One of my favorite bands is Taraf de Haidouks. They are a Romanian-Romani taraf (a troupe of lăutari, traditional musicians) from Clejani, Romania, and one of the most prominent such groups in post-Communist era Romania. In the Western world they have become known by the name given to them in French-speaking areas, where they are known as Taraf de Haïdouks.
Since the release of its first album back in 1991, Taraf de Haïdouks has been considered the epitome of Romany music's vitality. Their polyphonic sound incorporates instruments such as the violin, double drum, accordion, flute, cimbalom, double bass and some wind instruments.
In 2007, the band released their album, Maskarada, in which they reinterpret and "re-gypsify" pieces by 20th-century classical composers (such as Bartók, Khachaturian and Kodály) who drew inspiration from national folklore and often borrowed from Roma styles.
Some of the core members of the group:
Nicolae Neacșu ("Culai"): violin, vocals; born 1924; died September 2002 (age 78)[2]
Dumitru Baicu ("Cacurică"): cimbalom, vocals; born 1931; died September 2007 (age 76)[3]
Ilie Iorga: vocals; actually from Mârşă, near Clejani; born 1928; died June 2012 (age 84)
Ion Manole ("Şaică" or "Boşorogu"): violin, vocals; born 1920; died May 2002 (age 82)
Gheorghe Anghel ("Caliu"): violin
Gheorghe Fălcaru ("Fluierici"): flute, double bass; born 1954; died September 2016 (age 62)
Ionică Tănase: cimbalom
Constantin Sandu ("Dinu"): cimbalom, vocals
Florea Pârvan: double bass
Marin Sandu ("Țagoe"): accordion
Paul Guiclea ("Pașalan"): voice, violin; born 28.01.1932; died September 13, 2018 (age 86)
Marin Manole ("Marius"): accordion
Constantin Lăutaru ("Costică Boieru"): violin, voice; born 26.09.1956; died 07.12.2021 (age 65)
One of my favorite bands is Taraf de Haidouks. They are a Romanian-Romani taraf (a troupe of lăutari, traditional musicians) from Clejani, Romania, and one of the most prominent such groups in post-Communist era Romania. In the Western world they have become known by the name given to them in French-speaking areas, where they are known as Taraf de Haïdouks.
Since the release of its first album back in 1991, Taraf de Haïdouks has been considered the epitome of Romany music's vitality. Their polyphonic sound incorporates instruments such as the violin, double drum, accordion, flute, cimbalom, double bass and some wind instruments.
In 2007, the band released their album, Maskarada, in which they reinterpret and "re-gypsify" pieces by 20th-century classical composers (such as Bartók, Khachaturian and Kodály) who drew inspiration from national folklore and often borrowed from Roma styles.
Some of the core members of the group:
Nicolae Neacșu ("Culai"): violin, vocals; born 1924; died September 2002 (age 78)[2]
Dumitru Baicu ("Cacurică"): cimbalom, vocals; born 1931; died September 2007 (age 76)[3]
Ilie Iorga: vocals; actually from Mârşă, near Clejani; born 1928; died June 2012 (age 84)
Ion Manole ("Şaică" or "Boşorogu"): violin, vocals; born 1920; died May 2002 (age 82)
Gheorghe Anghel ("Caliu"): violin
Gheorghe Fălcaru ("Fluierici"): flute, double bass; born 1954; died September 2016 (age 62)
Ionică Tănase: cimbalom
Constantin Sandu ("Dinu"): cimbalom, vocals
Florea Pârvan: double bass
Marin Sandu ("Țagoe"): accordion
Paul Guiclea ("Pașalan"): voice, violin; born 28.01.1932; died September 13, 2018 (age 86)
Marin Manole ("Marius"): accordion
Constantin Lăutaru ("Costică Boieru"): violin, voice; born 26.09.1956; died 07.12.2021 (age 65)
Gypsy music is music of the Roma (Romani or Gypsy) people. It should be noted that the word ‘gypsy' often has a negative connotation, and the Romani people would never use this term to refer to themselves. Therefore it is preferable to refer to them as they refer to themselves, as ‘Roma'. (Please see this website, The Voice of Roma, for a much more thorough discussion of this topic)
The Roma are a diverse ethnic group originating from the Indian plateau and spreading throughout the Near-East, Europe and North Africa on a journey that has lasted at least 1500 years maybe much longer. They have been known by many names in the various lands they have inhabited such as Tsigane, Zigeuner, Gitano, Bohemian, Egyptian, Gypsie, gipsy and of course, gypsy.
Along their long journey, they have come to embody a certain mystique of wandering people, adept as entertainers and tradesman, but most famously trained as musicians. Along the thousands of years they have journeyed since leaving the Indian plateau, they have learned and assimilated the musical styles of every culture they have come in contact with. Because the Romani people have lived and played in such diverse lands as India, Spain, Turkey, North Africa, the Middle East and all over Europe, it is difficult to come to a singular definition of what gypsy music is.
In many ways the Roma people have acted as repositories of endangered music, preserving art and traditions that would otherwise have been lost. Even more amazing is the fact that they have been extremely successful at preserving their own unique culture and legacy while absorbing the influences of those around them.
Here is a list of some of the most important Roma musicians and bands:
• Django Reinhardt • Taraf de Haidouks • Camaron de la Isla • Paco de Lucia • Ivo Papazov • Gypsy Kings • Boban Markovic • Yuri Yunakov • The Rosenberg Trio • Jimmy Rosenberg • Birelli Lagrene • Esma Redzepova • Fanfare Ciocarlia
The lăutari who perform at traditional Romanian weddings are virtually all Roma, although their music draws from a vast variety of ethnic traditions — for example Romanian, Turkish, Jewish, and Slavic — as well as Romani traditions. Probably the most internationally prominent contemporary performer in the lăutari tradition is Taraful Haiducilor. Zdob şi Zdub, one of the most prominent rock bands in Moldova, although not Romani themselves, draw heavily on Roman music, as do Spitalul de Urgenţă in Romania.
Flamenco music and dance came from the Romani in Spain; the distinctive sound of Romani music has also strongly influenced bolero, jazz, klezmer and Cante Jondo in Europe. European-style Gypsy jazz is still widely practised among the original creators (the Romani People); one who acknowledged this artistic debt was Django Reinhardt.
Classical music: Romani music is very important in Eastern European cultures such as Hungary, Russia, and Romania, and the style and performance practices of Romani musicians have influenced European classical composers such as Franz Liszt and Johannes Brahms. Many famous classical musicians, such as the Hungarian pianist Georges Cziffra, are Romani. Taraf de Haïdouks (Romanian: Taraful Haiducilor, "Taraf of Haiduks") are a taraf, i.e., a troupe of Romani-Romanian lăutari from the town of Clejani, the most prominent such group in Romania in the post-Communist Era. In the Western world it has become known by way of French-speaking areas, where they are known as "Taraf de Haïdouks". The lăutari of Clejani were long known for their musical skills. The first recordings by ethnomusicologists in the village were made in the interwar period. Speranţa Radulescu also made recordings in Clejani in 1983 for the archive of "The Institute for Ethnography and Folklore". The recordings were made in various configurations. During the Communist era, many lăutari from Clejani were also employed in the national ensembles that played Romanian popular music. Early contacts in the West included Swiss ethnomusicologist Laurent Aubert and Belgian musicians Stéphane Karo and Michel Winter, two fans who were so taken by the band's music that they turned into managers, brought the newly named "Taraf de Haïdouks" to Western Europe and helped launch their international career. Since the release of its first album back in 1991, Taraf de Haïdouks has been considered the epitome of Romany music's vitality. The group has toured worldwide, released acclaimed albums and a DVD (see below), and counts among its fans the late Yehudi Menuhin, the Kronos Quartet (with whom it has recorded and performed), actor Johnny Depp (alongside whom the group appeared in the film The Man Who Cried), fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto (who invited the band to be models-cum-musicians for his Paris and Tokyo shows), and many more. Meanwhile, the band members seem to have been relatively unaffected by all this, maintaining their way of life (they still reside in Clejani, in the Valachian countryside). The band's latest release is the Maskarada album, in which they reinterpret and "re-gypsify" pieces by 20th-century classical composers (such as Bartók, Khachaturian and others) who drew inspiration from national folklore and often borrowed from Roma styles.
