Following Birmingham-based saxophonist Mike Fletcher's graduation from his home town's conservatoire in 2005, he formed a big band, the Mike Fletcher Jazz Orchestra, which went on to collaborate with New York scenesters Andrew D'Angelo and Dan Weiss. Then in 2013 he joined the European Jazz Orchestra for a lengthy tour on the continent. In complete contrast for his debut CD he chooses a skeletal trio of sax-bass-drums, the band he formed early last year that toured with the help of the ECHO Rising Stars programme. Fletcher's playing on the unusual C melody sax is primarily from the cool school and breathily Lee Konitz-like in the way he develops with patience and spatial awareness, the narrative of his richly melodic originals. He has an attractive dry tone on the flute too, which he plays on ‘A Dino’ a track that recalls something of the free-floating, folky spiritual jazz vibe of Yusef Lateef. The rhythm section features the upcoming double bassist Olie Brice, more regularly seen in further left-field settings, but adding a whole lot of colour and support next to the experienced US-expat drummer Jeff Williams whose crisp, momentum-building swing here is a real treat.