Accordionist Ionică Minune was born in Costeşti, Buzău County, Romania, into a family of ‘lăutari’: all members of his family played different instruments and were booked as a taraf (band) for events in the village. At the age of four, Ionică took his older brother's accordion and played a waltz by ear without any training. In the early 1990s, he moved to France and began playing Manouche jazz (Django Reinhardt) alongside lăutărească music. In 2006, homesickness drove him back to Romania, where he founded an accordion school. Over the course of his career, Minune has played alongside many great lăutari with artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Oscar Peterson, Michel Petrucciani, Richard Galliano and Didier Lockwood.

Photo Adrian Andrunachi