They are the consummate show band, highly skilled musicians with a flair for the theatric and a circuslike sense of timing. Romania's Taraf de Haïdouks have been one of the few Gypsy ensembles to represent their culture's folk music on the world stage, and with three albums to their credit, they have made a remarkable showing. This is a compilation of the three recordings they made in the '90s for the German Crammed Disc label. They are now on Nonesuch due to the personal fascination with the music shown by Kronos Quartet member David Harrington, who chose the songs for this self-titled release. Taraf de Haïdouks are a wondrous band, with a crew of brilliant violinists, singers, and cimbalom, flute, and accordion players who could break your heart one moment and leave you in laughter the next. The songs run the gamut: sweet love songs and paeans to broken hearts, subtle politics and social comments, and plenty of warp-speed dance tunes played with a ferocity that leaves their live audiences breathless. This is a great introduction to a band any fan of great musicianship on acoustic instruments should know. --Louis Gibson