Ionică Minune
Encyclopedia
Ionică Minune is a Romani-Romanian
accordion
ist. He is one of the most respected accordionists in the world and is widely considered the greatest accordionist by fellow lăutari
.
, Romania
into a family of lăutari. The members of his family played different instruments and they used to be booked together as one taraf
(band) at various events in the village. At the age of four, Ionică took his older brother accordion and play an waltz by ear without any kind of training. Since then he continued to play and practice, mostly for his own pleasure, as he didn't want to become a professional musician.
As a teenager, Ionică dreamed to become a policeman, but, when his father become ill, he started to play professionally in order to help his family. He became quickly one of the most famous accordionists and before he turned twenty he played only with masters of the lăutareasca music. Since 1979, he also started to tour abroad in countries such as: Italy
, France
, Spain
, Germany
, Japan
and Malaysia.
In the early 90's he moved to France where he become one of the most appreciated accordionists. There, besides lăutareasca music, he started to play jazz
, manouche jazz
, as well as other kinds of music. Despite living a good life (he received French citizenship and an apartment) he didn't felt very comfortable in France and returned to Romania in 2006. There, he started an accordion school together with the accordionist Constantin "Fulgerică" and the cimbalom player Cristinel Turturică (a former member of Taraf de Haïdouks).
Through his career, besides many great lăutari, Ionică Minune played with many world wide known artists such as Bobby McFerrin
, Oscar Peterson
, Michel Petrucciani
, Richard Galliano
, Marcel Azzola
, Didier Lockwood
and Florin Niculescu
.
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
ist. He is one of the most respected accordionists in the world and is widely considered the greatest accordionist by fellow lăutari
Lautari
The Romanian word Lăutar denotes a class of traditional musicians. Most often, and by tradition, Lăutari are members of a professional clan of Romani musicians , also called Ţigani lăutari. The term is derived from Lăută the name of a string instrument...
.
Life and career
Ionică Minune (whose real name is Ene Gheorghe) was born in Costeşti, Buzău CountyBuzau County
Buzău is a county of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with the capital city at Buzău.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 496,214 and the population density was 81/km².*Romanians – 97%*Roma – under 3% declared, and others....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
into a family of lăutari. The members of his family played different instruments and they used to be booked together as one taraf
Taraf (musical band)
Taraf is a kind of Romanian and Moldovan lăutărească music band....
(band) at various events in the village. At the age of four, Ionică took his older brother accordion and play an waltz by ear without any kind of training. Since then he continued to play and practice, mostly for his own pleasure, as he didn't want to become a professional musician.
As a teenager, Ionică dreamed to become a policeman, but, when his father become ill, he started to play professionally in order to help his family. He became quickly one of the most famous accordionists and before he turned twenty he played only with masters of the lăutareasca music. Since 1979, he also started to tour abroad in countries such as: Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Malaysia.
In the early 90's he moved to France where he become one of the most appreciated accordionists. There, besides lăutareasca music, he started to play jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, manouche jazz
Gypsy jazz
Gypsy jazz is an idiom often said to have been started by guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt in the 1930s. Because its origins are largely in France it is often called by the French name, "Jazz manouche," or alternatively, "manouche jazz," even in English language sources...
, as well as other kinds of music. Despite living a good life (he received French citizenship and an apartment) he didn't felt very comfortable in France and returned to Romania in 2006. There, he started an accordion school together with the accordionist Constantin "Fulgerică" and the cimbalom player Cristinel Turturică (a former member of Taraf de Haïdouks).
Through his career, besides many great lăutari, Ionică Minune played with many world wide known artists such as Bobby McFerrin
Bobby McFerrin
Robert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is an American vocalist and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.-Life:...
, Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
, Michel Petrucciani
Michel Petrucciani
Michel Petrucciani was a French jazz pianist.-Biography:...
, Richard Galliano
Richard Galliano
Richard Galliano is a French accordionist.-Biography:He was drawn to music at an early age, starting with the accordion at 4, influenced by his father Lucien, an accordionist originally from Italy, living in Nice.After a long and intense period of study Richard Galliano (born December 12, 1950,...
, Marcel Azzola
Marcel Azzola
Marcel Azzola is a French accordionist. During his career he has accompanied many of the most famous French singers of his era, including Boris Vian, Édith Piaf, Tino Rossi, Yves Montand, Juliette Gréco, Jean Sablon, Francis Lemarque, Gilbert Bécaud, and notably Jacques Brel Marcel Azzola (born...
, Didier Lockwood
Didier Lockwood
Didier Lockwood is a French jazz violinist. He played in the progressive rock/jazz fusion band Magma in the 1970s and is known for his use of electric amplification and experimentation on different sounds on the electric violin....
and Florin Niculescu
Florin Niculescu
Florin Niculescu is a Romanian violinist of Romani ethnicity. He is considered to be the best jazz manouche violinist of our days, the successor of Stéphane Grappelli...
.
Trivia
- He was nicknamed Ionică Minune (meaning Johnny the Wonder) by the great cimbalom player Toni IordacheToni IordacheToni Iordache was a Romani-Romanian lăutar and one of the most famous cimbalom players in the world. He was nicknamed the God of the Cimbalom and Paganini of the cimbalom.-Early life:...
. Adrian Minune took his own stage name in the honor of Ionică Minune. - Ionică Minune is known to have a passion for high class suitSuit (clothing)In clothing, a suit is a set of garments made from the same cloth, consisting of at least a jacket and trousers. Lounge suits are the most common style of Western suit, originating in the United Kingdom as country wear...
s, shoeShoeA shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function...
s, beltBelt (clothing)A belt is a flexible band or strap, typically made of leather or heavy cloth, and worn around the waist. A belt supports trousers or other articles of clothing.-History:...
s, watchWatchA watch is a small timepiece, typically worn either on the wrist or attached on a chain and carried in a pocket, with wristwatches being the most common type of watch used today. They evolved in the 17th century from spring powered clocks, which appeared in the 15th century. The first watches were...
es, perfumePerfumePerfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
s, etc. While on a tour in Japan he bought over two tons of these. - While in France, he played for many famous people such as presidents François MitterrandFrançois MitterrandFrançois Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
and Jacques ChiracJacques ChiracJacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
, prime-minister Lionel JospinLionel JospinLionel Jospin is a French politician, who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002.Jospin was the Socialist Party candidate for President of France in the elections of 1995 and 2002. He was narrowly defeated in the final runoff election by Jacques Chirac in 1995...
and football player Zinedine ZidaneZinedine ZidaneZinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
. - When he was four years, dictator Nicolae CeauşescuNicolae CeausescuNicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
, who was on a visit to Costeşti, hold Ionică in his arms, as he was the smallest player in the local orchestra. - He a friend of Youri DjorkaeffYouri DjorkaeffYouri Raffi Djorkaeff is a former French international footballer who played as a forward or as an attacking midfielder. With the French national team, Djorkaeff won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000...
.