No attitude. No on stage charisma. No light shows. No bimbo dancers. They don’t even sing in English!!! Yet, year after year, the Gipsy Kings ( just like on this 2 hour show at the comfortably air conditioned Nokia Center) fill the halls, get the people singing and dancing, and have lasted longer than 20 flash in the pans. How do they do it?
Simple. They leaders Nicolas Reyes and Tonino Baliardo front a six guitar force of energy that mixes infectious flamenco and Mediterranean rhythms that satisfy anyone dying to dance in the aisles with finger picking on the strings that will cause any air guitar freak to jaw drop with wonder. Their earthy vocals, sounding like shepherds calling in from the hills, is able to sound be as celebratory on “Vamos a Bailar” as it is romantic on “Un Amore.” Mixed with a jazzy rhythm section that included a percussionist, drummer, bassist and hep keyboardist, the GK’s could even turn an American classic like Sinatra’s “My Way” into an Iberian folk song.
As every good cook knows, sooner or later, no matter how you present the meal, you’ve got to trust in your basic ingredients. The GK’s with impeccable guitar chops and style, a romantic and soulful heart, and a sense of rhythm that can only be passed down through generations of caravan life, showed the Angelenos that substance ALWAYS triumphs over style.
Other great latin shows coming up: Luciana Souza at The Broad Stage (www.thebroadstage.com) and Loui Cruz Beltran at the Ford Theatre (www.fordtheatres.org)