Johnny Răducanu - A Great Figure of Romanian Jazz

The very first signs of Romanian jazz music appeared about seventy years ago, when some jazz bands appeared like the ones led by Emil and Mihai Berinde, Theodor Cosma, and Elly Roman. What they were actually trying to do was to sing and play 'live music' on the Bucharest radio station (which was formed in 1928).

They would also play in clubs that were popular at those times, and their music was largely made of what they had heard from imported discs, whereas, other Romanian jazz figures like James Cok, Nicu Vlădescu, George Vintilescu, Take Banescu recorded in Berlin, pieces that could be included in the ragtime and the incipient traditional jazz categories.

These very first steps taken in Romanian jazz music happily coincided with the birth of Johnny Răducanu (1931 - 2011). He is the one who became a symbol of jazz music in Romania. He became popular ever since his academic years of study. He was an excellent contrabass player back then too, and also an amazing improviser.

He collaborated with the best musicians of those times. He also collaborated with the Bucharest Radio Station, and was a member of the Electrecord Orchestra (starting with the year 1960), conducted by Theodor Cosma, and later on by Alexandru Imre.

He was also part of the band led by a pianist named Incsy Korosy, and part of the famous Bucharest Jazz Quintet (starting with 1969) made up of saxophone players like Dan Mandrila, Stefan Berindei, pianist Marius Popp, drum player Eugen Gondi.

This was a band which performed a lot of concerts and made a lot of records. He won the gold medal in the International Youth Jazz Festival in Moscow, in 1962, and also took part in the Warsaw and Prague International Jazz Festivals (in 1968).

In the spring of 1987, Johnny Răducanu was invited to the US. He spent three months there, taking part in academic conferences, giving recitals, meeting great performers of jazz music, but also people from the educational field, and in general those who promoted jazz music.

He thus had the opportunity to share plenty of information regarding the situation of jazz music in Romania. In that year, Romania was still under Communism, yet many people greatly enjoyed this musical genre.

He also appeared live on two radio shows, which lasted one hour each, made by the celebrated jazz editor Willis Conover for the Voice of America Radio. The American Leonard Feather used to call Johnny Răducanu 'Mr. Jazz of Romania'.

This popular musician enjoyed plenty of recognition during his long career (over half of century).

During a special ceremony which took place on June 28, 1977, the US Ambassador in Bucharest, Harry G. Barnes Jr., gave Mr. Răducanu a Certificate of Appreciation, in which he was esteemed as the most significant promoter of Romanian jazz music in America, and of American jazz music in Romania.

Apart from the numerous awards and distinctions awarded to him by several magazines, he became a Citizen of Honor in his hometown Braila, on October 25, 1997.

In spite of his age, the master still composed, ceaselessly marking his presence in music as a pianist and leader of a band, giving weekly performances in clubs, being frequently invited at festivals both in Romania and abroad (Italy, Switzerland, and USA).