Editing Gheorghe Zamfir

{{Short description|Romanian pan flute musician}}
{{BLP sources|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
|name              = Gheorghe Zamfir
|image             = Gheorghe Zamfir10.jpg
|caption           = Zamfir in 2008
|background        = non_vocal_instrumentalist
|birth_name        = Gheorghe Zamfir
|alias             = Master of the Pan Flute
|birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1941|4|6}}
|birth_place       = [[Găești]], [[Romania]]
|origin            = 
|instrument        = [[Pan flute]]
|genre       =[[Romanian popular music]]<br />[[Instrumental music|Instrumental]] [[Classical music|Classic]]<br />[[Easy listening]]
|occupation        = Musician, Songwriter, Music teacher
|years_active      = 1960–present
|label             = [[Philips Records|Philips]], [[Mercury Records|Mercury]]
|associated_acts   = 
|website           = {{URL|https://gheorghezamfir.ro/}}
}}

'''Gheorghe Zamfir''' ({{IPA|ro|ˈɡe̯orɡe zamˈfir|-|Ro-Gheorghe Zamfir.ogg}}; born April 6, 1941) is a [[Romanian people|Romanian]] [[Nai (pan flute)|nai]] (pan flute) musician.

Zamfir is known for playing an expanded version of normally 20-pipe nai, with 22, 25, 28 or even 30 pipes, to increase its range, and obtaining as many as eight [[overtones]] (additional to the fundamental tone) from each pipe by changing his [[embouchure]]. He is known as "The Master of the Pan Flute".<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://music.apple.com/au/artist/gheorghe-zamfir/344945 |title= Gheorghe Zamfir |website= music.apple.com| publisher= Apple Music |access-date=2021-05-12 |archive-url= |archive-date= }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/who-was-gheorghe-zamfir-what-did-he-contribute-468870|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070919005613/http://www.enotes.com/contemporary-musicians/zamfir-gheorghe-biography/print|url-status=dead|title=Who is Gheorghe Zamfir, and what has he contributed to music?|archive-date=September 19, 2007|website=Enotes.com|access-date=1 October 2019}}</ref>

==Career==
Zamfir came to the public eye when he was approached by Swiss [[ethnomusicologist]] [[Marcel Cellier]], who extensively researched Romanian [[folk music]] in the 1960s.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor-first=Colin |editor-last= Larkin |editor-link= Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=1291}}</ref> The composer [[Vladimir Cosma]] brought Zamfir with his pan flute to Western European countries for the first time in 1972 as the soloist in Cosma's original music for the movie ''[[The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe|Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire]]''. The movie received several awards, including the ''Top Foreign Film'' from the [[National Board of Review]] in 1973.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe (1972) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068655/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt |website=IMDB |access-date=May 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514171756/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068655/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt |archive-date=May 14, 2020}}</ref> Zamfir continued to perform as a soloist in movie soundtracks by composers [[Francis Lai]], [[Ennio Morricone]] and many others. Largely through [[television commercial]]s where he was billed as "Zamfir, Master of the Pan Flute", he introduced the folk instrument to a modern audience and revived it from obscurity.

In 1966, Zamfir was appointed conductor of the "Ciocîrlia Orchestra", one of the most prestigious state ensembles of Romania, destined for concert tours abroad. This created the opportunity for composition and arranging. In 1969 he left Ciocîrlia and started his own ''[[taraf (musical band)|taraf]]'' (small band) and in 1970 he had his first longer-term contract in Paris. Zamfir discovered the much greater freedom for artistic adventure. His taraf consisted of: Ion Drăgoi (violin), Ion Lăceanu (flutes), Dumitru Fărcaș ([[tarogato]]), Petre Vidrean (double bass) and Tony Iordache ([[cymbalom]]) all number one soloists in their country.  This taraf made some excellent recordings (CD Zamfir a Paris).{{citation needed|date=July 2014}} He changed the composition of the band soon after: Efta Botoca (violin), Marin Chisar (flutes), Dorin Ciobaru and Pavel Cebzan (clarinet and tarogato), Vasile Pandelescu (accordion), Petre Vidrean (bass) and Pantelimon Stînga (cymbalom). It is said that this change was made to increase the command of Zamfir and have more artistic freedom.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}  A turning point was the recording of Zamfir's composition "Messe pour la Paix" (Philips).{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}  His taraf joined a choir and a symphonic orchestra. This was evidence of the growing ambition.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}  While the Philips recordings of that time were rather conservative, Zamfir preached revolution in the concert halls with daring performances.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}  In 1977, he recorded "[[The Lonely Shepherd]]" with [[James Last]]. Zamfir put himself on the world map and since then his career became highly varied, hovering over classical repertoire, easy listening and [[pop music]].

Between 1976 and 1983, Zamfir had six albums peak within the Australian top 100 albums charts, with ''The Flutes of Pan'', his best, peaking at number 26 in 1980.<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=346}}</ref>

Zamfir's big break in the English-speaking world came when the [[BBC]] religious television program, ''The Light of Experience'', adopted his recording of "Doina De Jale", a traditional Romanian funeral song, as its theme.<ref name="Larkin"/>  [[Epic Records]] released the tune as a single in 1976, and it climbed to number four on the [[UK Singles chart]].<ref name="Larkin"/>  It would prove to be his only UK hit single, but it helped pave the way for a consistent stream of album sales in Britain. His song "Summer Love" reached number 9 in South Africa in November 1976.<ref>{{Cite web| url= http://rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(Z).html|title=SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Acts (Z)|work= South African Rock Lists | via= rock.co.za|access-date=1 October 2019}}</ref> In 1983, he scored a No. 3 hit on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart with "Blue Navajo," "Senatorial Samba" in honor of his lifelong friend and confidant The Senator,  and several of his albums (including 1982's ''Romance'' and 1983's ''Childhood Dreams'') have charted in Canada as well.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.6218&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=l5mar6d16v3n4thesedivjds82 | magazine= RPM | title= Adult Contemporary | volume= 38| number= 5| date= April 2, 1983 |publisher= Republished online at collectionscanada.gc.ca |access-date=2015-07-29 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160313201557/https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.6218&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=l5mar6d16v3n4thesedivjds82 |archive-date=2016-03-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref> His 1985 album, ''Atlantis'', contained tracks composed by [[Jacques Brel]] and [[Eric Satie]], plus music from films and Zamfir's version of "[[Stranger on the Shore]]".<ref name="Larkin"/>

After nearly a decade-long absence, Zamfir returned to Canada in January 2006 for a seven-city tour with the Traffic Strings quintet.<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.sonart.ro/eng/artisti/rostrings/index.html|title=Traffic Strings - SonArt Artist Management & Records|website=Sonart.ro|access-date=1 October 2019}}</ref> The program included a world premiere of [[Vivaldi's Four Seasons]] for pan flute and string quintet arranged by Lucian Moraru, jazz standards, and well-known favorites.

In 2009, Zamfir was [[sampling (music)|sampled]] by [[Animal Collective]] in the song "Graze" on their EP ''[[Fall Be Kind]]''. In 2012, he performed at the opening ceremony of the 11th Conference of Parties to the [[Ramsar Convention]] at the [[Palace of the Parliament]] in [[Bucharest]], Romania.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://enb.iisd.org/ramsar/cop11/6jul.html|title=IISD RS @ Ramsar COP11, Bucharest, Romania: Highlights for July 6|website=Enb.iisd.org|access-date=1 October 2019}}</ref>

Zamfir played "[[Silent Night]]" at the opening of Concerto di Natale (The Christmas Concert) on 15 December 2018 at the Vatican Aula Jean Paul the II. Concerto di Natale is an international event where artists from all over the world meet for a special concert to raise as much money as possible for charity projects in Africa and poor regions of the world. He performed with Anastacia, the Italian singer Alessandra Amoroso, and the Italian flautist Andrea Griminelli. Zamfir and Andrea Griminelli appeared again to perform “The Lonely Shepherd”.

==Soundtracks==
His first appearance as soloist interpreter in a movie soundtrack was in [[Vladimir Cosma]]'s  1972 ''[[Le grand blond avec une chaussure noire]]'', whose soundtrack became a worldwide hit.

Another of his notable contributions was to the soundtrack of the classic 1975 Australian film ''[[Picnic at Hanging Rock (film)|Picnic at Hanging Rock]]''. His other film scores include ''[[La guerre du pétrole n'aura pas lieu]]'' (1975) and the Moroccan film ''Bodas de Sangre'' (1977).

He was asked by [[Ennio Morricone]] to perform the pieces "Childhood Memories" and "Cockeye's Song" for the soundtrack of [[Sergio Leone]]'s 1984 gangster film ''[[Once Upon a Time in America]]''. His performance can also be heard throughout the 1984 film ''[[The Karate Kid]]'' plus the sequels.

One of Zamfir's most famous pieces is "[[The Lonely Shepherd]]", which was written by [[James Last]] and recorded with the [[James Last Orchestra]], and first included on Last's 1977 album ''Russland Erinnerungen'' (Memories of Russia); it was also released as a single. "The Lonely Shepherd" was used as the theme for the 1979 Australian miniseries ''[[Golden Soak]]''. It was also featured in Ishu Patel's 1984 Oscar-nominated short film Paradise, [[Quentin Tarantino]]'s 2003 film ''[[Kill Bill: Volume 1]]'' and in Nikolas Grasso's 2010 short film ''[[Doina (film)|Doina]]''.

His song "Frunzuliță Lemn Adus Cântec De Nuntă" ("Fluttering Green Leaves Wedding Song") appears in the 1991 [[Studio Ghibli]] film ''[[Only Yesterday (1991 film)|Only Yesterday]]''.

==Personal life==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=November 2010}}
Zamfir was born in [[Găeşti]], [[Romania]], on April 6, 1941. Although initially interested in becoming an accordionist, at the age of 14 he began his pan flute studies with [[Fănică Luca]] at the Special Musical School no. 1 in Bucharest. Later he attended the [[National University of Music Bucharest|Ciprian Porumbescu Conservatory]]. He currently{{When|date=November 2010}} resides and teaches pan flute in [[Bucharest]]. His son, Emmanuel Teodor (who resides in Montreal, Canada), is also a drummer/musician.

==See also==
* [[List of music released by Romanian artists that has charted in major music markets]]

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book| title= Traité Du Naï Roumain: méthode de flûte de pan| language= fr| trans-title= Treatise on Romanian Nai: Pan Flute Method| place= Paris| publisher= Chappell S.A.| year= 1975 |isbn= 88-8291-286-8}} (instructional book) 
*{{cite book| title= Binecuvântare şi blestem| language= ro| trans-title= Blessing and Curse| place= Arad| publisher= Mirador| year= 2000 |isbn= 973-9284-56-6}} (autobiography)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.gheorghezamfir.ro Official site]
*{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p140734|label=Zamfir}}
*{{IMDb name|0952621}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150610200755/http://11thmuse.com/Taragot.pdf  Henk Jansen: Zamfir and his artistic success]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zamfir, Gheorghe}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Folk flautists]]
[[Category:People from Găești]]
[[Category:Romanian flautists]]
[[Category:Mercury Records artists]]
[[Category:Philips Records artists]]