Father and son Graham and Matthew Austin are Ely’s Los Gitanos and their many TV and radio appearances have been swelled by concerts in Ely Cathedral as well as a private party hosted by Professor Stephen Hawking.

For 30 years they’ve been honing their skills and are currently enjoying the release of their fifth album. There’s a third generation as well – Graham’s grandsons James and Josh.

“I would be giving guitar lessons,” said Graham, “and Matthew, then eight years old, would creep downstairs to ask me to play again a particular chord formation or sequence. The sounds embedded themselves very early on.”

Matthew would eventually travel to the Mediterranean coast to develop techniques and to hear the sounds of flamenco played by masters of the tradition. “Nothing is written down,” says Graham. “Neither of us has worked from books or indeed written down a single note. It’s raw, earthy, there are rumba rhythms. Improvisation is key.”

Inspiration is the title of Los Gitanos’ fifth album: the first track Vivaz offers a lively opening redolent of the heels and taps of flamenco, leading into Reverie, a tone poem for blue skies and wild horses; Summer Breeze is an idyll, each note chosen with care, and there are spectacle and dreams; Fiesta is a holiday romance with an invitation to love.

Los Gitanos’ Inspiration CD is available from Burrows Bookshop, in High Street Passage, Ely.