After more than three decades of relentlessly touring all over the world, the founding members of Taraf de Haidouks came back and started a new project: Taraf de Caliu. The musicians from Clejani are the last generation of lautari that carry on this authentic traditional music from the Southern Romania, the music that made them acclaimed as one of the best gipsy bands in the world. Under the lead of Caliu, the iconic violinist of the taraf, they are on the road again.

Since 1991, the year in which their music began taking on western Europe, the musicians from Clejani have performed all over the world in places as culturally different as possible – Tokyo, Paris, Singapore, New York, Istanbul, London, Los Angeles. If we are to name just a few of their fans and collaborators, we’d go for Yehudi Menuhin, Kronos Quartet (alongside which they produced), Johnny Depp (with whom they starred in “The Man Who Cried”) and Yohji Yamamoto. Under the name of Taraf de Haidouks, the group was awarded in 2002 with BBC World Music prize for Best Group in Europe & Middle East.

Although we are inclined to push forward their recent achievements in the music industry, what makes their performances so powerful is not the last 10 or 20 years in which they were exposed to such diverse cultures, but their own cultural & musical heritage. The group is formed by authentic lautari that have grown and developed around their culture’s music, have performed since they were children and to whom music is life.

They are the last generation of its kind.