Zmei Trei

Back in the 90’s, Ioan Constantin (call him Nelu) was working the night shift in the elevator at Bucharest’s most famous club. What else could he do? Communism had fallen, the factory had closed, the public didn’t care anymore about his music.

As Mihai (guitar) was once there, he couldn’t guess that this old guy doing the night shift in the elevator was the best harmonica player in Eastern Europe, perhaps one of the best in the world. A

FORGOTTEN

genius, playing since more than 50 years, expert from classical music to Romanian folklore, with a range from extreme virtuosity to extreme sensitivity. In the 60s and 70s he used to play as lead soloist with major folklore ensembles, and recorded two LPs which stand even today for the ultimate art of harmonica playing.

“I was born on 23 April 1948 in Bucharest, in a humble family of workers. We lived in a yard with several other families. In the summer, on a huge stone in front of our door, neighbours used to gather and played music. One had a harmonica, another a drum. One day, in the Christmas eve, my father asked me what do I wish. I instantly said a harmonica. That night I couldn’t sleep at all, spying on my dad’s every move. At midnight I saw him hanging in the tree two shiny little objects. I couldn’t resist anymore, woke up and took one of the harmonicas. My dad took the other, and started to play softly a few old songs. He was drunk and happy – probably, apart from the talent, I inherited this from him too. I went asleep with the harmonica under my pillow, and didn’t leave it ever since.”

Nelu never studied music. He just took the harmonica as a kid and began to play. He started imitating the great masters of folklore, especialy the gypsy accordion master Marcel Budala. As those masters played extremely virtuoso lines on violin or accordion, Nelu had to keep up this pace with the harmonica, where such speed is much more difficult to achieve. But he did it, and developed a style where the virtuosity doesn’t have secrets anymore. He also learned notation and harmony alone, is able to arrange, transpose and can play the same thing immediately in any key.

Now it’s your turn to rediscover all this mastery.

	THE DAUGHTER OF A TRANSYLVANIAN PRIEST THE OLD MAN IN THE ELEVATOR THE FORMER LAWYER THE MAN WITH THE MOUSTACHE THE GERMAN EXPERT	Back in the 90’s, Ioan Constantin (call him Nelu) was working the night shift in the elevator at Bucharest’s most famous club. What else could he do? Communism had fallen, the factory had closed, the public didn’t care anymore about his music. As Mihai (guitar) was once there, he couldn’t guess that this old guy doing the night shift in the elevator was the best harmonica player in Eastern Europe, perhaps one of the best in the world. A FORGOTTEN genius, playing since more than 50 years, expert from classical music to Romanian folklore, with a range from extreme virtuosity to extreme sensitivity. In the 60s and 70s he used to play as lead soloist with major folklore ensembles, and recorded two LPs which stand even today for the ultimate art of harmonica playing. “I was born on 23 April 1948 in Bucharest, in a humble family of workers. We lived in a yard with several other families. In the summer, on a huge stone in front of our door, neighbours used to gather and played music. One had a harmonica, another a drum. One day, in the Christmas eve, my father asked me what do I wish. I instantly said a harmonica. That night I couldn’t sleep at all, spying on my dad’s every move. At midnight I saw him hanging in the tree two shiny little objects. I couldn’t resist anymore, woke up and took one of the harmonicas. My dad took the other, and started to play softly a few old songs. He was drunk and happy – probably, apart from the talent, I inherited this from him too. I went asleep with the harmonica under my pillow, and didn’t leave it ever since.” Nelu never studied music. He just took the harmonica as a kid and began to play. He started imitating the great masters of folklore, especialy the gypsy accordion master Marcel Budala. As those masters played extremely virtuoso lines on violin or accordion, Nelu had to keep up this pace with the harmonica, where such speed is much more difficult to achieve. But he did it, and developed a style where the virtuosity doesn’t have secrets anymore. He also learned notation and harmony alone, is able to arrange, transpose and can play the same thing immediately in any key. Now it’s your turn to rediscover all this mastery.