Ingrid Laubrock, as both an improvising tenor-soprano saxophonist and composer, has gone from strength to strength since moving to New York from London a decade ago. In bands such as Anti-House, Ubatuba with Tim Berne, and Serpentines, she’s been very active working alongside a close circle of collaborators on the leftfield Brooklyn music scene. In a prolific period, Laubrock has been skilfully navigating the borders between improvised and composed music in largely jazz instrumental settings, and moving away from the standard ‘improv on the changes’ type approach. It’s the starting point for her new CD recording that focuses on the larger vision she has had of composing and directing for an orchestra. Premiered at Germany’s Moers festival in 2017, Laubrock assembles a near 50-piece ensemble including improvising soloists to perform two original works: a four-part suite ‘Contemporary Chaos Practices’ and a piece entitled ‘Vogelfrei’. Though idiomatically it’s closest to abstract contemporary classical music, this is a work of sensual rather than cerebral qualities, with Laubrock’s improvisatory sensibilities merging with composition in a way that creates an organically pulsating narrative to the music. The title-track suite is a remarkably-detailed soundscape full of otherworldly and way-out pleasures. It’s perfectly integrated with the inventive Mary Halvorson’s eerily warped guitar solos and Laubrock’s playful sax contortions. ‘Vogelfrei’ revolves at first around a Ligeti-ish drone shimmering with overtones upon which emerge ghostly gestures from the pianist Kris Davis and a choir. There’s an intriguing climax that imagines a collaboration between Olivier Messiaen and Lalo Schifrin. It’s mesmerising for the most part and an impressive first-time accomplishment.