Fred Frith had a two year residency at L'Ecole Nationale de Musique de Villeurbanne in France which ended in 1996. To mark the occasion he organized an event, enlisting as many students he could, grouped according to their music department (rock, jazz, African drumming, classical, &c.). Each group played music written particularly for them, and occasionally were asked to improvise, each following a 55 minute time score prepared by Fred. The audience made their own mix by wandering from room to room where each group performed.

The breadth of the composition is impressive, borrowing from musical styles around the globe, putting them into a context that's both improv and compositionally friendly - should all music be so informed! The percussion in particular deserves notice, deep drum tones guide ecstatic rhythms and syncopated shots, a combination of kit and percussive/tympani instruments that impart a great deal of energy to the music. At times it sounds like something Mingus might have written, with stabbing thrusts from a brass section while busy horns buzz and gyrate around melody snippets. A surprisingly fascinating recording of a concept that utilizes a vast expanse of musical knowledge.