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2010. June 4. (Friday) 22:00
Chico and the Gypsies (ES/Rumba Catalana)
The 2010 Athe Sam festival is expecting its audience with the most varied program ever. This year for the first time we will have a real international star Chico, the founder and front man of the legendary Gipsy Kings, co-composer of some world famous songs such as “Bamboleo”, Djobi, Djobi” and the “Ben Ben Maria”. The UNESCO Peace Ambassador Djelloul Bouchikhi, alias Chico and his band the Chico & The Gypsies is now again in Hungary after 14 years.
A child of North-African emigrants Djelloul Bouchikhi, later called Chico was not the most frequent attendee of his school, his fate was rather influenced by gipsy musician neighbours and the complex culture of France.
“There are some, who when looking into vacuum space can only see the emptiness and there are those who can see the possibilities instead of emptiness. I am more the dreamer even if pragmatic. Gipsies play for the future and I am no different.” How true, there really are many who cannot see beyond the end of their fate’s nose but some are living in the cultural matrix and with all their gestures they are also shaking hands. Like growing a guitar at the end of their hands for example, taking the language of music as the absolute tolerance.
Chico married to a gipsy woman and also became a father. Being the leader of the Los Reyes band – that moved Charlie Chaplin to tears with its rough honesty – he became a real composer. In 1983 he named his band to Gipsy Kings when they appeared in the international scene. The Gipsy Kings went to international tours in 1987 and by 1989 they had sold 3 million albums. In 1988 his friendship with the French cultural minister Jack Lang brought the idea of the Romany Mosaic Art Festival that was organised to popularize the gipsy music.
Due to his personal conflicts with the management of Gipsy Kings he left the band and in 1991 he founded his other super band, the Chico and the Gypsies.
Of their first album, Vagabundo, 200 000 copies were sold and the next album was named after the song Dahman el-Harachi Nomad. Chico as a protector of gipsy culture founded the El Patio centre, a festival venue, where gipsy travellers can meet each other coming from all over the world.
In 1994 the UNESCO asked the band to participate in the gala program that was organised in Oslo for the first anniversary of the Arab-Israeli treaty of peace. Bouchikhi thus could also tribute to his own family tragedy; his brother was murdered by Mossad. Shimon Peres and Jasser Arafat also participated on the event where all the donations were offered for the renovation of Gaza and Jericho. Frederico Mayer the president of UNESCO recognised Chico’s organizer activities and in 1995 he was named special Peace Ambassador of UNESCO.
The world famous band was in Hungary 14 years ago and generally they perform in the huge sport stadiums of the world but this time for the invitation of the Athe Sam! Festival they will give a club concert in Gödör on 4th June 2010 from 10pm.
On the concert all the big hits will probably be performed by the band of 10 members.
Entrance tickets can be purchased in advance for 5000 HUF in the Café of Gödör Klub and on the day of the concert for 6000 HUF.
