The Squid's Ear Magazine


Jones, Ed / Emil Karlsen : Liminal Spaces (Confront)

Recorded live at Saint Augustine's Wrangthorn in Leeds, UK, the duo of saxophonist Ed Jones and drummer Emil Karlsen bridge free jazz and free improvisation in a dynamic, low-key but deeply interactive session, emphasizing collective phrasing, evolving structures, and subtle momentum in an hour-long exploration of nuanced, expressive dialog.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Ed Jones-tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone

Emil Karlsen-drums


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Label: Confront
Catalog ID: core 53
Squidco Product Code: 36109

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2025
Country: UK
Packaging: Cardstock Sleeve, sealed
Recorded in Saint Augustine's Wrangthorn, in Leeds, UK, on March 11th, 2024 by Aimee Large.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Four years after their first release together, which was reviewed here, Emil Karlsen (drums and percussion) and Ed Jones on the saxophones produce another great recording for the sax and drums tradition. And one of the best for 2025, I dare to comment.

Confront has built an eclectic and open to new sounds catalogue of improvisational musics, having cut most ties with what we call (or I do) free jazz. Not that this juicy, clocking in over an hour, CD is "just" free jazz. A more accurate description, hoping that I don't get to label the music, would be that Liminal Spaces bridges the gap between free jazz and free improvisation with absolute success.

The duo's playing is free, low key but full of energy and concentrated. Their interaction allows them to hear and play, with that order. All tracks are full of possibilities, never quite ending the way they started. They play almost in unison, as if their music derives only from collective thinking and not from individual approaches. They never resolve to high levels of volume, apart from very short joyful passages. The mastering by Chris Sharkey allows the listener to get a grasp of their two way struggle: communication between them and a will to continue playing together, never resolving to any kind of solo playing tradition.

Jones is always a joy to listen to his sax, be it tenor or soprano, and has become a favorite of mine. I bet that his willingness to interact makes him an ideal partner for any musician who is eager to improvise. Surely he seems ideal for Emil Karlsen who has, repeatedly, for some years now been playing and interacting the hard way -the way of collective free improvisation.

After repeated listening, considering that this music last for over an hour, you get to listen to many short phrases and melodies that pop-up for seconds, only to leave their space to the next ideas. What a fruitful, thrilling recording this is."-Fotis Nikolakopoulos, The Free Jazz Collective


Get additional information at The Free Jazz Collective

Artist Biographies

"An award winning Uk jazz saxophonist/composer who has been based in London for over 25 years. He works in the UK and internationally with a wide range of his own projects and collaborations.

His experience as a sideman reflects his diverse musical interests: He has worked with Free jazz pioneers John Stevens, Evan Parker. US Jazz Legends Horace Silver, George Benson, Dianne Reeves, Dr Lonnie Smith, Charles Earland, and Clifford Jarvis. Leading Uk Jazz Musicians such as Dick Heckstall-Smith, District Six, Jason Rebello, Orphy Robinson, Claire Martin, Don Weller, Byron Wallen, Tim Richard's Great Spirit, Damon Brown, Monk Liberation Front, Jonathan Gee, Larry Bartley's Justus. As a session musician he has performed and recorded with crossover projects such as Incognito, Us3, Jamie Cullum , Terry Callier, and Nostalgia 77, through to R/B legends such as D'Angelo, Bootsy Collins, Chaka Khan Tina Turner, Carlene Anderson, Noel Mccoy and Omar.

He has received numerous composition commissions including:

Arts Council Composition Grant:The Pipers Tales 1993

BBC Jazz on 3 and Bath Festival to write and perform with a 10 piece Uk/Scandinavian electro/acoustic ensemble Burn,(co-led with Finnish Trumpeter Mika Myllari)(2000)

Southern Arts:"Triptych (3 accidents)" (2004) Woodwinds/Piano/Beats/Electronics inspired by the work of the English painter Francis Bacon.

British Council to compose and perform 1000 Plateaus based on the writings of Gilles Deleuze as part of Expo 2005 in Japan.

Most recently in 2014 a commission from London Jazz Festival in collaboration with The Guildhall School Of Music Jazz Orchestra.

In 2016 Leeds College Of Music Jazz Orchestra Commissioned a new suite of compositions entitled "Pathways"

He formed his first group "Ed Jones Quartet" in 1987. They were the first band to play at the original Jazz Cafe London.He became a regular performer on the emerging Acid Jazz scene at clubs such as The Wag and Dingwalls, and was signed by Giles Peterson recording his first album "The Homecoming" (Acid Jazz, 1989).

During the 1990's he formed new groups, toured the Uk and Europe and recorded a further 3 critically acclaimed solo albums"Pipers Tales" (ASC, 1995).''Out Here" (ASC, 1997)."Seven Moments" (ASC 2002).His 5th album "A view from the..." featuring the ed/ge project was released in spring 2004. This was a Hip/Hop/Beats/ Big Band collaboration with US3 programmer/producer Geoff Wilkinson.

In 2005 he formed Killer Shrimp (co-led) with Trumpeter Damon Brown. The group recorded the highly acclaimed Sincerely Whatever (33 records) in 2006 mixing dance genres and electronica with acoustic jazz. The cd was top of many critics best of list that year and was nominated for Jazz cd of the year 2007 parliamentary jazz awards. The group were awarded Best Jazz Ensemble 2007 at the same awards, and in 2010 released their follow up album Whatever Sincerely(Tales from the Baltic Wharf).

In 2011 he formed a new acoustic contemporary jazz quartet which is currently touring and releasing their first recording "For Your Ears Only" in Autumn 2017. The Quartet features some of the Uk's finest creative jazz musicians.

Pianist Ross Stanley is just about everyones first call these days, leading to work recently with US sax giant Seamus Blake.

Bassist Riaan Vosloo leads his acclaimed 12's Trio,and collaborates with the likes of Nostalgia 77,Keith Tippett,and Richard Fairhurst.

Drummer Tim Gilles won the Daily Telegraph Young Composer of the Year Award in 1992 at the age of 12 and has gone on to work with Stan Sulzmann, Iain Ballamy, Julian Arguelles,and Tom Arthurs as well co-leading his award winning group Fraud with saxophonist James Alsop

In 2016 he formed the Free Improvisation Trio Bad Ash with Mark Sanders (Drums) and Mark Lewandowski (Double Bass), the group toured the Uk with support from The Arts Council Of England with collaborations along the way with Matthew Bourne, Paul Dunmall, and Corey Mwamba,Alex Bonney and Nick Malcom.

He also works internationally with Scandinavian Trio Stekpana, Finnish trumpeter and composer Mika Myllari and Tokyo-London Jazz connection with Yutaka Shina (piano).

Londonjazznews.com recently included two of his 2016 concerts in their best of year performances.

A Committed Educator, Ed is currently a Principal Lecturer on the Undergraduate and Post Graduate Jazz and Popular Music Courses at Leeds College Of Music and Saxophone/Ensemble tutor for The Yamaha Jazz Summer School at Falmouth University."

-Ed Jones Website (https://www.edjonesjazz.co.uk/about)
9/3/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Emil Karlsen is a Norwegian improvising drummer currently based in the UK. Described as a "significant addition to the UK free jazz scene" and an "exceptional improv drummer", he's establishing himself on the improvised music circuit working the span from free improvisation to free jazz. Occupied with the exploring timbral possibilities of the drum kit, he performs with Philipp Wachsmann, Matthew Bourne, Phil Durrant, Maggie Nicols, Ed Jones, and the London Improvisers Orchestra to mention some."

-Emil Karlsen Website (https://emilkarlsen.com/)
9/3/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. I 7:01

2. II 4:32

3. III 4:58

4. IV 5:26

5. V 14:17

6. VI 2:55

7. VII 2:28

8. VIII 0:44

9. IX 8:13

10. X 3:53

11. XI 7:02

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
Jazz
London & UK Improv & Related Scenes
Duo Recordings
Saxophone & Drummer / Percussionist Duos
New in Improvised Music
Recent Releases and Best Sellers

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