Freedom lives" could be the neatest description of this two-day festival of free jazz, new music and more. On Friday evening a double bill of saxophonist Evan Parker in duo with Stephen Grew and the Invisible String Trio of Phil Wachsmann, Bruno Guastalla and Dominic Lash briskly destroyed the notion that free improvisation entails a group of musicians all blasting away with little or no reference to each other. The Invisible String Trio were exquisitely aware, harmonious and intense, while the magisterial outpourings from Evan Parker's soprano were given further depth by the more structured interventions from Grew on the piano.

That misplaced concept of free improvisation was further annihilated on Saturday afternoon and evening. The Alexander Hawkins Ensemble and AMV mixed written music with improvisation in very diverse but equally effective ways, while Pat Thomas delighted everyone with his interpretations of Thelonious Monk, creating extraordinary shape and drive without necessarily putting Monk's notes in the respected order.

The evening performances, all convened by Pat Thomas, involved pieces featuring international players backed by the Oxford Improvisers Orchestra. Thus there were 20 musicians plus soloists on the stage, no printed music and little or no prearranged ideas. Only Thomas, conducting the proceedings with set signals to the orchestra, had a concept of what might happen. Ahmed Abdul Rahman on Chinese fiddle and Tunde Jegede on kora played unamplified while the orchestra fluttered and stabbed behind them. Iranian vocalist Vida Kashizadeh sang while the orchestra raised the tension, Miles Doubleday riffed on the stories of Tamberlaine and Harvir Singh Sohata whirled on tabla. The description may sound odd; the result was magic. A concerto' for Phil Wachmann was described by someone as "biting into fresh watermelon on a hot day".

Saxophonist Steve Williamson played twice, once with the orchestra and once in duo with Thomas. The later was another example of the jewels that can come out of free improvisation. Williamson, who has been very reclusive, revealed a relish for risk, rising to the challenges from Thomas on piano. It was a great climax to a remarkable weekend in which the controlling hand of the composer' was refreshingly absent.