Fanfare Shukar
Situated on barren land, perpetually threatened by drought or flooding, far away from the modern world, the village of Zece Prăjini has survived through a miracle. It is almost as miraculous that its Gypsy inhabitants living from hand to mouth are honest, hard-working, friendly and unyielding before life's hardships. They live in numerous close-knit families among neighbours who are often also relatives. They all speak Romany (Gypsy language]) the Romanians who settled in the village by marriage included. Music making is the main source of financial income for many families in the village.
There are no less than five brass bands in the village. All of
them perform at weddings, funerals, christenings, village feasts
and fairs in the surroundings. From time to time, some of them
also play outside Romania. These recent years of transition to
capitalism have hit the inhabitants of Zece Prăjini hard: the
factories in the nearest town have shut down or reduced their
personnel, men lost their jobs. Women do not earn money - their
traditional responsibility is to raise children, cook, and tend
to the vegetable garden and animals; there are no jobs for them
anyway. But music helps them get by, with families, their small
property, the poultry and other animals in the courtyard.
Costică Panțiru and 9 of his relatives (brothers, sons,
sons-in-law…) form the Fanfara Sukar (Sukar Brass Band). Costică
is one of Romania's best known brass band leaders. He can play
all the instruments of the band, which allows him to imagine and
arrange all kind of tunes for his ensemble. One never knows
where the traditional repertoire stops and when his own fantasy
begins, since Costică's "inventions" often carry on the
attributes of the older local style. The skill fullness and
creativity of Fanfara Sukar is renewed in Romania, but also
abroad. The band has visited several festivals in Western Europe
since 1989. More recently, from 2006 to 2009, it has toured with
the “Battuta” show of the Zingaro Theatre, all around the world.
Meanwhile, the Sukars carefully preserve their link with the
musical life of Zece Prăjini and its surroundings. When they are
at home, they keep performing and inventing new arrangements,
for the Gypsies and Romanians of the villages and small towns
nearby.
