It is fair to say that few jazz labels in the last two decades have championed the cause of big bands more than the ACT label. Producer Siggi Loch has presented an astonishing range of ensembles from the far out to the far in that suggest this venerable jazz institution still has plenty of shelf-life left and can still be a relevant and vital component of the contemporary jazz scene. Perhaps no big band demonstrates this better than JBBG – the Jazz Big Band Graz. Those who have visited Graz in Austria will know it is home to a vital electronic jazz scene, with many cafés, bars and clubs giving space to electronic music with sound artists hunched over lap tops in a corner creating all manner of improvised music. JBBG refl ects these infl uences, such as the drone effect that opens ‘Urban Tribes’, and they succeed in maintaining a resolutely contemporary stance throughout the album. Comprising six pieces, Urban Folktales is impeccably executed and articulated – such as the folklorish passages for soprano-led saxophones on ‘Urban Tribes’. Vocalist Theo Bleckmann's other-worldly passage fits well with the disposition of the music on ‘Seelenbaumein’ that has a beautiful trumpet passage by Pohjola that judges the mood perfectly. There are not too many theremin virtuosos in the world, but Barbara Buchholz makes a telling contribution here too. Highlight, though, is the world music-infl uenced ‘Rêve African’ featuring Hadja Kouyate in an album that delivers far more than it promises.