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

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.