Taraf de Haidouks

Taraf de Haidouks (Romanian: Taraful Haiducilor, "Taraf of Haiduks") are a taraf, i.e., a troupe of Romani-Romanian lіutari from the town of Clejani, the most prominent such group in Romania in the post-Communist Era. In the Western world it it has become known by way of French-speaking areas, where they are known as "Taraf de Haџdouks".

The lіutari of Clejani were long known for their musical skills. The first recordings by ethnomusicologists in the village were made in the interwar period. Sperana 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 lіutari 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 St™phane 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 Haџdouks" to Western Europe and helped launch their international career.

Since the release of its first album back in 1991, Taraf de Haџdouks 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 Bartok, Khachaturian and others) who drew inspiration from national folklore and often borrowed from Roma styles.

~Members
Some of the core members of the group:
Nicolae Neacu ("Culai"): violin and vocals; died December 2002
Dumitru Baicu ("Cacuricі"): cimbalom; died September 2007
Ilie Iorga: vocals; actually from M’rі near Clejani
Ion Manole ("aicі" or "Boorogu"): violin, vocals
Gheorghe Anghel ("Caliu"): violin
Gheorghe Fіlcaru ("Fluierici"): flute, double bass
Ionica Tanase: cimbalom
Constantin Sandu ("Dinu"): cimbalom, vocals
Florea P’rvan: double bass
Marin Sandu ("agoe"): double bass
Paul Guiclea ("Pasalan"): voice, violin
Marin Manole ("Marius"): accordion
Constantin Lautaru ("Costica Boieru"): violin, voice
Viorel Vlad: double bass
Robert Gheorghe: violin



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