Performing for the first time at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, French-Spanish band Gipsy Kings, consisting of Nicolas Reyes and Tonino Baliardo, is ready to entertain fans the 20th annual celebration.
The “Bamboléo” singers touched down in Cape Town and speaking at their press conference held at the Cape Sun Hotel on Friday the band say the reason it took them so long to perform for South African fans is due to the fact that South Africa is very far for them to travel.
Talking about the type of music the band makes, they say that Gipsy Kings music is about love and that they want the legacy of their music to be love. Further saying when it comes to the music they feel that the music they make doesn’t fall into a genre and that Gipsy Kings is its own genre.
The biggest song the French-Spanish band has produced is the Spanish language track "Bamboléo". Released in the eighties, Gipsy Kings say that they were surprised by the success of the song. And while the song is the one they're most known for it’s in actual fact a song that sounds the least like Gipsy Kings. However, they were still excited about the success the song achieved.
When it comes to the Gipsy Kings, there are many of their family members that use their name when performing. However, they clarified that the real Gipsy Kings are Reyes and Baliardo. Also saying that all the musicians and singers in their family use their music.
Both Reyes and Baliardo also expressed that the audience can expect them to play from the heart and that they like to be very close to the audience. And that they enjoy interacting with the audience and the more they interact with them the more they feel the music. Further saying that the size of the audience doesn’t matter to them it as long as they enjoy the show.
The Cape Town International Jazz Festival's final day is taking place on Saturday at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.