Gipsy Nouveau

[musicfan]

These disputes may speak again as a testament to their humility. I don't think they fully grasp how special they are and how greatly they have impacted and continue to impact so many people. This forum (along with a host of other fan websites and facebook pages) is a is a manifestation of just that.

There are very few of us who are blessed with the opportunity to so profoundly touch so many people. Their music has touched lives. It has been like a dear friend, a source of joy, so many things..... I still remember the day I first heard their music. It is a form of food for the soul, a sentiment expressed here in many posts, albeit not verbalized as such.

I wish there were some way to communicate to them the need for their music. I hope that whatever disagreement is going on, it is worthy of such a loss. I pray that whether it be a management issue or the complexity of sibling relations, that they are somehow able to overcome these obstacles for the sake of something greater.

As always, I am grateful for the music which has been so much a part of my life.

Side note on contract issues. ....
In 2003 Tonino's solo album was prominently featured on Michigan Avenue storefronts in Chicago. That was also the year that the concert tour was a Reyes only affair. It may be that when one strikes out on his own, there are issues.....?

[rumbero]

all those speculations from people who live over the atlantic...
i know them personally very well and i can tell you that in every family there are issues imagine when performing together for more then 30 years
they started playing as a necessity to earn little amount of money
the positive point after all those years is that they will stay modest and behaving themselves as stars
so please if you like their music that is the most important thing

greetz

[adele]

Thank you , musicfan, for mentioning the contract problems in the past.

That has made me feel better and I now put most of the blame on that.

Adele

[Jusquin]

I’m having a hard time understanding why people think American fans are “speculating” about the Gipsy Kings and their lives when so much of what has been going on with them has been revealed by European fans, known friends of the band, and no lesser authorities than Canut and Patchaï themselves.

In May 2009 Canut blogs that his personal projects seem to be issues for some people, and he’s not on the 2009 tour “for some obscure reasons that have nothing to do” with him. In March 2010 he says the same thing: “Until the last minute I hoped … . They are gone. Without me.” And in June he tells readers not to believe those who say he’s ill or too busy with other things to tour. (He does tour in 2011 but misses the 2012 tour, finalizing Gitano, which is released that fall.)

In April 2013, Canut hosts an exposition of his work in Arles. This is the last time he will blog about anything new, although he posts on his Facebook page and official web sites news of the upcoming GK concerts in France and excerpts from the new GK album Savor Flamenco. Those are his final Facebook/web site posts.

“Reunion” concerts in France in July 2013 feature all eight Gipsy Kings, but neither Canut nor Patchaï is on the US tour in August. Patchaï launches Gipsy Nouveau, and French fans begin to hint at a GK break-up. Savor Flamenco drops in September and although all eight GK members are credited on the liner notes, Canut is missing from publicity photos, and in October, a source close to Patchaï discloses that Canut has been “put out” of the band. Patchaï starts to publicize Gipsy Nouveau as a concert and recording band. Canut pulls content off his Facebook and web sites.

In November Patchaï comments on a fan’s Facebook posting of a video of "No Hablas Mas," “Now my father is gone and we are disunited; better at times to be strangers or friends each with his own family." A longtime French fan posts, “Even if the Gipsy Kings are disunited they will remain dear to my heart. But the absence of Patchaï and Canut is too strong … . I will not be returning to see them in concert, these GK whom I love so much.”

In January the GKs win a Grammy for Savor Flamenco, and to questions about why Canut and Patchaï are not in the photo, Patchaï posts, “Patchaï and Canut in the group, they threw us out of the group." To a comment expressing hope that he and Canut will be included in the award, since they were credited on the album, Patchaï responds, “Me, too!” and a close friend says that ordinarily that would be the case but that’s “not 100% sure this time.”

Canut withdraws; Patchaï speaks out; each expressing hurt in his own way. Unless Canut has been completely disingenuous, he seems bewildered by the reactions of those around him to his various projects. Patchaï’s comments speak for themselves, as do those of his friend and the French fans. None of this is “speculation.” It’s there in plain words. Désunis. Mis dehors. À jeté du groupe. Mieux vaut defois les etranger. Mon coeur et ma raison saignent. L’absence de Canut et Patchai est trop forte.

I think it’s safe to say that we all like the music, and that is important. But these men are the music-makers – and they are human beings. We care about them; we’ve felt their joy and, now, their pain. In the absence of any official statements from the band or their management, all we have to go on is what they’ve shared with us. What they’ve shared with us lately has been ruefulness, in what should be a year of togetherness and triumph. I think it’s only human nature to discuss what has happened and some of the possible reasons why.

[adele]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jusquin.

Perfectly expressed.

Exactly right.

Thanks.

Adele

[Amanda]

Hi Jusquin,

I agree with Adele, your post is so well documented and perfectly expressed. Thank you!

Amanda

[Jusquin]

Hi, Adele and Amanda,

Thank you. I just tried to say some of what's been in my heart and my thoughts these past months.

It was eight Gipsy Kings I fell in love with, and eight I came to know a little better over the years. I found extra appeal in the fact that they were brothers and cousins. Not many bands can boast that.

You expect lineup changes when someone is ill, or needs to be with family, or is dealing with personal issues, or is just too tired of life on the road and wants to pack it in. But you don't expect two members to be thrown out of a band for what seems to be no good reason, when both have said, more than once, that they want to perform. And I think that's what Patchaï was expressing when he said "better to be strangers" -- it hurts more when your band is your brothers.

I take nothing away from Nicolas, or from Paul, or from André; all three are amazing performers and appealing personalities. But Patchaï and Canut added some nuances of light and shadow to the color palette that is the GK stage performance, and those contributions, I think, will be sorely missed.

Perhaps promoters (and perhaps some fans as well) feel that as long as Nicolas and Tonino are there, the rest of the lineup really doesn't matter. I don't know. But it was eight Gipsy Kings I fell in love with, and I do miss those who aren't there.

Jusquin

[Amanda]

Hi Jusquin,

Again, so well said. I feel exactly the same way.

Amanda

[musicfan]

A bit late but ..... Thanks Jusquin!

YES! Exactly right. It is not the same when they are not all there. While it is true that there are disagreements in families, it is all eight of them who make the magic. That said, I am grateful for any obstacles they have already overcome (perhaps releasing the last album) and hope that whatever is going on now will end up being a temporary glitch in family/business relations.

[adele]

Yes, Jusquin, I feel exactly the same.

Hopefully the management and the remaining GK will get the message that we need and love them all and that it is just not the same without all of them.

Hopefully they read this forum and they will get enough feedback at the concerts concerning this.

Adele