As Gyezz’s slow-burn opening track ‘Liras’ steadily builds to a 7-8 whirlwind of stabbing accordion and steaming clarinet it is not hard to see why US saxophonist Chris Potter would be drawn to work with Söndörgó. Then, when his mellifluous tenor starts to embark on a long improvisation over pulsing bass and traditional tapan drum, it is clear why they would have invited him in.

For over 25 years, the Hungarian quintet of three brothers Eredics plus a cousin and a mate have established themselves as both authentic custodians of Southern Slavic music and its radical future.

Their elaboration of tradition takes full advantage of the element of improvisation that invigorates Balkan music, enabled by their multi-instrumental virtuosity on various ethnic wind instruments and tamburas. This stringed instrument, somewhat like a bozouki, comes in a range of sizes from the tiny first tambura downwards and the Eredics play them all.

It’s generally fiery and uplifting stuff, full of rhythmic shifts and catchy melodic elements mostly driven by that relentless pulse, even transcriptions of some of Bela Bartok’s folk-derived compositions. Exceptions, however, include the stately Macedonian call-and-response themes of the atmospheric ‘wRap’ and the self-parodying ‘gypsy band in a restaurant’ schmaltzy rendition of 1940s jazz standard ‘Laura’, with Potter obligingly providing some old-school romantic sax. The album closes with ‘Híd’, a brilliant nine-minute distillation of all the best elements of this excellent collaboration that shifts and swerves from loping Macedonian lyricism to a frenetic Serbian Roma trance dance groove. Potter’s driving tenor, perfectly matched by dazzling accordion and alto sax, fits so well into this ecstatic music you’d think hard bop was a Balkan tradition.