Gipsy Kings Forum

Joined today and would like to chip in ,
Until August 2012 I had heard of the Gipsy kings and Bamboleo and thats it.

I went to a Festa in the evening, in our local Town in Italy ,to see a concert of what I thought would be a Gipsy Kings tribute band. I googled GK and sort of knew what to expect. When they came on I recognised one and saw similarities with the other members

They absolutely blew us away.

I have never been moved by music in that way before. I get hairs standing up thinking about it.
I re-googled the next day and managed to pin down Patchai as one but the others , I could find nothing about.
Roll on a year and I googled GK to listen to some music and went on the website.Wey hey theres a tour going on and they are playing the Albert Hall.
I booked and forgot about it until this week when it popped up on my outlook. So yesterday 6 of us had an afternoon and a meal in London and went to the Albert Hall to see the concert.
I immediately recognised 3 or 4 ,but the guys I saw in Italy were not there. The atmosphere was great the venue was an experiance, The Music was good , wonderful day and evening,but they just didnt blow me away. The band didnt seem quite as one, we all felt the same. Came away a bit deflated and put it down to the Production.

This morning I re googled to find out what was what. After a few minutes I managed to find Patchai was one of the absent ones, so searched for pictures of Patchai and came across the full line up I had seen in Italy, including the ,until now the mysterious, unidentified, highly talented lead guitarist,Mario Regis.
What I had seen in 2012 was Gipsy Nouveau before they called themselves that.
Their guitar work was intricate and crisp, as one, they were very refined, the way Patchai almost conducted the show was sublime, dancing with a dazzling looking lady , the clapping, the stamping, the solos , Mario Regis,the whole thing was just something I would recommend to everybody. Like I said they gained a few BIG fans that night.

Family politics...well it happens in many families, sometimes it is jealousy or perhaps money , misunderstanding or even egos. Maybe all. Its sad because life is just too short to be bickering and their talent is being stiffled. Gipsy Kings are iconic and dont want to knock what they have achieved ,but its Gipsy Nouveau I want to see again and tomorrow is not soon enough.

Hi andyc,

Welcome to the Forum, and thanks for your insights. It is interesting that you saw Gipsy Nouveau before they called themselves that; I like your description of Patchai and the whole performance.

Amanda

Hi Guys,
Those anybody have the LYRICS for the song " DIME by Patchai Reyes GK ??? Cannot find it anywhere !! PLEASE HELP !!

I almost clicked buy on tickets but wanted to find out if Canut was touring. When I found this, I decided not to. Montana is my favorite and my wife and I were lucky enough to meet Canut and take pictures with him in Chicago. Very disappointed.

While this is very disappointing, please keep in mind, the reason they continue to return to the US (and to Chicago), is because the concerts are attended.

I still hold hopes that the situation will be rectified with time. I fear that without support, instead of encouraging a reconciliation, it may just make them decide to retire. At the risk of sounding ungrateful for the concerts I have already had the good fortune to attend, I really wish to have the opportunity to hear them live many more times, and to hear the music they have yet to create.

Hi musicfan,

That is a very good point.

Amanda

Greetings to all!

I just joined today.

I have been a fan of the Gipsy Kings since the late 80's, and generally have met with blank stares when I bring up the name of the band in musical discussions.

Therefore, I didn't know there was an online fan group of any kind. My search for why Canut was no longer with the band is what brought me here, and I thank you all for sharing what bits you knew, suspected, or heard about elsewhere.

I've never seen GK in concert, never thought the opportunity would arise, as I've never found a concert that was workable to see from wherever I lived along the way.

Tomorrow night is my first chance to see them play that wasn't pre-recorded. Milwaukee will love them, I am certain of it.

However, after purchasing tickets and being flabbergasted that luck led me to 2nd row seats, I next began to look at the newer information about the tour. Now I haven't been such an attentive fan that I knew everyone's names, but I have kept up with the newer releases and such over the years. With nobody to talk to about them except my sister (who has seen them twice, when they were just beginning to tour the USA more), I really didn't pay attention to what's been 'news' within the band.

But even with my level of casual knowledge, I had already always considered Canut a special favorite, so you can imagine how heartbroken I am that he won't be up there on stage, at what could end up being my only chance to see them as this incarnation of the band, which is already changing in bigger ways than ever before.

They NEEDED Canut's voice for their harmonies, he has a sweeter voice compared to Nicolas, and I always felt that Canut was the best at balancing and softening the somewhat harsher edge of Nicolas' voice. If they think they don't need him, I think they are wrong.

In other bands I follow, personnel changes are always hard, but it must be harder still when it's lifelong family/friends. I briefly toyed with the idea of holding up a sign asking 'Where's Canut?" at tomorrow's concert, but it's not my business to judge them for something I know so little about. I do think it must have been pretty bad, in order to eject a family member from this group, which goes without saying, I guess.

I am just really sad that Canut won't be there. And I have to be honest, had I known he wasn't going to be with them, I might not have gotten those tickets.

BUT.... I would possibly walk all the way to Milwaukee on broken glass on my knees to have an opportunity to watch Tonino play up close, though.

I plan to take a ton of photos, as that's what I do at concerts. I would be glad to post a few on this site if there's any interest.

Again, thanks to all of you for helping to fill in my gaps, I at least have an idea what's going on, and I've had time to learn about it and partly learn to accept it. I'm sure it will still be a great show!

Peace-
rainbow glo

Rainbow glo,

How was the concert?

I'd love to hear about it.

Any photos?

I'm sure it was a great experience you'll never forget.

I'm so happy they came to your area.

Post soon!

Adele

Hi, rainbow_glo!

Welcome to the forum! I'm so glad you had the opportunity to see the band "live." They always put on such a great performance, and seeing them sing and play in person just makes their music that much better.

I'd love to hear about the show and see your photos, too!

Jusquin

I'm so slow about getting around to things, as I am quite easily distracted by life and I get going in directions that are sometimes difficult to come back from! lol!

I have many projects going presently, but I really want to do a proper review to share along with pictures.

The concert was very enjoyable, and I was very tickled to also see the short set by their sons' group, "Ole' Noys," to open the show. I have many photos and other items to share.

I also have a lot of thoughts about how the band have changed, now that I've seen them.

I need a little help, though, for my write-up. Does anyone know the names of the keyboard player and the main drummer that were touring with them? It's amazing to me when so little information is available about supporting band members, they are as crucial to a good show as the regulars!





Peace-
rainbow_glo