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Hi Res Heart — Move Fast and Mend Things
(Discus Music 201CD, 2025, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2025-11-06

Move Fast and Mend Things Cover art

A little over four years ago the trio of Martin Archer (saxes, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, harmonica), Charlotte Keeffe (trumpet and flugelhorn)  and Martin Pyne (drums, percussion, toy piano, vibraphone) released the album Hi Res Heart. In 2025 that same trio, now with the addition of  bassist / cellist Michael Bardon and violinist Graham Clark, made Hi Res Heart the name of the group, now officially a quintet. With that first album being a studio endeavor, the live character of Move Fast and Mend Things makes it a much more free sounding set, In fact of the seven tracks herein, only three are based on compositions (and much of those are improv), the other four (and by far the longest) are free improvisations by the entire group; but all the players here seem to be well tuned into one another on a telepathic level. Clark has been playing for decades, with Gong, Gongmaison, and various groups of the late Daevid Allen; Keeffe has played with numerous ensembles, both on and off the Discus label for many years, including with Carla Diratz, London Improvisers Orchestra, Paul Dunmall ensemble and others; similarly Bardon has been playing as a sideman for at least a dozen years on record, Pyne has been working his craft since the mid-90s and is featured on at least two dozen recordings, but Archer — who plays the entire saxophone family from bari to sopranino, as well as clarinets, recorders, and harmonica, seems to have a role on nearly everything released on the Discus label — these are all seasoned improvisers who know what they’re doing even when it sounds like they’re going off the rails! The three composed pieces are the opener “Trail of Tears” by Pyne, the closer “The Twister” by Archer, and “Weeds” by Keeffe, all exceptional, but the majority of the time is devoted to the four lengthy free improvisations: the title track and “Snake Oil,” both roughly an album side long, and the somewhat shorter “Heavy Manners” and “Only Disobeying Orders,” all four being superb examples of what the group can do without charts in front of them. Fans of free jazz and free improvisation will find plenty to get excited about with Move Fast and Mend Things.

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Martin Archer, Hi Res Heart

More info
http://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/move-fast-and-mend-things-201cd-2025

 

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