Tehran, Iran, May 13
By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:
Iran's Director of the Music Office of the Ministry of Culture Piruz Arjmand confirmed the news that the Gipsy Kings Family is going to perform in Tehran.
He also clarified a Gipsy King interview in which the group had said it would not visit Iran, ISNA reported May 13.
"There are two music bands; one is the Gipsy Kings and the other the Gipsy Kings Family. After some members of the Gipsy Kings died, the group disbanded and another group called the Gipsy Kings Family was formed which is directed by their children and three members of the old group. The interview that denied their visit had been conducted with the Gipsy Kings, whereas the Gipsy Kings Family is going to visit Iran," he explained.
He said that the event can also be regarded as a research performance, adding that there are plans to hold similar events with music bands from India.
Further commenting on the Gypsy Kings Family concert, he said that grounds have been laid for the performance, the band members' visas are ready, and the Gipsy Kings Family is in receipt of the money it had requested from Iran.
We expect the group to be here sometime between May 16 to 20, Arjmand stated.
Based in Camargue, the very famous land by the Mediterranean Sea, the Gipsy Kings are made up of two families, the Reyes family from Arles and the Baliardos from Montpellier.
The musical adventure of these two families started in the 1960s. The Gipsy Kings' musical style has been called "Rumba Flamenca" which allows the band to combine traditional flamenco styles with Western pop and Latin rhythms, Latin and Cuban styles, Arabic, reggae, jazz, and-of course-gypsy styles!
The band members speak French, and perform music in the Spanish dialect of Gitane, the native Gipsy language, that is a mixture of Spanish, French and Catalan.
Edited by CN
Mehdi Sepahvand is Trend Agency's journalist in Iran , follow him on Twitter: @mehdisepahvand