The popular Gipsy Kings are all set to bring their musical talents to Dubai and usher in the new year with pomp and style! The New Year’s eve (December 31st, 2007) event will be held at the Al Sahra Desert Resort & Amphitheater and will include a five-star Gala Dinner, Champagne reception, unlimited beverages on selected premium brands, firewords display, music by DJ Jeff Price, complimentary transport to and from the venue in Dubai…and of course, Live entertainment by the Gipsy Kings! The Gipsy Kings are also set to rock Dubai with it’s first New Year concert on the 1st of January 2008 at the same venue. Doors open at 8pm and the show starts at 9pm. The event is being organized by Destinations of the World and tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketingboxoffice.com or by calling +971 4 2141313 or +971 50 5596909. Dress Code is Black Tie or National Dress.



About the Gipsy Kings

Gipsy Kings are a group from Arles and Montpellier (specifically from a cité outside of Montpellier called Phobos, which was later bulldozed) in France. Their parents fled from Spain during the Spanish Civil War. They are Calé (Gitano) musicians, best known for bringing Rumba Catalana, a pop-oriented version of traditional flamenco music to worldwide audiences. Their music has a particular Rumba Flamenca style, with pop influences; many songs of the Gipsy Kings fit social dances, such as Salsa and Rumba. Their music has been described as a place where “Spanish flamenco and Romani rhapsody meet salsa funk”.

Band’s story

They became popular with their self-titled first album, Gipsy Kings, which included the songs “Djobi Djoba”, “Bamboleo” and the romantic ballad “Un Amor”. The song “Volare” on their second album Mosaique is a rumba version of Domenico Modugno’s Italian hit “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu”. The Gipsy Kings were enormously popular in France and throughout Europe along with the middle east. In 1989, Gipsy Kings was released in the United States and it spent 40 weeks on the charts, one of very few Spanish language albums to do so. Their cover version of “Hotel California” is an excellent example of fast flamenco guitar leads and rhythmic strumming (this version was featured in the Coen Brothers’ movie The Big Lebowski).

In 1991 the Gipsy Kings provided flamenco guitar and backing vocals on Bananarama’s version of “Long Train Running”, using the pseudonym “Alma de Noche” (”Soul of the Night”). Also in ‘91, for a multi-artist project called “Simply Mad About the Mouse” — a compilation of new versions of songs from Disney films — the Kings contributed a finely-crafted, fast-paced rumba flamenca version of “I’ve Got No Strings” from “Pinocchio” - replete with feverish flamenco guitar leads and rhythmic hand-claps (palmas). The lyrics’ enthusiasm for freedom, not being tied down, fit the gipsy creed perfectly.

Their 1993 album “Love and Liberte” won the Latin Grammy Award for “Best Pop Album of the Year,” and contained the enduring song “Montana,” an emotional account of gipsies chased from their birthplace by prejudice and persecution.

The ‘95 compilation “The Best of the Gipsy Kings” went platinum, staying on the charts more than one year. Albums “Mosaique,” “Allegria,” “Este Mundo,” “Gipsy Kings Live,” “Love & Liberte,” “Tierra Gitana,” “Cantos de Amor” and “Volare! - the Very Best of the Gipsy Kings” went gold.

Lead guitarist Tonino Baliardo — who has always written the group’s instrumentals — released his own self-titled instrumental album in 2003.

Flamenco purists criticized their use of drum kits, electronic bass, and electronic keyboards and rock and reggae beats. Defenders say they helped create a new style.

Gipsy Kings’ total album sales worldwide now exceed 18 million; they’re touring worldwide again in 2007. They are the world’s best-selling music group from France in history, according to their website, where dates and places of their current tour can be found.

Gipsy Kings are members of two related families: the Reyes and the Baliardos (Reyes means Kings in Spanish). They are cousins of the flamenco great Manitas de Plata, lead guitarist Tonino Baliardo married his granddaughter. Nicolas, Canut, Paul, Andre and Patchai Reyes are sons of flamenco singer Jose Reyes. The Gipsy Kings are:

Nicolas Reyes: lead vocals, guitar
Paul Reyes: backup vocals, guitar
Canut Reyes: backup vocals, guitar
Patchai Reyes: backup vocals, guitar
Andre Reyes: backup vocals, guitar
Diego Baliardo: guitar
Paco Baliardo: guitar
Tonino Baliardo: lead guitar
Chico Bouchikhi was also a member of the Gipsy Kings, but quit after the album Mosaique (Source: Wikipedia)

tags: gipsy, gypsy, kings, music, concert, dubai, uae, 2007, 2008, new-year, eve, festive, christmas, al-sahra, desert