MARK WINGFIELD

This is improv at its best!

Sometimes things that come without a strict plan give a truly positive result if the magic comes from people who share what they love in total freedom. This time, Wingfield, Reuter and Sirkis have created a wonderful released entitled Lighthouse, which naturally could remind you of "The Stone House", but without the support of bass maestro Yaron Stavi because curiously, this session was recorded first though released second. These three musicians offer here 7 improvisations of music that is not easy to classify, but who cares when you are enjoying what you are listening.

"Zinc" is the first track and there is an evident sound of tension during the whole track, but don't get me wrong, the tension is not between the musicians, it lies on the atmosphere that musical freedom of speech produces. The drums are wonderful, delicious and unstoppable, jazzy all the way, while guitars provide that Crimsonian sound that in moments brings chaos. "Derecho" brings Sirkis explosive drumming, its endless sounds and rhythms keep the listener quite intrigued and waiting for what's next, those drums are in fact hypnotic. The sounds provided by guitar and touch guitar are both amazing but chaotic, creating a complex combo that after 5 minutes slow down a little bit just to re-plan the upcoming passage.

"Ghost Light" is a much calmer improv. Here the guitars bring soundscapes that may allow us to label this song as an ambient one, remembering some of Reuter's solo albums but also that inherent King Crimson influence he has. After the chaos and tension of the first tracks, this one provides deep relaxing moments. So take a breath, close you eyes and enjoy the trip (which is long but pleasant, by the way). Another long track is "Magnetic", but it is superb! It progresses little by little bringing countless nuances and taking again those jazzy drums blend with the soundscapes and a kind of organ that sounds as background creating a drone atmosphere. Crimsonian guitars appear here and there and the chaos somehow is back.

"A Hand in the Dark" is a much shorter improv and to be honest, I think it is my least favorite track; maybe it had to be longer to reach the depth I needed to get engaged with it. "Transverse Wave" could have been the second part of its predecessor, but this is to my ears, more interesting and even deep. Wingfield's guitar is soft and smooth, while the touch guitar appears here and there creating a nice relaxing communion. It flows wonderfully and gives us a cool break.

The last track is "Surge", which despite being the shortest of the album, it is so powerful, jazz-rock-prog improv that make us even shake our heads in some moments. Not my favorite track, but a cool way to finish this amazing blend of improvised textures.

Enjoy it!

This is one of those different albums created by some magical minds that decided to gather together in order to reach complete freedom and find a complement of their tastes, in one single day at the studio. Four musicians from the Moonjune Family spent a day at Spain, united forces and decided to do this album entitled The Stone House, which consists simply in six different improvisations that were recorded one day, while playing without a script, no previous compositions nor rehearsals, so this is the result of a moment of empathy and wizardry in which guitar monsters Mark Wingfield and Markus Stauss, shared affinities with extraordinary bass player Yaron Stavi and awesome drummer Asaf Sirkis.

"Rush" opens the album, it is a 12-minute trip in which we will find from atmospheric sounds, Crimsonian-motifs and rock elements, to jazzy nuances, psych hints and of course, some electronic textures. What the four musicians use to play on their personal projects can be found here, creating a extraordinary amalgam that let us know how capable they are to adapt to each other's likes. The piece never sounds uneven, and all of the musicians have their shot at some moment; no selfishness here. "Four Moons" is the shortest impro here. The guys delight us with a kind of atmospheric tension that naturally flows. There are some prog hints here and spacey atmospheres, but this time Wingfield's guitar is what more attracted my attention.

"Silver" is one of my preferred pieces, I like how dynamic it is and how well they get along, seems they had been working together for years, actually it sounds like a real composition, so go figure. Didn't find it east to categorize, however, I think prog rock and jazz fusion fans would be pleased with this song and album. No boundaries can be found here, all of the musicians seem to be comfortable with what they do, which is why the music has some crescendos and climax, despite being an improvisation. Amazing! "Fjords de Catalunya" brings the words ambient and experimental to my mind. It is a softer track but a bit darker at the same time, there are some quiet moments, maybe relaxing, but ironically, maybe disturbing. I imagine the musicians having a moment of introspection, playing with eyes closed and taking a deep breath.

With "Tarasque" drums play with several figures, producing a kind of nervous sound that is nicely contrasted by soundscapes and guitars. The bass plays some fast notes that in moments sound as nervous as the drums, like chaotic passages in which one does not know what will happen next. The last minutes are strange, some noises and the improvisation simply vanishes. The album finishes with "Bona Nit Señor Rovira", which happens to be the longest track. Bass and drums mark the rhythm while guitars put the riffs and the atmospheres. The minutes pass and seem to be a new chaotic passage in which all of them share heavy sounds but then, all of a sudden it calms down and starts again. Calm for some seconds but explosive for most of the moments. The musicians are having fun, playing a nice game of improvisations, but they all are responsible of giving the listener quality sounds and forms, and believe me, they know how to do it. This final track has lots of changes, but I assure your attention will never be lost.

A very good album! This is a nice way to show how 4 minds can create interesting improvisations.

Enjoy it!

This recent Moonjune release is a delicious journey to two virtuoso's minds, two great musicians that decided to show their compatibility and put it on a record. This is also an example of the label's essence: music without boundaries. Moonjune Records has managed to find top-notch musicians from all over the world whose creativity had to be discovered by curious minds.

Though the name of Gary Husband takes us to other names such as McLaughlin or Holdsworth, I have to say that the name of Mark Winkfield takes me immediately to the previously mentioned label. This guitar player is so exquisite, I can tell by all the works I already know, and this time, it is great to know he has teamed up with Husband, and just as I expected, the result was quite satisfactory.

'Tor & Vale' is the name of this album, a long expedition into both players deepest connections. It is a place where they could improvise, float and flow, where the experimentation is always present, full of textures and nuances, a work that can be truly enchanting if you allow it. This realm consists of 8 tracks, 5 of them are Wingfield's compositions, while the other 3, improvs.

Don't expect heavy or fast music here, their virtuosity is not of that kind, here they create countless passages that work as conversations, both players talk, discuss, become tense, make peace, and restart again. A wonderful carousel in which we all would want to be part of. We can appreciate how good chemistry they have while listening to 'Kittiwake', the opener track, while in 'The Golden Thread' the freedom they have is quite evident, it is like being with someone you blindly trust, make plans and achieve goals.

It is important to be intuitive and let the talent flow, something we can appreciate in 'Night Song', a short track where Wingfield's guitar explores and experiments guided by Husband's notes and silences. But there is an epic moment here: 'To & Vale', the title track, a 16-minute improvisation that, if they wanted, could have lasted longer, I think. Though Husband's piano work is much appreciated in the jazz realm, here we can take notice of his wide musical elements, he is such a big player who plays not only with hands, but with soul, spirit and heart. In this long track we are taken into a deep trip, just like life, some bright moments, some dark passages, and even some doubtful ones.

'Shape of Light' is a beautiful track, one of my favorites, but let me say something important, it is required to be in a place where noises disappear, that perfect place is called headphones, however, you could also listen in a nice room far from street noises, so you can better appreciate the charm of the music. But another great thing is how they can change the atmospheres from one track to another, it can be noticed while listening to the 'Tryfan', a quite progressive song that will make you go from jazz to avant-garde, there is even a tango-esque passage on there, to my ears.

The long journey continues with another long improv: 'Silver Sky', another piece that shows how the couple is still in love, still having a conversation and putting the instruments in an intimate mood. It is not a secret they enjoy what they do and enjoy how the person next to them does. Finally, 'Vaquita' waves goodbye to us, but not after producing our final smiles.

An excellent album, but it might be not easy to dig at first, so be open minded, make sure you've got the best conditions surrounding you and enjoy it.

Wingfield's musical compositions are a bit avant garde and were studied in Contemporary Music Department of Goldsmith College in London.

When you listen to this work, you immediately notice that Wingfield's style is far different from Holdsworth's one. Wingfield has an acid timbre and uses a lot of high strident notes, which were never used by Holdsworth, who was more warm and melodic. But in the phrases we can find some analogies, mostly in the more intimate songs as "Loking Back at The Amber Lit House", even if there are less powerchords than in Hodlsworth compositions.

Wingfield is assisted by proficient musicians as Asaf Sirkis on Drums, Dominique Vantomme on synth and Yaron Stavi on bass, but in this work he leaves only a little space to his musicians, who create a comfortable carpet of sound where he can express his music.

The entire album is pervaded by a mood of anxiety, fear, uneasiness and melancholic onirical sceneries. Rarely there's a ray of light, and if... it's almost that unfamiliar one which forces you to the awakening.

The album is generally very impressive, but not quite easy to approach. Reccomended to lovers who like to deepen in not usual sounds and harmonizations, however highly fascinating!

For the last couple of years I've been introduced to the Moonjune Records catalogue, which features amazing musicians & bands from around the world whose music offers high quality in the jazz / rock / experimental scene; music that without a doubt, should expand horizons. One of the latest artists I was introduced to is Mark Wingfield, who in 2014 recorded and released "Proof of Light", a 9-track album in which Wingfield shares credits with Yaron Stavi on bass, and Asaf Sirkis on drums.

The album opens with "Mars Shaffron", which shows a nice jazz rock (rockier than jazzier) where guitars put a kind of heavy sound which is complemented by drums and bass. After a minute, the music slows down a bit and now the jazz side is much more evident, Wingfield's guitar now produces endless different notes, but I can't say it is a solo, no, it simply gives power to the guitar and let it guide us. I like a lot the use of keyboards as background, and the great bass base during the whole track. All of a sudden, the second song entitled "Restless Mountain" begins. The mood seems to be alike the opener, but in moments it explodes and for a split second becomes heavier and faster, however, it always returns to a mid-tempo rhythm where guitar stands out. In moments, drums also explode and give us entertaining passages.

I am not sure if this might enter into the fusion realm, I would say no, I would describe it more like experimental jazz, maybe avant-garde where guitars are the main act, but are wonderfully complemented by bass, drums and keyboards. Honestly, it took me at least three listens to dig the album and found its pure beauty, which can be perceived in "The Way to Etretat", a beautiful 7-minute song. It is a melodic tune, quite dreamy in moments, where bass delights us with a solo while drums are constant and in the right place.

The names of Allan Holdsworth or John Abercrombie might come to your head in some moments, I think Wingfield's guitar sound has some reminiscences of those legendary guitar players, though of course, Mark produces his own and particular style. "A Conversation we Had" is the next track. Let me tell you that the album itself is like "a conversation", because the style is pretty similar in all the songs, of course there are highs and lows, there are changes, but it has a unique essence; it is like having a 53-minute conversation with Mark Wingfield.

What I cannot deny, is that my enthusiasm towards that conversation was not in the same level during those 53 minutes; there were moments where I felt a bit bored (sorry, I can't lie) and was expecting a surprise, something really different to light me up. "A Thousand Faces" is the shortest track, here the guitar makes constant soft changes, but in the end, I could not find the thousand faces after all.

On the other hand, "Voltaic" is the longest composition, the most powerful and my favorite of the album. Since the very first second we listen to an explosive sound, heavier tunes, fast moments, dramatic turbulences covered by a sensual jazz atmosphere. After a minute, it slows down, the wind blows and a kind of tense and doubting passage appears. I am not sure if this was an improvisation or a true composition, because the musicians seem to be free, seem to be enjoying their brief craziness. "Summer's Night Story" has a juicy in moments delicious sound, but I sometimes feel Wingfield and the guys could add more power to the music, which is gentle and soft, but lacks of a persuasive element that make you feel caught and with no exit. I mean, it is not difficult to be distracted by another non-album sound, it is not difficult to skip the song, and it is too difficult to remember it.

Of course, this album and its songs are not memorable song, I think that is not the aim, but I would have loved to find that element that made me think of it as a unique release, as a work or art. "Koromo's Tale" is a soft piece that starts with bass playing the main role, while drums and guitars produced softer sounds. Despite the bass is what most caught my attention here, it is evident that Wingfiled's guitar is the official album's guide. Finally, "Proof of Light" is another great song, one of the two or three I really loved. It is evident that to my likes, I prefer more the faster-heavier-rockier moments, and this last song is one of them.

A very good album, it is something different, nothing to do with the regular jazz album, which is great because it means the artist has something diverse to tell; however, I am not a devoted, and can't qualify this album as a memorable one.

Enjoy it!

What an amazing album!

Well, it's been a great journey since I was invited to discover Moonjune's family, it's been pleasant to know low- profile musicians from around the world whose talent is huge, and even more pleasant to see those musicians playing in each other's records, just as it happens here in this superb Mark Wingfield album, who is supported by Yaron Stavi on bass and Asaf Sirkis on drums, along with Dominique Vantomme as a guest synth player in some tracks.

My previous Wingfield's experiences have always given me good moments, starting with 'Proof of Light' and the improv collaborations with Reuter, Sirkis and Stavi, this British axe-man is something serious, he has a personal touch that brings the listener delicious and innovative sounds that can be perceived on this 10-song album full of different realms such as jazz, prog and rock. The beauty starts since the very first second of 'The Fifth Window', with a jazzy and experimental guitar that sometimes cries and sometimes invents some odd tones that are amazingly complemented by the Stavi-Sirkis fort, musicians that are not only professional, but friends, and believe me, this great friendship has given really positive results.

'I Wonder How Many Times I've Fallen' has a darker sound, I even perceive a kind of mid-eastern sound as background. The musicians develop solid arrangements and all of them show their huge talent and understanding. After minute two there is a pause, a kind of dramatic moment where Stavi's fretless takes the wheel and then they re-start the trip. Two minutes later is Sirkis who stands with amazing drums, letting us know that the 3 are equally important. 'The Way to Hemingford Grey' is another wonderfully crafted piece that shares a diversity of colors and emotions. I like how it powerfully starts and then calms down, changing the direction and returning, changing and returning once again. It is a great trip, yeah!

'Sunlight Cafe' keeps surprising us with Wingfield's style, man, it is really great to listen to his amazing tones, melodic but challenging, I don't listen to someone doing this very often, to be honest. The complexity of the songs don't really give you catchy moments, however, I am sure there are passages you will easily remember. 'Looking Back at the Ambert Lit House' is a soft and delicate track that features a delicious synth solo by Dominique Vantomme, it is great to listen to his keys because they add atmospheres that does not harm at all the work of the band, in fact, is a very positive complement. I love Sirkis' solos during the album, he can be heavier but refined, an authentic maestro.

The great journey continues with 'This Place Up Against the Sky' in which the band return with various changes that share a plethora of nuances and textures, the sound is simply captivating, delicious, amazing to see the three guys playing different roads but sticking together as one. The song makes a sudden stop at minute 5 and vanishes with a mysterious sound. Then, some steps can be heard, meaning we are now listening to 'At a Small Hour of the Night'. Soundscapes can be appreciated here, reminding me a bit of some Crimsonian textures. The track's development is slow, again mysterious and even relaxing if you ask me, however, it might be a bit difficult to feel embraced, at least in the first listen (it happened to me). By the way, this is the only track of the album whose credits are not by Wingfield alone, but by the 3 sirs.

'A Wind Blows Down Turnpike Lane' returns to the let's say classic sound of the trio in a comprised way, I mean, this is the shortest composition but the sound and the musicianship is always rich and captivating. With 'Ten Mile Bank' an emotional sound appears, guiding our senses to a new exciting journey. Open you ears and soul, and I bet you will feel enchanted but this track's charm, that includes once again, a wonderful collaboration by Vantomme.

The album finishes with 'The Green-Faced Timekeepers' which to my ears could work as a movie soundtrack. The musicianship is outstanding once again, and in the end they surprise us with the only vocals on the album. Great! Wingfield's style is one-of-a-kind and I feel fortunate to have been introduced to it. Spectacular album that you should not miss!