INSIGHT Tarom

WHen sAxes ecHo
in tHe mountAins
imPorTanT Jazz arTiSTS GaTHer everY Summer
For THe laST 14 YearS To PerForm aT
Gărâna FeSTival, in a meaDoW in Semenic
mounTainS. THiS Year, THe ToP oF THe Bill
Will Be Béla Fleck, THe arTiST WiTH THe
moST DiverSe GrammY nominaTionS.
G
ive up half-shade
bars where jazz is
usually performed
for Poiana lupului (Wolf’s
meadow). Set camp in glades
packed with multicolored
tents, have a seat on a firtree
log that serves as a
bench and join the
thousands of people who
listen to jazz tunes till dawn.
You will thus enjoy an
ordinary evening at Gărâna
festival. The small village, 150
kilometers from Timişoara – a
Tarom destination, is
already an important point
on jazz artists’ agenda. This
year’s edition will bring on
stage Béla Fleck, deemed the
world’s most important
banjo player and winner of 11
Grammys. The festival line-up
includes other famous
names, such as Poland’s
marcin Wasilewski Trio,
believed to be the most
valuable jazz band in
southeastern europe, Djabe,
the most important jazzfusion
band in Hungary,
which attracted critics’
attention with their elements
of jazz combined with
traditional Hungarian
rhythms, and Switzerland’s
elina Duni Quartet, which will
play european folk songs
adapted to jazz tunes. The
story of the festival is at least
as interesting as the artistic
performances. a small annual
show that ten years ago was
only staged for a group of
connoisseurs in the backyard
of la răscruce (crossroad)
inn, soon became one of the
most important jazz music
events in the country. The
festival of Gărâna quickly
grew in size and importance
and its fame spread from one
music passionate to another,
gradually reaching more and
more jazz lovers. The
concerts also moved to one
of Gărâna’s meadows and last
year, more than 10,000
people from all over europe
came to Semenic mountains
to enjoy some good music
and a unique mood.