Mark Wingfield

Mark is one of the most original and distinctive electric guitarists today. His improvising is always compelling, continually inventive and melodically uplifting. His guitar playing is steeped in the language of jazz, with influences such as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett and Jan Garbarek as well as rock players such as Jimi Hendrix.

Other often eclectic influences such as Indian, Japanese and African music also feature strongly in Mark’s playing. These influences are fused with jazz and western classical music, and seamlessly integrated into a unique and highly distinctive musical voice. On his CD Fallen Cities, he collaborated with Lebanese singer Samia Afra, and continued his interest in non-western forms, working and performing with Turkish musicians such as Gökhan Özyavuz in Istanbul as well as Zambian musician KT Lumpa.

Mark’s interest in music technology came to the fore when he was asked to join ResRocket, a band made upof respected musicians from around the world who, using ground breaking software, played together live over the internet. As a core member of ResRocket Mark played with such lumaniries as Peter Gabriel, Tricky, Matt Black, Dave Stewart, and Todd Rundgren. As well as recording an album, the band toured playing London, Paris, LA, Oslo and elsewhere. During concerts some of the members were on stage while others played live over the internet projected on giant screens on stage. Almost every aspect of this band was a “world first”, truly ground breaking on every level.

As a jazz guitarist Mark has played widely in Europe and has just released his fifth CD, Guitar Encryptions on the Dark Energy Muisc label (Also available for download on iTunes, Napster and Rhapsody).

Composition

His compositions were recently the subject of a lecture at Goldsmiths College London to mark the opening of its new Contemporary Music Department and have also been featured in lectures and workshops at The Royal College of Music London, Trinity College of Music London and Dartington College of Arts music department.

The growing interest in his work has led to commissions for the BMIC’s Cutting Edge Series, SPNM’s Sound Source, the European Commission funded Waterways Celebration, Jane Chapman, Elaine Funaro, Geoffrey Burgess, McFall’s Chamber and others. Mark is quickly establishing himself as a new and unique composing voice in the U.K.

Teaching Mark runs guitar master classes and workshops with his unique teaching methods at major locations around the UK. Mark recently gave a workshop at the prestigious Trinity College of Music in London, has co-written a lecture for Goldsmiths College London. Has has received accolades from: Aric Rubin (writer from Guitar Player Magazine’s Master Series). Jon Finn (Senior guitar instructor at Berklee School of Music Boston U.S.) as well as from the many students of his acclaimed workshops.

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Album Review

Proof of Light by Glenn Astarita

Mark's album The Stone House was awarded a Downbeat Magazine Masterpiece album last year Tor & Vale the duo album with Gary Husband was awarded the JazzWise Critic’s Choice best albums of the year. Mark has received over 300 rave reviews on his albums worldwide.

"One of the new guitar heroes of the 21st Century, Mark Wingfield has already amassed a sizeable (and diverse) discography in the past decade... sonic conceptualist and harmonic idealist... composer and bandleader, creating memorable compositions that sound like nothing that’s been heard before, fusing elements of fusion and progressive rock with a surprising penchant for melodic ideation... his staggering technical acumen is on full display while, at the same time, always serving the music. The world needs more guitar heroes like Mark Wingfield.” - John Kelman, All About Jazz

"One of the new guitar heroes of the 21st Century, Mark Wingfield has already amassed a sizeable (and diverse) discography in the past decade. But it’s been his more recent work with MoonJune Records where he’s really opened up to show just how truly capable he is as a linear thinker, a sonic conceptualist and harmonic idealist... Wingfield also demonstrated his mettle as a composer and bandleader, creating memorable compositions that sound like nothing that’s been heard before, fusing elements of fusion and progressive rock with a surprising penchant for melodic ideation. With his many successes and innovations... his staggering technical acumen is on full display while, at the same time, always serving the music. The world needs more guitar heroes like Mark Wingfield.” - John Kelman, All About Jazz

“XXI Century guitar manifesto. Mark Wingfield is a guitar genius.” - Marcello Nardi, Italian journalist.

“Adventurous sonic explorer, forward thinking guitar innovator.” - Bill Milkowski, American journalist.

“Spectacularly talented.” - Alex Skolnick, heavy metal guitar icon.

"Since discovering genius guitarists Jimi Hendrix, Terje Rypdal and Allan Holdsworth, some decades ago, no other guitarist, old or young, known or unknown, shook my senses more than Mark Wingfield. His adventurous, pioneering guitar work transports listeners to destinations previously un- reachable, he is among the instrument's most radically unconventional practitioners and its most forward-thinking tone architects. An innovative guitar impressionist who carries an unprecedented expansion of the electric guitar's sonic palette of sounds and expressions into further uncharted dimen- sions. Mark Wingfield is a guitar poet." - Leonardo Pavkovic, MoonJune Records NYC

Mark Wingfield has forged that rare thing, a unique voice on the instrument. He has become one of the most acclaimed and written about jazz guitarists in recent years with well over 300 rave reviews world-wide. Inspired as much by saxophonists and singers (such as John Coltrane, Jan Garbarek and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) as by guitarists, Mark's approach is 'voice like' in it's use of tone, nuance and phrasing. As a composer Mark has been commissioned to write pieces for renowned classical musicians such as Kathryn Stott and Jane Chapman.

Critical acclaim for Mark's work has been widespread. His album The Stone House was awarded a Downbeat Magazine Masterpiece Album of the Year, Downbeat is the world's most widely read and respected jazz magazine. He was also featured soloist on a Dwiki Dharmawan album which also received this coveted award. He has been featured in many of the worlds top jazz and guitar magazines and websites in the US and around the world including three interviews in Guitar Player Magazine and a feature in Downbeat Magazine. He has had two feature interviews in the world's most widely read jazz site All About Jazz. Mark has had two interviews in Innerviews.org, widely regarded as the world's foremost site for jazz and progressive music interviews.

Mark has played and recorded with many great jazz musicians on both sides of the Atlantic including, Gary Husband, Iain Ballamy, Gilad Atzmon, Kevin Kastning, Markus Reuter, Asaf Sirkis, Thomas Stronen, Yaron Stavi, Nicolas Meier as well great musicians in other parts of the world such as Dewa Budjana, Sandor Szabo, Kamal Musallam and Dwiki Dharmawan.

Mark records on the New York City jazz label MoonJune Records as well as the Boston based Greydisc label and his albums receive regular airplay on jazz stations across the USA and Europe. He has released 18 albums to date.

Quotes about Mark Wingfield:

"Wingfield’s guitar as a piercing, darting, spectral sound full of artful glissandi... heat and light, airiness and cool breezes... ethereal openness, the guitarist seemingly winging it but really guiding the song’s intricate contours... full of life from a generous spirit" Downbeat * * * * *

"Wingfield possesses the goods to be a world-beater... sparking vivid notions that the guitar is an extension of his soul.... Astounding virtuosity and unique voice." All About Jazz

"Wingfield has created a unique electric guitar vocabulary... his playing is characteristically deep, nuanced, and inventive." Guitar Player Magazine

Expressiveness and singing lines.... distinctive, pitching bending, now wailing, now growling sound stretching out slow moving melodies... The themes and melodic lines hint at music from a myriad of cultures... Full of energy and emotion... will want to have this album on repeat." LondonJazz News

"A truly individual style, something to say beyond technique..." "ridiculously gifted craftsmen" " isn't only impressive, it's also entertaining- you simply never know what sonic treat is around the next corner." Relix Magazine (NYC USA)

"This is wonderful in every way... Makes its way into the world of elite musical recordings" "Supreme performance from start to finish... This gets a very high recommendation from me, as I was glued to every second of the music." Art Rockin Magazine (USA)

"The vocal dimension that's so central to Wingfield's playing. His lines undulate melismatically much like a singer's, and the cry of his playing exudes an emotional immediacy characteristic of the human voice." Textura (Ontario Canada)

"Wingfield's style is one-of-a-kind" Prog Archives + The Rockologist

Mark's approach to composition has been compared to "ECM's golden years". As Glenn Astarita writes in All About Jazz "Quietly soaring by design, casting an ECM Records-type aesthetic".

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Primary Instrument

Guitar, electric

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

Mark Wingfield has been acknowledged by countless music critics, on both sides of the atlantic, as one of the world’s foremost guitarists. In 2014 he joined the famed MoonJune Records alongside the legendary Allan Holdsworth, Tony Levin and John Etheridge. Dark Energy Music is proud to facilitate Mark’s teaching practice offering pre-recorded video lessons and one-on-one Skype tuition. He teaches via Skype, contact him on his website to arrange a lesson: http://www.markwingfield.com/teaching/