‘Universal’ is a term indelibly associated with the likes of Albert Ayler and John Coltrane, and its use in the name of this group is entirely fitting given the influence that the late Yusef Lateef, the revered elder in the ensemble, had on the aforementioned. He is a supreme presence here, and his command of double reed instruments and several flutes, of which the ‘Moan’ really stands out, greatly enriches the ambitious sound canvas. As one might expect, collective creativity takes precedence over individual virtuosity. Kasper Tranberg's smouldering brass and the percolating percussion and space age synthesizer flourishes of Adam Rudolph and Kresten Osgood have equal billing, as all of these elements are ingeniously woven into compositions shaped by Eastern scales and modes. As much as the gentle, insidious hypnosis of the arrangements defines the performance, a masterstroke is played towards the end of the set when Lateef sings a blues, ‘Death In The Morning’. He has a truly incredible voice. It is alluring, mysterious, comforting, questioning and so full of character that it appears as a kind of poetic epilogue to the invisible soundtrack that the music so vividly suggests. The world may be saddened by Yusef Lateef's passing but this music could be a no more uplifting form of remembrance.