Formed in 1999, Portugal's 17-piece jazz-world orchestra gets to grips with new pieces by a top-notch list of commissioned composers from both Europe and the Americas on the new CD. The quality of the compositions is as high as its fluent execution. Among the highlights include the Israeli-Swiss Ohad Talmor's rhythmically inventive ‘Etude No 2’, that seems to cross Stravinsky with Steely Dan; Canada's leading young large ensemble composer Darcy James Argue's ‘All In (for Laurie Frink)’ develops darker, more angular sonic hues while the German composer Florian Ross applies a contemporary edge to a Birth of the Cool bop-y ensemble piece titled ‘Tremor’. The UK's Julian Argüelles' characteristic writing appears on the evocative choral-based ‘Another Escapade’ while the US Sex Mobster Steven Bernstein's ‘OJM’ sounds like the backdrop to James Bond sipping Martinis at an avant-groove jazz bar. A cohesive body of work, that's full of infectious melodies and stylish arrangements.