A significant release by anyone’s yardstick to keep an eye out for among the flood of releases in the autumn Live in Helsinki 1995, to be released in September by US label Random Act, is described by the label as the first big band album fronted by Michael Brecker.

The album documents the hugely influential saxophonist, who died in 2007, soloing with the UMO Jazz Orchestra recorded at the Royal Cotton Club in the Finnish capital in October 1995 on a Finnish Broadcasting Company-produced affair drawn from the YLE archives.

Material includes Brecker, Horace Silver, Vince Mendoza and Kirmo Lintinen material. It’s not overstating the case to say that Brecker’s music continues to cast a giant shadow on the tenor saxophone worldwide.

The cover of the album is above. For album samples click here