THE GATHERING

Review originally posted at www.therocktologist.com

This is yet another great work where creativity, improvisation and a wide experience gather.

Mark Wingfield is an artist I've been following for the past 5 years or so, due to his link to Moonjune Records (thanks Leo for introducing me to his work), and everytime I approach one of his albums, I keep feeling surprised.

The surprise comes in a positive way, of course, because he and his colleagues always manage to use creativity with no boundaries and deliver a strong musical connection between them, so the sounds are normally attractive, despite their abstract essence. This time is 'The Gathering' the album we are talking about, a long 72-minute record divided in 10 tracks, where Wingfield gathered some monsters from the jazz, rock prog and experimental scene to delight our senses with high quality music.

Of course, it is Wingfield who takes the baton and leads the ship, we can notice it since the very first note of 'The Cockscrew Tower', but it is amazing to witness the experience and creativity of such delicious musicians like Gary Husband (piano, synths), Asaf Sirkis (drums), Tony Levin (bass) and Percy Jones (bass), all together have created a sensorial combo which takes us from one place to another, using a rich palette of colors and sounds.

Each track has a diversity of emotions and it is important to mention the role of soundscapes, because they are guilty of modifying the tracks' mood with their colorful background, and that's also part of Wingfield's sensational creativity. Of course, we will be delighted by each of the musician's personal skills during the tracks, for instance the great fretless work Jones does on 'Stormlight', the delicious drums Sirkis provide on 'Apparition in The Vaults', which also has a sort of Crimson-esque essence, including those great Levin's bass notes. There is a constant feeling of tension in different passages of the tracks, like in 'A Fleeting Glance', which also has a great fretless bass sound, by the way. But there are moments of light and brightness, like the exquisite piano work made by Husband in The Lost Room.

What this bunch of extraordinary musicians do is sharing freedom of speech and creativity, the music is never linear, it's a constant change of shapes and emotions, touching jazz and prog grounds, with the inherent experimental element that runs through the whole album. It's quite an interesting journey, and, why not, a 'Journey Home', because music is a realm where we all (musicians, producers, fans, listeners) belong.

So yeah, albums like these are always received with our arms and senses wide open, so I hope this Gathering continues to surprise us in the future. A fabulous record!

This was originally recorded by the trio of Mark Wingfield (guitar, soundscapes), Gary Husband - synth & piano (all tracks) and drums (tracks 1, 5, 6) and Asaf Sirkis - drums (all tracks) back in 2021 in Spain. It wasn't until 2023 that Leonardo Pavkovic brought in Tony Levin on electric upright bass (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8) and Percy Jones on fretless bass (tracks 2, 4, 9, 10) to add their elements. It is somewhat difficult to comprehend that the recording took place like this, as it appears seamless, with all musicians sounding as if they were in the room at the same time bouncing off each other. All five are very well-known musicians who have played countless gigs and albums, and Wingfield has worked extensively with Sirkis and Husband prior to this so it is no surprise at all at how well this all jells together.

Some of the songs sound improvised, others with more of an underlying structure, and with the basslines being added later when the rest have already been recorded it has allowed Levin and Jones to listen to the arrangements ahead of time, knowing what was happening and what they needed to do to take the track to the next level. This is jazz rock fusion being taken into new levels from musicians who are used to working with others to create new sounds every night. Husband has worked with the likes of John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Markus Reuter and so many other cutting-edge musicians while Sirkis also has an extensive CV, and of course is currently drummer in Soft Machine, while Wingfield has also worked with Reuter, Kevin Kastning and many others. It is these experiences which allows the musicians to let the music flow, to go where it leads them, to not be afraid to go out on a limb and to listen to what is happening and tap into the energy in the room.

This is jazz rock fusion being taken in different directions, where nothing is off limits, and keyboards can provide a backdrop for a stunning bass lead which wasn't even there when the music was originally recorded. This is music which needs to be played on headphones when the listener as the time to do just that and allow the mind to go wherever it will as the sounds take us on an incredible journey.