Various Artists - Cafe Du Bresil IThe Paris Gadjo Club is now open to the great classics of samba and bossa nova. And this one revisits pieces by some of the genre's masters: take Tom Jobim for example, or Dorival Caymmi, Joo Donato and Marcos Valle they have all taken on the Gadjo Club's unique swing veneer. This is an album brimming with joie de vivre, showing all the spontaneity and frankness of both music forms in a moving conversation between Paris and Rio, two of the greatest

The subsequent album

More records like this might even give the lie to Norman Lebrecht's gloom and doom prognostications for the 'serious' music scene

The plot is based around a Husband and Wife (they are not given names) who reject opportunities for extramarital flings whilst at the same time attacking the superficiality of fashion

Maria Briggs is joined on this album by pianist Drew Quiring

including "Commotion

" The other tracks on Death Wish (Part II) include more standout features

"When I was six year old

turning it into the dominant form of instrumental music in the first half of the 18th century: without Vivaldi and his concertos

Afif Alvarez Bulos and his ensemble present a recital of Arabic muwashahat music in this 1976 release

Bear Family's compilation shows how Frank Virtue and his Virtues could really rock and roll back then (1953 - 1965)

Lucy Liemann

With workouts that focus on the Upper Body