Frank Wingold Solo

8 Standards, 1 own composition and 6 free improvisations on 7 string guitars, no overdubs, pure playing!
I’m very proud to present the results of several years of polyphonic, multi-layered solo guitar research.

– – – – CD OF THE MONTH in ‚Gitarre & Bass‘ Magazine April 2021 – – – – click to read

– – – – CD OF THE MONTH in ‚JazzPodium‘ May 2021 – – – – click to read

– – – – CD OF THE WEEK SWR 2 May 2021 – – – – click to read

– – – – Feature in ‚Gitarre & Bass‘ Juni 2021 – – – – click to read

– – – – Feature in ‚Akustikgitarre‘ Oktober 2021 – – – – click to  read

Wingold acts like a pianist, completely eliminating the classic roles between bass, melody and chords and is ‚just frank‘.
JazzThing April 2021

… and so on his first solo album he bundled nine old and new standards and six of his own improvisations into an incredible firework of unleashed joy in playing: After just a few bars you are almost overwhelmed by the orchestral density and „polyphony“ of his daring sound architectures, which interweave melody, harmony and bass lines acrobatically in a way that has never been heard before on a live solo instrument. His stylistic approach is also very independent and innovative and opens up new harmonic spheres for jazz, especially in his improvisations: a phenomenal string rally!
Attila Csampai – Hifi & Records

Whether arranged or improvised, whether jazzy or with classical echoes, Frank Wingold explores many emotional states on his solo album and combines high virtuosity with the claim to want to entertain.
Bernhard Jugel – BR5 Kulturnachrichten

This is a challenge that requires unparalleled technical and musical-compositional expertise, without gags and gimmicks, without any safety net or second bottom. Wingold was looking for this challenge, accepted it – a solo program of 15 own pieces, standards and improvisations – and passed it summa cum laude: a masterpiece, modern solo jazz guitar of Olympic format

At the beginning of „The Song Is You“ the dense palette is laid out, pearly singelines held together or underlaid by incredibly cleverly placed changes or dizzying arpeggios. Literally everything is there: the finger stylist’s box of tricks, the pianist’s left and right hand, scruggs rolls, redneck C&W, precise timing – guitar jazz in flawless perfection and a stupendous inventive maturity. In “It Might As Well Be Spring” the sovereign classical guitarist seems to be at work and nothing happens here for virtuosity but everything for the sake of the guitar, where it is completely itself and breathes in tradition, contemporaneity and a tomorrow without the fetish for electronics, freezing cold and anarchy. „Escapade“ offers great mastery of modern dissonant noble harmonies. “I’ll Be Seeing You” opens up deep insights into the secret of Wingold’s mastery. And last but not least, six improvisations range from the daring etude (and the simultaneity of searching and finding) to the drama of an economical, stylish nod in the direction of Andalusia with a few prancing voices towards even more reduction to the essentials. 

In short: solo jazz guitar for connoisseurs of the highest craftsmanship and musical delicacy.
Alexander Schmitz, Journalist and Author of  „Das Gitarrenbuch“, „Jazzgitarristen“, „Die Gitarre“

You can hear how cleverly each one, even the smallest note of all compositions, has been worked out. But it is important that there is still a lot of space and air, freedom and fire in this music! A recording that surprises in its wealth of form and technology and at the same time is full of harmony, very elaborate and above all – extraordinary.
jazz-fun.de

 Download Promo text english
Download Promo text deutsch

Click on cover to view booklet with liner notes:

to be frank - cover

Comments are closed