Review: THE GIPSY KINGS at The San Diego Symphony's Rady Shell

The only empty seats at the Rady Shell's high-energy Gipsy Kings concert were the hundreds unoccupied while their associated booties were swaying in the aisles below waving arms. Nicolas Reyes sang "Quiero Saber" to begin the bass-heavy, multi-guitar rhythmic onslaught. His hoarse and passionate voice has made him one of the world’s most popular flamenco singers.

Al Olender was an unusual choice for the Gypsy Kings' opening act. A near opposite in performing style and uninfluenced by flamenco, she sang while accompanying herself on guitar with accordionist James Felice joining in on half the tunes. The self-effacing Olender, amidst an endearing stream of humorous patter, described herself as a “hotdog-stand singer” and in awe of playing in front of a crowd of thousands when her usual venue is a dive bar.

She sang a combination of covers and her own songs. The tune that most pleased the

audience was “Blue Bayou,” a hit for Linda Ronstadt in 1977, coincidently the year the main act was founded. Olender encouraged a singalong and asked the many boats in attendance on the water at both sides of the audience to hit their horns with the lyric “On Blue Bayou where those fishing boats with their sails afloat.” A practice invocation began with horns mute. Then further urging brought a cacophony of sounds that had everyone laughing, including Olender. But she became a little concerned, accompanied by more laughter, when the blaring temporarily prevented her from singing.

It would take a doctoral candidate’s thesis to unravel the full history of The Gipsy Kings and the dozen or more relatives who have sung in the group at various times. Some have left to form their own bands using the same name.  But the original was formed in 1977 by flamenco singer Jose Reyes with sons including Nicolas. Dad gave it the not-so-catchy name Jose Reyes and Los Reyes. The name changed to The Gipsy Kings a few years later, shortly after the senior Reyes passed away and Nicolas Reyes and Tonino Baliardo, a relative, became co-leaders. Nicolas is “lead artist” and vocalist for the band's current two-year tour.

In 1987 fame came with the third album under the new name. It included the songs "Djobi Djoba", "Bamboléo", and "Un Amor." Those, and other songs from that album, which spent 40 weeks on U.S. charts, made up a third of the concert. The crowd responded to all of them, often singing along in Spanish. But the singalong was the loudest with the group’s slightly more recent hit version of “Volare.”

The Gipsy Kings have succeeded with a radically new approach to flamenco. They incorporated additional rhythms, most notably rumba and samba and, in the current band, the traditional single acoustic guitar accompaniment has become seven electric guitars, including base. When all are strumming frantically infectious flamenco style, it produces a unique wall of sound that is particularly effective with the Rady Shell’s terrific sound system and outdoor setting. The occasional ambient sounds from boats, helicopters or hip-hop bands that can mar a symphony performance didn’t have a chance.

Nino Baliardo took four or five breathtakingly fast solos in a jazz-influenced flamenco style that were concert highlights. In addition to Nicolas, and Nino the band includes guitarists Jospeh Gautier, Patrick Baptiste and Nicolas’s sons Yohan and Georges Reyes. To round out the ensemble it was Bernard Paganotti, bass guitar, Juan Abardonado, keyboards, Quentin Boursy, drums and Pacheco Jimenez, percussion.

Although The Gipsy Kings barely stopped for breath in an hour and a half with 16 tunes, the crowd demanded two more before arms were exhausted from waving and applauding as the musicians finally began leaving the stage to end an exceptionally entertaining show.

Stage photo Courtesy of Gary Payne for San Diego Symphony

For Rady Shell ticket and Schedule information visit here.

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