David Linx and the Brussels Jazz Orchestra follow up their acclaimed 2007 collaboration Changing Faces with an even more ambitious project based on George Gershwin's operatic masterpiece, Porgy and Bess. With Linx assuming the role of Porgy and the Portuguese vocalist Maria João taking on the role of Bess, what marks this fine album out is the terrifically exciting dynamic between Linx and the BJO. Some of the lesser-known jewels contained within the opera are included here (‘A Woman Is A Sometime Thing’ is a standout) and this is entirely to be welcomed. In classics such as ‘Summertime’, João's gossamer-light voice perhaps lacks the requisite gravitas to be entirely convincing. Conducted by the orchestra's cofounder, Frank Vaganée, the Brussels Jazz Orchestra – no doubt still basking in the glory of their well-deserved Oscar win for their part in the soundtrack to The Artist – play superbly. The international team of arrangers – including Vaganée – pull out all the stops here. Almost 80 years after its first performance, the goings-on of Catfish Row continue to enthral.