Taraf de Haïdouks

Taraful Haiducilor (a.k.a. Taraf de Haïdouks) are a troupe of Romanian Roma musicians, from the town of Clejani, the most prominent such group in Romania in the post-Communist Era.

They are known in their nati

Taraful Haiducilor (a.k.a. Taraf de Haïdouks) are a troupe of Romanian Roma musicians, from the town of Clejani, the most prominent such group in Romania in the post-Communist Era.

They are known in their native Romania as "Taraful Haiducilor". Roughly, this means "gang of thieves", but "taraf" is also the traditional name for a group of lăutari (traditional Romanian Gypsy musicians). "Haiduc" or "haiduk" is a word of Turkish origin which means "bandit"; in Romanian it has a rustic or archaic connotation. Most of those who know the band in the Western world know them by way of French-speaking areas, where they are known as "Taraf de Haïdouks", since French lacks a genitive case.