It's been two years since the Gipsy Kings' masterpiece Roots, an album where they kissed big, extravagant production, as well as big drums and keyboards, goodbye. Apparently old habits are hard to break. On the cover of 2007's Pasajero, the Kings look back to the natural thang. They are posed on a picnic table in the middle of some wild grass and trees, playing together, laughing, and singing. Covers can be deceiving, and this is one of them. Pasajero is a big return to glossy sound, extravagant production, big drums, dub bass, and electronic programming and percussion. There's no problem if you dig your Kings that way, of course. The group lays down impeccable nuevo flamenco fusion with all sorts of world traditions, such as reggae on "Pueblos," with a splashy horn section playing in fine dub-cum-mariachi style and a bubbling bassline over the drums.

Formed in France, but rooted in Spanish flamenco tradition, the Gipsy Kings began incorporating pop into their buoyant Latin sound in the late 1980s, eventually leading to massive international success. Released in 1991, ESTE MUNDO finds the ensemble offering up a potent set of acoustic guitar-driven tunes that are marked by percussive strumming, dexterous lead work, and the husky, emotive vocals of bandleader Nicholas Reyes. The core group of six-string players is bolstered on some songs by bass, horns, and/or drums, giving ESTE MUNDO a vibrant atmosphere, particularly on songs such as the surging "Baila Me" and the dreamy title track. Although much of the album is upbeat, the Gipsy Kings also ease into a few mellow instrumental numbers, including the gentle "Lagrimas" and the slightly funky "Ternuras." One of the most consistent and confident outings in the Gipsy Kings' catalogue, ESTE MUNDO is sure to please flamenco aficionados and many other world music fans.

After their internationally successful 1988 self-titled debut, few have followed the the Gypsy Kings' noteworthy fusion of their distinctive flamenco-inflected pop with other international influences. Love & Liberte, a 1994 Elektra Records release, is one of their few compilations of all-new material, one that demonstrates this growth perhaps more than any of their other projects. One of their more extravagant songs, "No Vivire" implements a prominent bassline and strong brass accents in the chorus. Equally pleasant but slightly less authentic, "Escucha Me" crosses their Spanish guitar sound with a full reggae ensemble. The album's zenith hits with two instrumental tracks, "Guitarra Negra" and "Love and Liberte." "Guitarra Negra" shows off castanets with bongos. Every few bars, the intensity seems to reach a peak, only to retreat and regroup for another charge. The title track evolves slowly, with a gradual guitar and bass crescendo highlighted by a series of sparse piano chords on selected downbeats for emphasis. Though not as energetic as their best work, Love and Liberte is still an easy album for a Gypsy Kings fan to appreciate.

Forceful and mystic, with a beauty and intensity that reminded him of his first hearings of Miles, Mingus, or Monk, Belgian bassist & composer Piet Verbist was pulled into his deep study of Flamenco culture several years ago through a grant from the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp. After a dozen immersive trips to Andalusia to study, perform, and develop a repertoire, Piet presented concerts in Belgium and Málaga with his joint Spanish/Belgian ensemble, recording this album live in Antwerp at the end of 2023. Featuring Carmelo Muriel on the Bansuriney (a Muriel-designed wooden flute), Carlos Cortés on percussion and flamenco guitar, and Juan Sainz on drums, with Belgians Tom Van Dyck on saxophones, and Verbist's son, Milan Verbist on piano, the Flamenco Jazz Summit paints a sonic portrait both exotic and popular at first sight, but the dual cultural melting-pot conceived traditions of jazz and flamenco actually combine to prove deep and inimitable.

The Gipsy Kings are largely responsible for bringing the joyful sounds of progressive pop-oriented flamenco to the world. The band started out in Arles, a village in southern France, during the '70s when brothers Nicolas and Andre Reyes, the sons of renowned flamenco artist Jose Reyes, teamed up with their cousins. Their eponymous 1988 album sold tremendously in France and appeared on the Top Ten album charts in 12 European countries, including England; in 1989, it spent 40 weeks on the U.S. charts and went gold, becoming one of the few Spanish albums to do so.

The Gipsy Kings' main strength is their consistency. Throughout their career, they have managed to craft an accessible, pop-oriented version of flamenco and gypsy music that also pushes boundaries. During it all, they recorded classy, satisfying albums like Compas. There's not much different about Compas, but since the album is so well made and enchanting, that isn't a curse; it's a blessing.

The Gipsy Kings are never going to have the kind of critical acclaim that Paco de Lucia has, but their popularization of poppy rumba flamenca among non-Spanish speakers is nothing to be ashamed of. Nonetheless, here on Roots, the octet turns back to the tradition while making their own imprint on it. Having the band record in an old farm house, producer Craig Street, it seems, simply told them to sit down to play their bittersweet songs. Without electric instruments or a drum set to clutter the mix, brisk acoustic guitars will sweep listeners up in the driving rhythms as lead guitarist Tonino Baliardo soars overhead, particularly on the instrumental songs. When Nicolas, Canut and Patchai Reyes take turns on lead vocals, Street adeptly captures the timbre and nuance of the singers' voices while also delicately balancing the guitar, hand percussion and bass. No pop songs or bombastic rock beats:here's one that purists cannot argue with.

The reissue of a great, classic, wonderful Spanish progressive album. Feliu is a guitarist who plays only Spanish guitar, while Joan Albert, the leader of the equally great Musica Urbana, performs on acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes piano, clavinet and Moog synthesizer. Recorded in 1977, released on Edigsa and always hard to find, it is reissued here from the master tapes for the very first time! Musically very active and intricate and filled with great melodic passages, yet also very stripped down and open, allowing the listener to really get inside and hear all the details. Then, on the last track, Murica Urbana and guests join them for a rocking finish!

The Benavent, Di Geraldo and Pardo trio emerged from the ashes of the Pardo y Benavent band, the sextet that made flamenco history and that came to an end in 1998 with an amazing tour of the most important jazz festivals from Vitoria to Montreal. It was in this sextet – a historic fact – improvisation on a flamenco beat was done for the first time, with a jazz attitude and based on the compositions of Pardo and Benavent contained in their previous albums.