Moss Freed/Union Division

Practice makes perfect – or at least as perfect as Free Music should be – is the take-away from this two CD program by British guitarist Moss Freed’s Union Division ensemble. Combing two sessions with shifting personnel from 2018 and 2021 featuring some of the UK’s most accomplished younger improvisers, Micromotives maintains high quality throughout.

Freed, who regularly plays with Sam Eastmond’s Spike Orchestra and Charlotte Keeffe’s bands, also teaches composition and improvisation and each of the seven selections honors one of Freed’s influences. That’s influence not follower or mimic, for each tune displays unique group and individual instrumental tropes and techniques. Moss also ensures that his playing is integrated within the greater group output. For instance “Left-Leaning (for Louis Andriessen)” may start off with intermittent guitar flanges and strokes at increasing speeds, but doesn’t become truly assertive until the final sequence where contrapuntal reed and brass work is doubled by guitar strums. Before that the composition has been buoyed by Steve Beresford’s piano clinks, clanks and clips, cymbal clangs and drum rumbles from Will Glaser, screaming brass triplets from Eastmond, Keeffe and Laura Jurd, with George Crowley’s warm clarinet flutters also defining the exposition’s shape, speed and tempo. Finger-style asides from the guitarist signal a shift to harsher horn tones, some pseudo-ragtime piano syncopation and after a brass-reed face off, Pierre Alexandre Tremblay’s slippery electric bass climax.

Group power and sophistication brought to the interpretations of Freed’s composition enlivens both Union Division configurations. The blend of concentrated narrative undulations remain constant throughout, as do the arrangements which allow for surprises like piccolo-trumpet-like riffs piercing dense reed harmonies from the 2018 group on “Union of Egoists (for Anthony Braxton)” or when Monk-like piano noodling introduces snarling and winnowing brass and reed divisions on “Unprecedented Times (for Pauline Oliveros)” that are eventually cushioned by distracted sax split tones, guitar strums and a gritty trumpet obbligato from 2021.

In fact “Kilter (for John Zorn)” from the earlier date makes as noticeable an impression as any of the tracks. Guitar flanges and Rosanna Ter-Berg’s bright flute flutters make up the layered top level, a biting saxophone solo from Rachel Musson plus string glissandi form the middle section and hard drum ruffs, stomps and paradiddles plus downwards string slides cement the bottom. Eventually, as the stop-time, often a capella airy, brass and reed squeaks fade, a contrapuntal connections among all players leads to the finale.

More proof that the flexibility of a small big band like Union Division, whose line-up ranges from 10 to 13 players, can offer the discipline and freedom of smaller or larger aggregations is offered here. Micromotives’ achievement resolves around writing and playing equity.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: CDA: 1. Union of Egoists (for Anthony Braxton) 2 .Unprecedented Times (for Pauline Oliveros) 3. Left-Leaning (for Louis Andriessen) CDB: 1. Kilter (for John Zorn) 2. Starlings (for Christian Wolff) 3.Hidden Hand (for Terry Riley) 4. Hung Parliament (for Barry Guy)

Personnel: Laura Jurd, Charlotte Keeffe, Sam Eastmond (trumpet); Tullis Rennie (trombone); Chris Williams (alto saxophone); Rachel Musson (tenor saxophone): George Crowley (tenor saxophone, clarinet); Rosanna Ter-Berg (flute, piccolo); Steve Beresford or Elliot Galvin (piano); Moss Freed (guitar); Brice Catherin (cello); Otto Wilberg (bass); Pierre Alexandre Tremblay (electric bass, electronics); Will Glaser or James Maddren (drums)