Mihai Iordache
Encyclopedia
Mihai Iordache, born March 13, 1967 is a Romanian
saxophonist, improviser, composer
and band leader . Currently he is the saxophone player for the Romanian alternative rock
band Kumm
and leads his own jazz band "iordache".
, Romania
Iordache began playing saxophone in 1990 under the influence of Charlie Parker
, Lee Konitz
and Ornette Coleman
.
His first professional break was playing a solo on a tune recorded by Timpuri Noi
. In 1993 he joined Harry Tavitian
's Blues Community for a brief period of time. Later that year, prompted by friend and lyricist
Florin Dumitrescu he formed a punk rock
group called Sarmalele Reci
.
In 1999 he left the band and started working with pianist Lucian Ban
, Vlaicu Golcea's Rebop Factory and Harry Tavitian
's Orient Express.
Since 2001 he began writing his own music and released two albums as a leader: Friday - featuring Tom Smith in 2003 and dissipatin' in 2005. He also started using "iordache" as a stage name.
He describes his style as "Free funk
".
Inspired by the DIY aesthetic of artists such as Sun Ra
and Eugene Chadbourne
he produced a series of homemade records, documenting his live performances.
Since 2003 he joined alternative rock
band Kumm
.
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
saxophonist, improviser, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and band leader . Currently he is the saxophone player for the Romanian alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Kumm
Kumm (band)
Kumm are a Romanian alternative rock band formed in Cluj in 1997. The band currently consist of Cătălin Mocan , Eugen "Oigăn" Nuţescu , Kovács András , Mihai Iordache , Uțu Pascu and John Ciurea...
and leads his own jazz band "iordache".
Biography
Born in BucharestBucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, 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...
Iordache began playing saxophone in 1990 under the influence of Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
, Lee Konitz
Lee Konitz
Lee Konitz is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings...
and Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
.
His first professional break was playing a solo on a tune recorded by Timpuri Noi
Timpuri Noi
-History:Timpuri Noi was formed in 1980, and remained an underground act up to 1991. This was mainly due to what was perceived as "subversive lyrical content" in the Ceauşescu era. Incidentally, the name derives from a cliché of the period: its literal meaning is "New Times" , used to signify...
. In 1993 he joined Harry Tavitian
Harry Tavitian
Harry Tavitian is a Romanian jazz pianist and singer, whose style covers free-jazz, blues, ethno-jazz and avant-garde. He plays piano solo, as well as with Orient Express septet and with Black Sea Orchestra...
's Blues Community for a brief period of time. Later that year, prompted by friend and lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
Florin Dumitrescu he formed a punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
group called Sarmalele Reci
Sarmalele Reci
Sarmalele Reci is a Romanian rock band that was formed in 1993 in Bucharest.-History:The group was formed by Florin Dumitrescu in 1993...
.
In 1999 he left the band and started working with pianist Lucian Ban
Lucian Ban
-Biography:Raised in the tiny farming village of Teaca, , Ban grew up listening to folk songs performed at weddings, birthdays, holidays and other celebrations....
, Vlaicu Golcea's Rebop Factory and Harry Tavitian
Harry Tavitian
Harry Tavitian is a Romanian jazz pianist and singer, whose style covers free-jazz, blues, ethno-jazz and avant-garde. He plays piano solo, as well as with Orient Express septet and with Black Sea Orchestra...
's Orient Express.
Since 2001 he began writing his own music and released two albums as a leader: Friday - featuring Tom Smith in 2003 and dissipatin' in 2005. He also started using "iordache" as a stage name.
He describes his style as "Free funk
Free funk
Free funk is a term that Allmusic and writer Scott Yanow use to describe a combination of avant-garde jazz with funk music that developed in the 1970s. Leaders of the genre include Ornette Coleman and his Prime Time group, Ronald Shannon Jackson and his group Decoding Society, Jamaaladeen Tacuma...
".
Inspired by the DIY aesthetic of artists such as Sun Ra
Sun Ra
Sun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
and Eugene Chadbourne
Eugene Chadbourne
Eugene Chadbourne is an American improvisor, guitarist and banjoist. Highly eclectic and unconventional, Chadbourne's most formative influence is free jazz. He has also been a reviewer for Allmusic and a contributor to Maximum RocknRoll.Chadbourne started out playing rock and roll guitar, but...
he produced a series of homemade records, documenting his live performances.
Since 2003 he joined alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Kumm
Kumm (band)
Kumm are a Romanian alternative rock band formed in Cluj in 1997. The band currently consist of Cătălin Mocan , Eugen "Oigăn" Nuţescu , Kovács András , Mihai Iordache , Uțu Pascu and John Ciurea...
.
Discography
- 1995 - Ţara te vrea prost with Sarmalele ReciSarmalele ReciSarmalele Reci is a Romanian rock band that was formed in 1993 in Bucharest.-History:The group was formed by Florin Dumitrescu in 1993...
- 1996 - Aurolac with Sarmalele Reci
- 1998 - Bucate Alese with Sarmalele Reci
- 1999 - Răpirea din Serai with Sarmalele Reci
- 1999 - Axis Mundi with Harry TavitianHarry TavitianHarry Tavitian is a Romanian jazz pianist and singer, whose style covers free-jazz, blues, ethno-jazz and avant-garde. He plays piano solo, as well as with Orient Express septet and with Black Sea Orchestra...
/Orient Express - 2001 - Maniac with Sarmalele Reci
- 2002 - Absurdistan with Ada Milea
- 2003 - Friday - featuring Tom Smith
- 2003 - Yellow Fever with KummKumm (band)Kumm are a Romanian alternative rock band formed in Cluj in 1997. The band currently consist of Cătălin Mocan , Eugen "Oigăn" Nuţescu , Kovács András , Mihai Iordache , Uțu Pascu and John Ciurea...
- 2005 - dissipatin'
- 2005 - Angels and Clowns with Kumm
- 2005 - Different Parties with Kumm
- 2006 - Balcaz with Harry TavitianHarry TavitianHarry Tavitian is a Romanian jazz pianist and singer, whose style covers free-jazz, blues, ethno-jazz and avant-garde. He plays piano solo, as well as with Orient Express septet and with Black Sea Orchestra...
- 2007 - hesitations (2 CDs)
- 2007 - cheap fun (2 CDs)
- 2007 - naked saxophone
- 2007 - the lazy prince
- 2009 - Far From Telescopes with Kumm