Nicholas J. Gotelli

Tambu Laurentu

Tambu & Nick. Venice, 2011. Photo by Maryanne Kampmann.
In May of 2011, my wife and I vacationed in Rome and Venice. One morning, I was playing gypsy jazz in our second-floor hotel room in the Dorsoduro. I was beckoned down to the street by Tambu Laurentu, a gypsy violonist from Telesti, Romania. Over the next three mornings, Tambu and I would play gypsy music in the square next to the Santa Maria della Salute. Tambu and I did not share a spoken language, and he does not read music, so it was a challenge to find common musical ground. Nevertheless, I was able to accompany him on several gypsy tunes, and I also taught him the outro head to "Minor Swing". "Tambu's Flight" is one of his originals. There are virtuoso musicians like Tambu everywhere in the world. To find them, you just need to travel with your instrument.
Minor Swing [2:55] Tambu's Flight [3:14] Gypsy #1 [3:22] The Last Of The Mohicans [0:56]