Gipsy Kings Bring Their Musical Caravan to L.A.

In a time of heightened pop awareness of world music--from the haunting tonalities of the Bulgarian State Female Radio & Television Choir to the spicy West Indies zouk rhythms of Kassav’ to the techno-pop Yemenite songs of Israeli superstar Ofra Haza--the burgeoning success of the Gipsy Kings is a refreshing surprise.

The band of genuine Gypsies from the South of France--with songs sung in the Gitane tongue (a blend of Spanish, French and Gypsy dialects)--has become a sensation in Europe and North Africa. Now the Kings are moving their musical caravan to America, where the group has been signed by Elektra records. Tickets for the group’s Los Angeles debut at the Palace tonight have already sold out.

According to Bob Hurwitz, vice president and general manager of Elektra/Nonesuch records and one of the people behind the signing of the group, there’s a growing acceptance among music programmers toward the Kings’ style.

“Four weeks ago, when the Kings were first brought to radio by Elektra promotion staff, people laughed,” Hurwitz said from New York. “By now people aren’t laughing anymore; VH-1 just made the video for their single ‘Bambolero’ it’s ‘Pick of the Week.’ The hardest thing in the record business is to take music that’s out of format and try to get it into the commercial mainstream. It’s also the easiest thing, too, because what in the long run makes a lasting impression is music that is original and unique and nothing like what you’ve ever heard before.”

The Gipsy Kings’ sound should not prove all that foreign to American ears. Between its wall of strummed acoustic guitars, syncopated hand claps and vocal cries, the Kings possess the same kind of intense urgency of the best rock ‘n’ roll as they blend the tight, often angry eroticism of flamenco with the buoyant rhythmic excitement found in Latin American salsa.

Vocalist Nicholas Reyes’ throaty, impassioned wails evoke the Gypsies’ Middle Eastern and Indian cultural roots, while Tonino Baliardo’s lightning swift guitar solos carry on the tradition of famous Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt. At the same time, the band’s sound is resolutely modern, from it’s synthesized keyboard touches to a fresh, unlikely (and quite stirring) version of that overworked pop standard “My Way.”

As befitting a Gypsy troupe, the Kings are a family outfit. Andre and Nicolas Reyes are the sons of flamenco singer Jose Reyes. The other four group members are either cousins or brothers-in-law of the Reyes. And while some of the Kings have permanent homes, the majority of them still adhere to the traditional Gypsy tradition of traveling in a family caravan.

“The way we related to pop music, to rock ‘n’ roll, was different than most people who live in a suburban life,” Bouchikhi said via an interpeter from France. “We listened to the Beatles and Sting, but the way we moved, our way of living, influenced our perceptions of pop music in a unique way.”

Together since 1979, the group’s approach produced a commercial breakthrough in 1986, when the band hooked up with manager-producer Claude Martinez, who added sophisticated bass, synthesizer and percussion touches to the rigorous Andalusian folk melodies. The result was the band’s successful album, “Gipsy Kings,” released in 1987, which rose to No. 3 in France and hit the Top 10 in several European countries.

Though the Gypsy underclass is often the victim of a deep-rooted prejudice in Europe, the lyrics to “Bambolero” or “Djobi Djoba,” two of the group’s successful European singles, are more about romantic affairs and fiesta-like partying than social injustices. But Bouchikhi said listeners can still “feel the expression of tragedy in the cry of the singer.”

That tragedy is being turned around by the band’s popularity.

“The Gypsy community is very proud and very happy that we can show our culture in such a good light,” said Bouchikhi. “It will fight prejudice. I’m very happy that people can read about our lives. But what is most important is that people feel what happens when we are on stage. Because that is the real moment when we can share our joy and happiness together.”