Toni Iordache
Toni Iordache (17 December 1942 – February 1988) was a Romani-Romanian "lăutar" and one of the most famous "cimbalom" (Romanian: "ţambal") players in the world. He was nicknamed "the God of the Cimbalom" and "Paganini of the cimbalom". Early life. Toni was born in Bâldana village, near Bucharest, and began learning the instrument from his father when he was four. Some years later his family would move to Bucharest in the Herăstrău neighborhood, where many famous "lăutari" lived. There, Toni continued to learn from Mitică Ciuciu, who was a famous cimbalom player in his days. Career. At 12 , he was employed at the National Radio Orchestra of Popular Music. Later he became a member of the Ciocârlia National Ensemble, the primary popular ensemble in the country. With the Ciocârlia Ensemble, Toni Iordache toured the world: many European countries, the USA and also Asian countries. In between tours, he would play at weddings, being the most sought after "lăutar" of his day. Often, after landing at the airport he would drive directly to a wedding where the other musicians were waiting for him. He won two gold medals: in Vienna(1959) and Sofia (1966) and appeared as guest soloist on  Zoltan Kodaly's 'Hary János Suite' performed by the NHK Symphony Orchestra, in Tokyo, in 1973. Among others, he played with Romica Puceanu, Gabi Luncă, Ion Onoriu, Ionică Minune and also with the well-known pan flute ("nai") player Gheorghe Zamfir. Imprisonment. In the early seventies Toni Iordache was arrested for possession of foreign currency, which was strictly forbidden in communist Romania. He reportedly wanted to buy a fur coat for his wife with it. Despite his high popularity and interventions in his favor he was sentenced to three years in jail. His imprisonment was kept undisclosed to the press , only his friends knew. During his time in jail he lost greatly in weight, but he recovered fast after his release and was able to resume his musical activity. His time in jail was made easier by both his fellow inmates and guards that were very fond of him. Death. Toni Iordache became seriously ill with diabetes. The doctors recommended to have his leg amputated, but the operation did not save his life. He died in February 1988. His friend and fellow musician Costel Vasilescu (also known as Costel Trompetistu') took care of the funeral. Style. Although he played a  lot of the "popular" music that was promoted by the communist regime, Toni Iordache remained known among aficionados especially for his work as a "lăutar". His solos were very complex, but also clear and beautiful and his improvisations were full of imagination. He was not only a very virtuoso player (he was measured in Paris to be able to play 25 notes per second), but also a very sophisticated one, with a high emphasis on touch, playing the slow pieces with great sensibility. He was able to play two melodic lines simultaneously at high tempos and knew how to use  the full capacities of the cimbalom.