Barcelone

Judging by recent releases, choro – the Afro-European progenitor of samba – is making a comeback, especially outside its native Brazil. There are two compositions here by one of the genre's past masters, Jacob do Bandolim, and two other originals: one by the Belgian string quintet's guitarist, Renaud Dardenne, and the other by leader and violinist, Tcha Limberger. The three by Django Reinhardt underline the quintet's USP: an unusual take on the classic three guitars, violin and double bass template of the Hot Club de France. With two violins and a viola, the emphasis is less on rhythm and swing and more on polyphony and counterpoint.

Recorded in Abergavenny, of all places, there's a fresh, relaxed feel throughout the album, characterised by the way the band sneaks up on Boris Vian's old chestnut, ‘Avalon’, or the idiosyncratic manner in which Limberger scats his way through Duke Ellington's ‘I've Got it Bad and That Ain't Good’. At times, they sound like a classical string quintet, at others like a Gypsy jazz band toying with its genre. The interplay between the five sets of strings adds drama and colour. Well worth investigating.