Mark Wingfield - Proof of Light

There are guitarists that take their instruments into higher levels and higher boundaries. Guitarists that go up into different areas and infinite worlds with their instruments into virtuosity and hypnotic sounds from the realms of Frank Zappa, Alex Lifeson, Allan Holdsworth, Jimi Hendrix, and John McLaughlin. And there is one guitar player that is having me on the edge of my seat with his new album, Proof of Light, on his debut on the MoonJune label, the person is Mark Wingfield.

Mark’s music on here, gives it an imaginative, spiritual, beauty, and uplifting quality that is very touching and powerful and his guitar is bringing those ideas to those infinite worlds to see where he would go to next. And also alongside Mark Wingfield, there are; upright bassist Yaron Stavi and drummer Asaf Sirkis to come along the journey for the listener to go into the adventures as if they are helping the person go on this brilliant journey by searching for the inner self and searching for the light at the end of the tunnel.

There are nine compositions on the album that Mark wrote and composed. And right from the start and into the very end, it is almost like a film score for the IMAX films that could have been used in the concepts of the minds of the human body, the Grand Canyon, or climbing the top of Mount Everest and the music itself is a wonderful touch that he has come into the table with. And also, not to mention, embarking on the four highlights on the album to be notice for on what the trio brings.

The 8-minute Voltaic starts off as a ‘60s introduction as Mark goes into a ‘60s wavy sound before going into a Frank Zappa movement. Then, it becomes an Avant-Jazz intense workout from the trio as it becomes an ominous, sinister, droning sound that is very nightmarish at times. Featuring crescendo drumming from Sirkis and the Hendrix-sque wah-wah sound, Stavis upright bass creates some of the ideas as he helps Mark out before it goes into a King Crimson-sque finale.

And then before it ends, it goes back the ‘60s mystery mode as an ending. The opener, Mars Saffron, starts off with a Steve Hackett meets Alex Lifeson introduction. It is almost straight out of the sessions for Voyage of the Acolyte as Mark goes into an ascending sound to create mysterious beauty on here to go into those cavernous places and discover what is underneath the tunnels and the wonders of the structures inside.

Then, the trio goes into a relaxing and harmonizing composition on A Conversation We Had. It helps give Mark, Yaron, and Asaf a chance to loosen up on this piece and it has this elevating rhythm while the guitar and upright bass play the melody together. Both Wingfield and Stavi creating the different moods and the altitudes between the two of them and seeing what will happen next. Summer’s Night Story begins with an introduction that is almost out of Roxy Music’s piece, Triptych.

It has a medieval flavor with a jazzy twist to it almost like a ballad before he gives Asaf a chance to shine. Asaf is really powerful going through on his drumkit in the styles of Elvin Jones while Yaron Stavi’s bass goes into the Coltrane-sque ballad on his solo and then back into the closing section of the trio combining as one. The album features liner notes done by Anil Prasad of Innerviews: Music without Borders in which he talks to Mark Wingfield about the making of the album and the concepts behind it.

This is Mark’s vital release this year for his debut on the MoonJune label. And while this is my introduction to his work and listening of the album about four times now, it shows that he could absolutely give the energy and power. And with Proof of Light, it is the album to really sink into those ideas and a supreme touch for Mark, Yaron, and Asaf by giving it a cultivated approach. A journey to the explorations on what is about to come next for him.