Freed by name, freed by nature (look, somebody had to say it!), the guitarist here releases on one album two splendidly ambitious yet separate recordings marking the development of his Union Division project.

One says ‘his’ guardedly of course, as Freed emphasises that, in the tradition of large scale ‘free’ groupings, there is no leader. But there's no doubting that for all the individual talents on display (and there are some sparky ones, notably Crowley and Jurd), this is very much Freed's vision. Freed gaily wears his influences on his sleeve, with tracks variously dedicated to the likes of John Zorn and Terry Riley; while it's good to see Barry Guy recognised on the suitably garrulous ‘Hung Parliament’. Guy's work with the Spontaneous Music Ensemble especially underwrites the Union Division.

Another hero of a certain free vintage, Steve Beresford, also lends unfettered piano, an unleashed crawling Caliban, on ‘Unprecedented Times.’ The energy of a self-organising collective is the very essence of jazz, and with Freed and Union Division, the baton seems safely passed to a newer generation.