The vocals event of the week and the year so far emanating ostensibly from the UK jazz scene is undoubtedly the upcoming Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (1936-2012) homage from the Scott Dunn conducted and orchestrated RPO collaboration with Claire Martin OBE, I Watch You Sleep.

Issued this Friday by the Copenhagen label Stunt tracks streaming in anticipation drawn from the release are the 1930s Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg, Billy Rose standard 'It's Only a Paper Moon' a hit for the Nat King Cole trio in the 40s. Perennially a part of the Great American Songbook standards repertoire Sir Paul McCartney covered the song as recently as his 2012 jazz themed Kisses on the Bottom delving appropriately into a King Cole style with guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and on piano, Diana Krall.

Also on I Watch You Sleep are Bennett songs 'Don't Play Games With Love' in a small group setting with pianist Rob Barron who contributes to the arrangement, double bassist Jeremy Brown and drummer Matt Skelton and the title track 'I Watch You Sleep' adapted from Bennett's music for 1979 John Schlesinger film, Yanks. Scottish National Jazz Orchestra flugelhorn star the Derry born Ryan Quigley is also a featured artist on the album which was recorded over two days last August.

Both the Iowa born Dunn, a long time associate conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, pictured top with the Shirley Horn influenced Martin, were long term friends and collaborators with Bennett who in a distinguished and much honoured career delivered work that ranged from scoring Schlesinger's beautiful 1967 Thomas Hardy adaptation Far From the Madding Crowd to the 1990s smash hit Mike Newell directed comedy starring Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell, Four Weddings and a Funeral. The south-west London born Martin, 55, who debuted in 1992 with The Waiting Game worked with the composer and lyricist on 2005's When Lights Are Low, 2010's Witchcraft and Say It Isn't So released in 2013 not long after Bennett had passed away the previous year. Claire Martin, photo: Kenny McCracken