The first and last time I was in Romania, I was thrown out of a hotel in Transylvania as retaliation for the Americans having bombed Libya from UK airfields, thrown off a (stationary) train, Steaua Bucharest had just won the European Cup on penalties, and it was technically illegal to talk to foreigners. Oh, and we were being liberally dowsed in Chernobyl fallout. Good times. About the only useful side effect of Ceausescu's rule seems to have been the degree of isolation that preserved the musical traditions of rural Romania, a crossroads of cultures since Roman times.Taraf de Haïdouks (literally 'band of gypsies') are an ultra gregarious crew, and a recent piece in the Telegraph paints a wonderful picture of their joie de vivre. No wonder the old party pirate Johnny Depp has flown them in specially in the past for his own entertainment: 'These guys can play a music which expresses the most intense joy. They have this gift to make you feel alive. They are among the most extraordinary people I have ever met.' Yehudi Menuhin and The Kronos Quartet are some of their more well-heeled fans. They began as an amorphous collection of local musicians in the small village of Clejani, south west of Bucharest, before a young Belgian promoter latched on to some 80's ethnographic recordings and helped organise them into a recognisable recording and hell-raising touring group, with an age range spanning over half a century. Featured instruments are whirlwind violin, flute and accordian, and especially the cimbalom (a type of hammered dulcimer). This instrument is also played here by their first-ever female guest musician Virginica Dumitru, who in addition sings with all the gusto of a Romanian Edith Piaf on "Parca eu te-am vezut".Now the relatively bad news. On this new album, they try to breathe Romany life back into a range of classical music pieces inspired by eastern European folk music of the last century - often not entirely accurate, but written by composers with a Byronesque romantic vision of the exotic ‘Orient’. You'll recognise tunes from Khachaturian, Bartok and Liszt even if the actual names are unfamiliar. I can't escape the conclusion that recordings are never going to do this lot justice, and the concept of this one in particular has watered down their rampant natural musical force on a handful of tracks that are, at best, jaunty. But like a runaway hay cart tumbling downhill, the vigour does generally gather momentum as the album progresses and Taraf de Haïdouks work their way onto their own tunes (you suspect with the aid of a few helpful snifters). The transformation is most striking when they tack on their own "The Missing Dance" to Bartók's "Romanian Folk Dances". The shackles are thrown off and all hell breaks loose for just over a minute of mayhem. If you ever find yourself stuck in the wilderness and need to light a fire, don't call Ray Mears; just get one of Taraf de Haïdouks fiddlers to get the sparks flying. Equally infectious and intense is "Hora Moldovenesca", where all their wild virtuosity is on display.So, difficult to recommend this particular offering whole-heartedly, but thoroughly recommended as a band I would travel a long way to see. Next time you fancy a gypsy hoe-down, you'll know who to call. Just don't tell them you'll pay for all their drinks. 63%Links Taraf de Haïdouks [official site] [myspace]