Gipsy Kings Best Songs

[Gisberto Letter]

WhileChiron is correct, there is a fair amount of crossover betwen the two styles. If you play Spanish Classical pieces by Albeniz and Tarrega and even Sor, you will find rasgueados, trills, tremolos, pinched harmonics, and other flamenco effects. It's clear that those guys were playing flamenco on the weekend.

So know the difference, but study both. Listen to flamenco by Carlos Montoya. It's like Solo Blues with Spanish Technique. Being able to play flamenco allows you to isolate a fragment from a difficult Spanish Classical piece, and make a fun exercise out of it. You can even develop it into a new song.

Actually, this question is difficult to answer because the range of "Spanish Music" is vast, even for the guitar. There's Spanish Baroque guitar music, which uses a 5-course guitar, all but the highest course double-strung. There's a strong movement of people playing this music on period instruments (I have one myself). It's really unique stuff, and you have to hear it on the original instrument to appreciate it. Gaspar Sanz is the best known Spanish guitar composer of that period. You have probably heard his Canarios in D maj performed on modern instruments.

Much of the music from this period uses hemiola... Divide 6/8 into groups of 3/3, 2/2/2... They add up to 6 and 6, but the emphasis changes. This is a fundamental rhythm for Flamenco forms such as Bularias. There's a Baroque song form called Jacaras which is very reminiscent of the Bularias, except its kind of square, or old fashioned, by comparison.

The classical period (roughly speaking) brought in the 6-string guitar. Still a small body, but six single-strung courses. Of course, Fernando Sor is the famous composer of that period. He still used just the thumb and two fingers (with perhaps rare exceptions). Also, playing was still done without fingernails. The guitar spread quite a bit thanks to salon playing.

Tarrega sits in the Romantic period, and played the Torres guitar -- a new design with a bigger body, and different bracing. He still played without fingernails, although I believe there were players who used them in this period. Following the art-music vein, you would probably come next to Emilio Pujol, and then Andres Segovia. General use of the nails probably coincides pretty much with the switch from gut strings to nylon.

Flamenco music is associated with the Gypsies in Spain (los Gitanos). I have read that the Gypsy influence traces to India. One analysis I read points out that in general these were marginalized, opportunistic people. They learned that their music attracted attention, so they would put on shows to attract onlookers and then pick their pockets. This could be apocryphal... It's probable that there were Gypsies playing guitar in the classical period. I can't say anything about the Baroque.

Flamenco guitars used tuning pegs instead of mechanical keys for a longer period than classical guitars. It was said the machine heads were too heavy. The guitar itself is lighter -- sides and back traditionally made of cypress. Maybe this was because it was an easier wood to get. Anyway, the result is a more percussive sound, with less sustain. Modern Flamenco guitars are as likely to use rosewood, depending on the performer's preference.

Right hand technique for Flamenco is mind-boggling in its variation. The rasgueados of the Baroque were quite varied and specialized. It seems classical playing turned away from that. But Flamenco has expanded significantly on the strumming repertoire. Rasgueados in Flamenco can use all the fingers (pinkie included). Tremelo adds an extra stroke to the classical tremelo, so it sounds even more florid.

One thing about Flamenco... True to what I have heard of the Indian concept of music, song is primary. There is a a Flamenco concept of Cante Jondo -- deep song. Then comes guitar, and then comes dance. As far as I recall from my reading, the dance was put together to attract the tourists, more or less. That's not to diminish Flamenco dance, but I feel compelled to mention it.

Modern and fusion Flamenco is some of the hottest and freshest music in the world, in my opinion. Listen to Tomatito... Wow. And Paco de Lucia is still riding the crest of the wave -- he's a guru. For some reason, Spain as a country seems to dismiss Flamenco as just those guitar players... I can't figure that one out. This music really deserves a good hearing.

There's a good amount of pop music in Spain that sits on top of Flamenco. Manzanita got pretty famous in the '70s/'80s, and his songs are pretty nice if you can enjoy the era. The Gypsy Kings fit into this vein as well. Estopa is a more modern group doing this. They throw in a good old electric guitar, too.

The shape of flamenco guitars are slightly different from a classical guitar and tend to be lighter. They were traditionally made out of cypress. Cypress is not considered to be the best kind of wood for a guitar as it tends to absorb some of the range of sound. However, it is very good at projecting sound, making it one of the better choices if you want a "loud" guitar. As flamenco guitar began not with solo performances but with accompaniement of flamenco singers and dancers (both of which can be incredibly loud), cypress was the better choice simply because without it the guitar would have been drowned out by the other performers. Cypress was also cheap and easy of access in Andalucia, the home of flamenco.

Since the 1950s roughly, flamenco guitarists have opened to other types of guitar and many flamenco guitars are now made out of rosewood (which is considered much better in keeping the entire range of sound). This came about at a time when flamenco guitar was being recognized as a solist instrument (no need to be overheard over the dancer's taps in a solo performance) and also at the time were electronic amplification made if possible to increase the volume of an instrument without touching the instrument itself (so even if you were accompanying a dancer, you could simply turn up the volume).

Hello there! Our song this week is Hotel California. This is a rock song by The Eagles that contains one of the all-time great guitar riffs. We will review the original version by the Eagles. We will then discuss cover versions by The Gipsy Kings, and by SkaDaddyZ.

Nearly all songs by the Eagles were co-written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey. The pair turned out to be a powerhouse song-writing duo. Over the years they churned out hit country-rock tunes characterized by lovely melodies coupled with terrific, memorable lyrics. And the Eagles also became known for their impressive four-part harmony.

Back in the 70s there were many groups in the country-rock scene, but the Eagles stood out for both the quality and quantity of their hits. After their first big hit in 1972, the Eagles became an unstoppable musical juggernaut. They were arguably the greatest country-rock band of the late 20th century.

The Eagles also enjoyed great success as a touring band. Their ability to reproduce the harmonies from their records made them a major draw on tour. In 1974 the group became a quintet, adding guitarist Don Felder to their band.

Apparently Henley and Frey had discussions about this song while driving from the desert into Los Angeles, or vice versa. In particular, Frey had the notion of creating an atmosphere of a mysterious metropolis, where a crass commercialism had overtaken an earlier idealism.

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair

Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air

Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light

My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim

I had to stop for the night

[CHORUS] Welcome to the Hotel California

Such a lovely place (such a lovely place)

Such a lovely face

Plenty of room at the Hotel California

Any time of year (any time of year) you can find it here

The song begins with an extended trumpet solo. Steuart Smith and Joe Walsh start out contributing on guitar. After a brief guitar intro, Don Henley enters with a couple of thumps on drums, and then begins with his lead vocals.

During their tour for the Hotel California album, bassist Randy Meisner left the group and was replaced by Timothy Schmit. Here is a photo of the Eagles after Meisner was replaced by Schmit. From L: Glenn Frey; Don Felder; Don Henley; Joe Walsh; Timothy B. Schmit.

The individual Eagles members then embarked on solo efforts or joined other bands, with varying degrees of success. Don Henley had a most impressive solo career, with a number of acclaimed solo hits. Glenn Frey also had a few pop hits on his own.

I really enjoy this version. It starts with all five Eagles sitting on stools in a line. Timothy Schmit appears at left with his bass guitar, Don Henley is carrying a pair of maracas, and the other three Eagles have acoustic guitars.

We are now treated to an acoustic flamenco-style version of Hotel California. Don Henley again sings the lead vocals, while the other Eagles chime in on the chorus with their trademark close harmonies.

What a treat to see the boys back again, still at the peak of their artistry! Once again, we get extended guitar solos with Felder and Walsh alternating on lead. The hard-rock electric guitar solos from the original version are here replaced by the Spanish-influenced styling.

The Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. In a classy move, both the original lineup and their current lineup performed at their induction ceremony. In terms of record sales, they are the best-selling American band in history. Their Eagles: Greatest Hits album alone has sold over 42 million copies.

In southern France, the musicians Jose Reyes and Manitas de Plata had popularized a type of music called rumba flamenca. This was a popular music that derived from a kind of fusion between flamenco and salsa.

Initially, the group traveled around France performing at festivals and weddings. Because they spent so much time traveling like gypsies, the group changed its name to Gipsy Kings. Below is a photo of the Gipsy Kings from 1989.

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