Hi Res Heart: Move Fast And Mend Things

On its second outing, British outfit Hi Res Heart trades the stitched-together aesthetic of its debut for the friction and immediacy of shared space, sharpening both its collective instinct and sonic identity. Where the earlier release documented remotely recorded parts later assembled in the studio, Move Fast And Mend Things convenes the ensemble in a single setting, heightening responsiveness and rapport. By supplementing the core trio—reedist Martin Archer, trumpeter Charlotte Keeffe and percussionist Martin Pyne—with violinist Graham Clark and bassist Michael Bardon, the band both expands its timbral palette and deepens its internal dialogue.

The program balances three charts, one from each founding member, with four group improvisations, yielding a multifaceted set characterized by pungent shifts in density, register and rhythmic intent. In its blend of open-ended exploration and swinging tunes, the music reflects Archer’s long-standing admiration for Chicago’s AACM. That lineage surfaces not only in his deployment of multiple reeds, but also in Pyne’s resourceful use of small percussion, recalling the little instruments of the Art Ensemble of Chicago without lapsing into imitation.

Throughout, the emphasis remains on ensemble interplay rather than individual glory. That is not to say that the individuals are not glorious. Keeffe proves especially versatile, toggling between breathy splutters, plaintive blurts and buzzy rumbles with a keen sense of pacing. Archer counters with a broad expressive range of his own, from explosive squalls and hoarse exhortations to steady stepwise progressions and catchy saxophone licks that anchor the more turbulent passages. Pyne’s “Trail Of Tears” opens with accomplished suspenseful vibraphone before introducing a loosely martial throb that underpins a buoyant, free-bop-inflected theme. A series of shifting configurations follow, foregrounding different instrumental pairings while maintaining a clear through-line.

Although improvised, the lengthy title cut unfolds through a pleasing symmetry. It both begins and ends with a duet between Clark’s violin and Bardon’s bowed bass, darting and scratchy at the outset, calming and elegiac at the close. Structural elements assert themselves between times too at the micro scale, in the form of repeating patterns, extemporized melodies and poised counterlines. But they emerge as part of an organic, continuously adapting form that also features episodes for bickering horns, bucolic flute and percussion, and mournful violin undercut by growling brass.

More discursive, “Only Disobeying Orders” also toys with form, conjuring a hovering consonance and a beat that stays elusive. Archer’s tenor runs the gamut from hesitant to assured in communion with Keeffe’s lyrically garrulous flugelhorn on “Heavy Manners”. It seamlessly transitions into the jaunty swagger of the trumpeter’s “Weeds”, animated by half valve effects that might be a homage to Lester Bowie in his pomp. Archer’s “The Twister” closes the set with an irrepressible lift, its metrical elasticity and joyous momentum enticing one to hit repeat and begin the journey all over again.