kev rowland Wingfield’s newest album, ‘Tales From The Dreaming City’, in many ways follows straight on from his previous solo album, 2015’s ‘Proof Of Light’. In between the two he had worked on other releases, but here he is back again with bassist Yaron Stavis and drummer Asaf Sirkis, as well as special guest synth performer Domonique Vantomme who features on three of the songs. Although it is directly related in many ways to ‘Proof’, here it is just more, in every way. The warmth of the bass and staccato of the drums contrasts with the fluidity of the guitar, as Wingfield continues to push sonic boundaries in what is expected from the instrument, as well as showing that when the occasion is right he can shred with the best of them.

While Holdsworth and Metheny are still major influences, added to that can be Steve Hillage, Adrian Belew and Steve Vai, all blending together in a style that is very much his own. This is music that is pushing the boundaries of what one expects from fusion, at times moving more into Avant and RIO territory, but always returning back. But although Wingfield is often the lead melodic voice, it is the interplay with all the others that makes this album what it is, with everyone taking centre stage when the time is right. This is music that captivates the listener and takes them on a journey, leaving them breathless when reality once again kicks in. These guys continue to weave their magic spell, and some segments are so beautiful the listener is filled with emotion. As with everything I have ever heard from this incredible guitarist, this is definitely worth hearing.

kev rowland Over the years, Wingfield has built up a considerable reputation for being one of the most interesting and dynamic fusion guitarists around, and this 2015 release finds him yet again exploring the outer reaches of what sounds can be achieved on an electric guitar. That he has been influenced by Holdsworth is never in doubt, while the fluidity of Metheny is very much in play, along with some sounds more normally connected with Reuter. In fact, the other two people involved in this 2015 release are bassist Yaron Stavis and drummer Asaf Sirkis, and the three of them would soon join together with Markus Reuter to release the wonderful ‘The Stone House’.

Recorded in just two days, this is music that can only be created when everyone is totally confident in their own ability, and in each other’s, so that the music just flows like a river. All three at times appear to be following totally different musical paths, yet somehow it all connects together in manner that is full of space and light. All three are listening to the input of the others, while also creating something that is vibrant and dynamic. Sometimes the ears become distracted by the way that Stavis is creating his own melody, or Sirkis is driving though in a totally different manner, and focusses on them as the lead instrument before coming back to Wingfield. There are complete sections where he allows the others to take the lead and he hardly pays at all, waiting the right moment to come back in. The guitar stylings are quite unlike what many other musicians are producing, and the result is a distinctive sound that is refreshing, beguiling, innovative and entrancing, all at the same time.

kev rowland Recorded during the same sessions that resulted in the release of the highly critically acclaimed 'Stone House', 'Lighthouse' again finds guitarist Mark Wingfield working with Markus Reuter (touch guitars) and Asaf Sirkis on drums. However, this time they have worked as a trio, so there is no room for bassist Yaron Stavi who appeared on the first album. Recorded in a single day, what we have here are three musicians, all at the very top of their game, who are challenging the preconceived ideas of music, and are bouncing off each other in what must have been an incredibly frenetic and inspiring environment.

Markus most often plays the role of lynch pin, holding the music into some semblance of constraint, while Mark rolls into multiple musical tangents as his fingers and mind wanders, finding their way through the maze of their mind, and then there is Asaf. The man is a multi-joined octopus, who hands and legs obviously do not belong to the same body, and I was intrigued to discover just how many times my attention was being drawn from what many would think was the lead instrument, and was instead marvelling at the complexity and many different styles he was bringing to the party.

This is jazz, it is fusion, it is progressive in its very truest sense, and is totally off the wall. This won't be for everyone, but to my mind and ears there is something incredibly special about this album, where the three of them are improvising both against and with each other, taking their instruments the limit of musicality. A stunning release.

js On their previous album, “The Stonehouse”, guitarists Mark Wingfield and Markus Reuter introduced a sort of free form improv approach to jazz fusion that was backed by the rhythm section of Asaf Sirkis on drums and Yaron Stavi on bass. On their new one, “Lighthouse”, they feature a similar musical approach, only this time there is no bass as Wingfield, Reuter and Sirkis wing it as an improvising trio. This smaller bass-less lineup changes the music somewhat as they are now a little less anchored and are able to drift further from their jazz-rock roots and more into free improvisation without a set groove. Whether or not this is an improvement may be a matter of personal preference.

“Lighthouse” opens strong with the rampaging fusion rock of “Zinc”. Although there is no ‘bass’ per se, Reuter’s TouchGuitar provides a massive bottom for Wingfield’s soaring guitar solo. The huge psychedelic sound being served up by only three people is very impressive. Follow up fusion cooker, “Derecho”, keeps the energy flowing until they settle into some ambient drift on “Ghost Light”. This first ambient number works fairly well as Wingfield plays mournful melodies over Reuter’s shifting psychedelic backdrop, but subsequent returns to this sort of atmosphere that appear later on the album don’t have quite the same focus. Track four, “Magnetic”, starts with an abstract jazzy beat and some crackling solos before they settle back into drifting mode, this will continue until they get to the final number. The album closes with the noisy hard rock of “Surge”, which starts strong but never really settles.

The opening four tracks of “Lighthouse” are the best and should appeal to fans of this sort of free form psychedelic fusion, but the later tracks just don’t have the same impact. It’s a bold endeavor for these guys to step up and start flailing away without any set blueprint, there are bound to be some ups and downs

js Most jazz fans are well aware of ‘free jazz’, which has, over the years, become quite common, but on “The Stone House”, Mark Wingfield and Markus Reuter bring something a little less frequented, free fusion. There is some precedent for the idea of free jazz rock/fusion to be found in some albums by Sonny Sharrock, Miles’ live Fillmore sessions, early Lifetime with Tony Williams, Larry Young and McLaughlin, as well as in-between-song jam sessions by fusion influenced rockers King Crimson. Still, such improvs are rare, simply because free fusion can be a risky endeavor. Whereas the free jazz musician is welcome to ignore a regular beat or any melodic content, the free fusion musician has a narrower tightrope to walk as most fusion fans expect some kind of groove, as well as some recognizable solo licks and melodies. To this end, much of “Stone House” is a total success as Mark, Marcus and crew come up with jams that are imaginative and free-wheeling, yet often very musical and a real rockin kick to listen to. At their very best, the two guitarists become a dream team of soaring psychedelic fret work, along the lines of what it would have sounded like if Pete Cosey could have teamed up with Robert Fripp. In between the more magical moments, there is the sort of searching that one could expect from a free improvisation like this, but usually it doesn’t take this crew too long to find what they are looking for. It also sounds like there was a certain amount of post jam editing to single out the best moments, but I may be wrong on that.

Opening track “Rush” contains some of the hottest moments, after the band discards a couple of grooves that don’t click. Once they find the right one, they are off for some very exciting psychedelic screaming fusion guitar work, backed by nimble syncopated rhythms from drummer Asaf Sirkis and bassist Yaron Stavi. The following track plods a bit on a generic rock beat, but number 3, “Silver”, picks up the pace and finds the two guitarists intertwining on some very Frippian intersecting guitar lines. “Fjords de Catalunya” is floating ambient sounds that work really well. Track 5, “Tarasque”, has the band in search mode, followed by some frantic moments, seems the band loses some cohesion on this one. They end the CD strong with “Bona Nit Senor Rovira”, which opens with some intense rocking, followed by more blissful melodic ambience.

There are some really great extended moments on “The Stonehouse”, some of the guitar work is far more imaginative than your average fusion jam, but the listener may also find some moments that find the band in search mode, which is to be expected from a session like this. Overall, a much better CD than I would have expected given the premise it is based on.