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RANDY BRECKER & MATS HOLMQUIST with UMO JAZZ ORCHESTRA, Together

Jonathan Widran

No doubt the global fame of Grammy winning trumpet and flugelhorn master Randy Brecker made his name the obvious choice for co-lead artist (with Swedish conductor, composer and arranger Mats Holmquist) on this extraordinary, sonically far-reaching recording by UMO Jazz Orchestra, the legendary Finnish big band.

Happily, Brecker’s always impeccable, emotionally in the moment solos are but a few of the dizzying highlights of the almost constantly hopping project. The other great soloists are among Scandinavia’s most notable musicians – not as marketable as Brecker, but no less explosive and heart-tugging.

Holmquist’s homegrown compositions fit splendidly alongside his ingenious new spins through standards like “Never Let Me Go” and “Stella By Starlight” (refashioned as the 11 minute, solo-stocked opus “My Stella”) and three brilliant Chick Corea gems offering different vibes and moods of the legendary pianist. Brecker has worked with Holmquist before, most notably as a soloist on the Latvian Radio Big Band’s 2017 date Big Band Minimalism. So let’s call Together “big band maximalism” at its very best!

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