Latcho & Andrea; The Blond Gypsies
Living in La Cruz has allowed us to meet folks from all over the world. One might think that coming to Mexico, we’d meet… well, Mexicans. Indeed, we are honored to call many Mexican nationals our friends and we’ve met many, many people from Canada and USA but who knew we’d meet Germans and quite a few at that!?!
Every story of how I met my new friends is unique. While on sabbatical, during our first months here, Chris and I took an exercise class; it was an intriguing version of stretch and strength. One participant, Andrea, loved the class and as we came to know her she invited us to hear her and Latcho play. From that first night at The Black Forest restaurant our love affair with the dynamic music duo that is Latcho and Andrea began. They bring the passion of who they are to their music and to all who get to enjoy!
You must hear the Blond Gypsies, experience them… words will never convey what gets us all up dancing and clapping. Colorful comes to mind when I think of Latcho and Andrea and as I listen to them play, even when I close my eyes the colour is bright and powerful.
They are kind too; when I got called home as my dad was passing away, they sent me, via email, this song, ‘Oh Señor’. When I hear them sing it, it brings me pleasure and I’m filled with love. Thanks so much you two!
Latcho and Andrea love how “Music can transcend all borders of language, culture, nationality and generations.” I hope you’ll enjoy this interview and the photos below!
What brought you to La Cruz and what had you saying, “I want to live here”?
We decided to leave Europe and relocate to La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Mexico when lifelong friend Lobo, of Willie & Lobo fame, touted the area as paradise. We spent the winters here for many years before we finally decided to make La Cruz our permanent home.
How long have you been here now?
We started living here in 1996
You make the decision to live here and make your living with your music, I’d bet that’s a huge change from Germany. Please share how that unfolded and how it’s going?
Both of us were ready for a radical change in our lives and we were looking for a new challenging adventure. When our friend Lobo got a record deal in the US and had to spent lots of time up north he offered us his job at Mama Mia in Puerto Vallarta. We took that opportunity and we are still very happy about our decision
Please tell us about the Blond Gypsies and your style of Flamenco. Your personal journey of how you met and your music playing separately and together fascinates me; please share some of that with us, if you’re comfortable to do so.
Latcho: “I was born in northern Germany – in an area called “The door to Scandinavia”. I ran away from home at an early age and ended up making a living by being a street entertainer in Europe. My talent for performing came easily, playing guitar in a street group and working as a fire-eater. I learned the secrets of flamenco guitar playing from the very source itself when I ended up in Southern France and Spain following the Gypsies as they lived their life of campfires, wine and music. I apprenticed in the most unique way – living in a cave in Granada’s Gypsy quarter El Sacromonte and learning the difficult guitar styles from the masters themselves. The incredible magic of the Gypsy music hooked me at a young age and all I wanted to do was to play guitar like the Gypsy Kings and others. This passion led me to form my own band of gypsies called “LÄILO”. Touring Europe, North Africa and Mexico, we brought the music of Flamenco and gathered other beautiful folk songs from the cultures we visited, always keeping the cultural soul of the music alive.”
Andrea: “I was born in South Germany in Stuttgart. I discovered my passion for ballet at the age of 14 and ran away from home to follow my dream of becoming a dancer. While studying ballet in Cologne part of the ballet education was Spanish Dance. I was magnetically drawn to the beauty and passion of Flamenco music and I had an exceptional teacher, José de Udaeta, for learning the castanets.
When I saw Flamenco star Manitas De Plata perform on television I was deeply impressed. A seed was planted and it came to sprout when I met Latcho. All I wanted to do was to participate in playing the rhythmic pulse of this wild and untamed music, which combines in an incomparable way both, pain and sorrow, love and joy. There is a special magic to it, which easily connects people of all generations and any cultural backgrounds, very often in getting them up to dance… PEACE * LOVE * MUSIC.
Latcho: We met in 1982 as performers in a traveling Wild West show.
Latcho and Andrea as Sabu and Idra
After traveling with the Gipsy Clan of Circus Atlas for three years, I reformed my Gipsy Flamenco band “Lailo”. With “Lailo”, I was a composer, singer and guitarist.
Andrea: I continued touring with a theater group as a dancer and later on was a guitar playing member of the all-girl Flamenco group “ChicaBoum”.
Together: Our life purpose is to bring the heart and soul of Gypsy music to audiences worldwide in live performances and recordings. To inspire people with what inspired us.”
People often comment that Latcho lived and played with the Gipsy Kings, is that true?
I did play concerts with Los Reyes and Gipsy Legend, which are very close relatives of the Gipsy Kings and I played with several of the Gipsy Kings on private parties around campfires, a deeply inspiring and heart warming experience. So, you can say that I played with them.
Latcho playing with Canut Reyes of the Gipsy Kings (on Latcho’s right) around a campfire. Can you smell the smoke?
Where can people hear you?
In Bucerias, in La Cruz , in Sayulita and in San Pancho AND we play at private homes as people hire us…
Latcho and Andrea playing on the rooftop at Villa Amor del Mar, our guests loved them!
What do you see as the greatest change to La Cruz since you moved here?
When we moved to La Cruz there was not one single telephone in the whole village. Getting telephone, then fax service and later on Internet was a very comfortable change.
Do you like that change?
Absolutely 100%
If you could preserve something from when you moved here what would it be?
Free access to all those beautiful beaches at the north shore and more horses in the streets of La Cruz.
What is each of your favorite songs ~ of your own and of another artist?
Too hard to decide and always changing.
Do you each have favorite quotes?
“Humor and patience are two camels that will carry you through any desert.” ~ Arabic Wisdom
“Creativity is love. We cover the earth with love, which is what we have to do, because the other side is trying to cover the earth with hate.” ~ Yoko Ono
PEACE ☮ LOVE ♥ MUSIC ♬
“The bad news: there is no key to happiness.
The good news: it is not locked!” ~ Osho
“Let your spirit set sail upon the winds of your dreams”.
What one thing would you like people to know about you and/or Mexico?
That we are playing wonderful, wild, untamed and romantic music with all our love, passion and devotion at one of the most beautiful areas in the world.
If you had a magic wand, what would your wish for La Cruz be 5 years from now and beyond?
Love, peace, happiness and much more awareness for the planet.
What is the one thing you’re most proud of in your life?
30+ years of our relationship together and a life full of adventures.
Spanning the generations; our kids loved them too!
