Taraf de Haïdouks

Taraf de Ha?douks的艺人档案

by Craig Harris
The ancient musical traditions of the lautari gypsies of Romania are extended through the unique performances of Taraf de Ha?douks, a band of twelve instrumentalists and singers aged twenty to seventy eight. In addition to recording four memorable albums of traditional tunes, the group has appeared on television with Yehudi Menuhin and has recorded and performed with Swiss pop star Stephan Eicher. The music of Taraf de Ha?douks was featured in Tony Gartlifs award-winning film, Latcho Drom. According to David Harrington of Kronos Quartet, Taraf de Ha?douks take their listeners to the essence of music; that place where the bow meets the string and a world of action follows. Taraf de Ha?douks, who take their name from the Haidouks, Robin Hood-like thieves who are recalled in many of the groups ballads, hail from the small Romanian vollage of Clejani, southwest of Bucharest. The group stuck close to their home village until being discovered by Stephen Karo and Michael Winter, two Belgian music fans who became enchanted with Taraf de Ha?douks music during a trip to Romania in 1990. In addition to organizing several concerts for the band in Belgium, Karo and Winter brought them to the attention of world music record label, Crammed Discs. After performing to an enthusiastic crowd at the WOMAD festival in 1991, Taraf de Ha?douks released their debut album, Musique Des Tsiganes De Roumanie. The album reached the top slot on Europes world music charts and introduced the bands music to a global audience. Taraf de Ha?douks second album, Honourable Brigands, Magic Horses And Evil Eyes, released in 1994, was voted Best World Music Album by the German Critics Association. The group continued their success with Dumbala Dumba, released in 1998, which featured appearances by such guests as Rosioru, a master of Valachian Gypsy crooners, Viorica Rudareasa, a renown Romanian female vocalist, and Napoleon, a member of the Urasi, a Romanian bear trainer caste. Taraf de Ha?douks self-titled fourth album was released in 1999. A documentary video of Taraf de Ha?douks was filmed by French director Guy Demoy in 1998.