Comprising leading figures from the UK improvised music scene, Union Division perform a selection of pieces from Moss Freed’s ‘Micromotives’: a daring and anarchic approach to spontaneous music, with improvisation, collaboration and sociality at its core. The group has no single leader, with players equally empowered to shape the performance, able to take temporary control, and coordinate the group in various ways. The resulting music can move quickly between cinematic soundscapes, head-spinning grooves and raucous, skronky interplay, each piece being constructed in real time by the hive mind of the group. If you like John Zorn, Anthony Braxton, Sun-Ra, Christian Wolff, Terry Riley and Pauline Oliveros, this is one for you.
Union Division was formed in early 2018, coming out of Freed’s PhD research. It currently constitutes a pool of 28 players with each outing showcasing a unique formation of 10-15 improvisers. Micromotives is an open work, continuing to evolve and expand with each performance.
“one of the most intriguing collective improvisations perhaps ever seen…this novel methodology could just pave the way for something huge” Jazz Journal
Line-up:
Moss Freed – guitar
Liam Noble – piano
John Edwards – bass
Hannah Marshall – cello,
Brice Catherin – cello
Benedict Taylor – viola
George Crowley – tenor sax
Rachel Musson – tenor sax
Chris Williams – alto sax
Laura Jurd – trumpet
Sam Eastmond – trumpet
Charlotte Keefe – trumpet/flugel
Alex Bonney – trumpet/electronics
Rosanna Ter-Berg – flutes
PA Tremblay – electronics