Since the death of the legendary Gypsy musician Django Reinhardt he is considered to be the uncrowned king of Gipsy Jazz. The southern French Ricardo Baliardo was already noticed as an ingenious guitarist in the 40s. With amazing verve and exceptional feeling for the right timing the man with the stage name Manitas de Plata (in English: hands of silver) creates strokes of genius with nippy sound sequences. Celebrities the world over, such as Pablo Picasso and the Queen, are and were spellbound by this cunning play of the strings. Today Manitas de Plata, who can neither read nor write sheet music, is considered an emissary for his music and his people.

Lukas Müller