Spaces Unfolding (+Pierre Alexandre Tremblay)
Neil Metcalfe / Philipp Wachsmann / Emil Karlsen (+Pierre Alexandre Tremblay)
The trio of Neil Metcalfe, Philipp Wachsmann and Emil Karlsen has been working together as Spaces Unfolding since 2021. Created initially as a vehicle for acoustic exploration, the trio’s debut ‘The Way We Speak’ was recorded in the acoustics of London’s St Mary’s Old Church and later released on Bead Records. The album was featured on BBC Radio 3 and received critical acclaim described as ‘natural, immediate and intimate’ (Salt Peanuts) and ‘one of the finest documents of how improvisation is made’ (New York City Jazz Records) .
This time the trio is joined by Pierre Alexandre Tremblay (electronics), a practitioner offering multiple dialogues between instruments and electronics. Expanding on the initial idea of acoustic influence, the trio is now situated within an electronic environment in what is a reflection on our relationship to technology.
supported by PRS Open Music Fund
Liner notes
I first met Pierre Alexandre in 2021 at the invitation of Alex Bonney to record with their duo ‘light.box’. This was in fact just a couple of months after the recording of ‘The Way We Speak’, which was engineered by Bonney. The session culminated in ‘The Undanced Dance’, issued on Bead spring of 2023.
What initially struck me about his approach to electronics was his acute sensibility as a performer. His abilities to capture and react to minute timbral nuances allowed for quick directional changes, resulting in dynamic and manoeuvrable musical exchanges. I immediately knew I wanted to work more closely with him and we have since collaborated in various ad-hoc contexts cultivating a fruitful musical relationship for which I’m grateful. This project was born out of an interest to situate the trio within an electronic space, a continuation of the approach of our first recording. I consider the roles of these spaces as intertwined and their shared influence on group interaction as central.
An attempt to define this work might seem superfluous. I do however believe outlining an overall framework encourages new insights which would otherwise be lost. Shadow Figures is a work dedicated to exploring our relationship to technology, a relationship with increasing visibility in the public domain sparking much debate regarding our position in a shifting technological landscape.
A deep structure of undercurrents, seemingly invisible but with real implications on human life. These shadows disrupt, corrupt, interrupt and imitate human actions with potential to influence our behaviour and reshape our perspectives.
In the context of this work, I’m particularly interested in the tension between acoustic instruments and electronic processing, emphasising transformational possibilities and consequent challenges that arise. Within this dialectic relationship, hierarchical structures emerge, questioning the degree of our true freedom and autonomy. There are no clear answers, what remains is a continuous search for agency and of ‘self’. These parallels, although encouraging reflections, do not diminish the fact that this work is a statement in its own right and should be regarded as such.
For me, improvisation reflects the ‘now’ and Shadow Figures is just this - a work that could not have been made in any other time or place.
Thanks for supporting a living music.
Emil Karlsen (2024)
The Way We Speak (2022 - BEAD 43)
“One of the finest documents of how improvisation is made that this listener has heard, on par with the two astounding The Life of a Trio albums by Paul Bley, Jimmy Giuffre and Steve Swallow””
““The Way We Speak engulfs the edginess of those early 80’s recordings by the same label.” ”
New York City Jazz Recordings honourable mention - Albums Of The Year list 2022
““Natural, immediate and intimate, never losing the intriguing tension” ”
Free improvising flutist Neil Metcalfe is ubiquitous on the London music scene. He has recorded and performed with Evan Parker Octet, London Improvisers Orchestra, Paul Rogers Freedom Orchestra, The Dedication Orchestra, The Intuitive Art Ensemble, The Paul Dunmall Nonet, Transatlantic Art Ensemble and many other groups and formations.
Wachsmann came to free improvisation from a predominantly classical background, particularly via the contemporary experiments of indeterminacy, graphic and prose-based scores, conceptualism and electroacoustics. He’s recognised as a pioneer creating new sounds using the violin and electronics. As a result, he can be heard on over 100 LPs/CDs on different labels including ECM, with musicians such as Derek Bailey, Christine Jeffreys and Evan Parker.
Described as a “significant addition to the UK free jazz scene”, Emil Karlsen is establishing himself on the improvised music circuit performing with the likes of Philipp Wachsmann, John Butcher, Phil Durrant and Maggie Nicols to mention some.
Pierre Alexandre Tremblay (Montréal, 1975) is a composer and performer on bass guitar and electronic devices, in solo and group settings, between electroacoustic music, contemporary jazz, mixed music and improvised music. He also worked in popular music, and practises creative coding. His music is available on empreintes DIGITALes.
He is currently Professor of Composition and Improvisation at the University of Huddersfield (England, UK). He likes spending time with his family, reading prose, and going on long walks. As a founding member of the no-tv collective, he does not own a working television set.
** photos by Kristian Løvstad