Johnny Răducanu
Johnny Răducanu ( born December 1, 1931 in Brăila, † 19 September 2011 in Bucharest ) was a Romanian musician of modern jazz ( double bass, piano, arrangement, composition).
Life and work
Răducanu came from a Roma family whose musical tradition can be traced back to the 17th century. Since the age of eight he began piano lessons and received ten years due to its ability for an apprenticeship at the music school in his hometown. From 1949 to 1953 he studied at the conservatory in Cluj bass; He finished his studies at the Conservatory of Bucharest, where he attended the master class of Josef Prunner. During this time he played in several bands as a bass player, with János Kőrössy and Electrocord Orchestra ( the studio band of the state record label Electrocord ). With this orchestra he takes part in the 1962 World Youth Games in Moscow, where he performed in 1957 with a trio and was awarded a gold medal. In 1966, he played a one of the first Romanian jazz records: jazz trio. In the next few years he also appeared in Warsaw and Prague. He belonged to the free-jazz trio of Guido Manusardi and was involved in the recording of the album Blues For Vali. In 1969 he gave concerts in East Berlin with the Freetet by Richard Oschanitzky. On the jazz festivals of Ploieşti (1969 to 1971) and Sibiu ( 1974-1976 ) he performed with various bands and earned a reputation as the best Romanian jazz bassist. He also played with internationally renowned musicians such as Art Farmer, Slide Hampton and Friedrich Gulda.
In 1977, he went to the piano and increasingly as a soloist. He also composed music for the movie ( Muşchetarii în vacanta ). In 1984 he was asked by the communist regime in Tescani under house arrest, what his composition " Tescani '84 " recalls. In 1999 he recorded the album - to " jazz over the Carpathians Johnny Raducanu meets Theodora Enache ". In 2005 he played in Paris the solo album Jazz Bestament.
Răducanu was the president of the Romanian Jazz Federation. He is considered the doyen of Romanian jazz; Duke Ellington called him Mr. Jazz of Romania. In 2002 he published his autobiography Loneliness ... my job ( Regent House Printing & Publishing, 2002).
Prizes and awards
1987 Răducanu was appointed on the occasion of a visit to the U.S. as an honorary member of the Louis Armstrong Academy in New Orleans. 2005 him the Romanian Composers' Union stood out with its excellence price.
Disco Graphical Notes
- Confessions II ( 1982)
- Jazz Chamber Music ( 2008)