Bright Dark by Mark Pringle

'Bright Dark’ is the name of a band and album from Berlin-based pianist Mark Pringle, featuring Felix Henkelhausen on double bass and Philip Dornbusch on drums. Introducing occasional electronic elements into an otherwise vibrant acoustic space, the trio dive fearlessly into Pringle’s compositions with open ears, navigating playful rhythmic vamps, weaving delicate tapestries of sound and meditating on lyrical melodies. Taking influence from such diverse sources as Karlheinz Stockhausen, Berlin’s improvised and electronic music scenes, launderettes and purple fruit, the group’s sound is characterised by dynamic interplay, expressing itself emotively, urgently and reflectively.

‘Bright Dark’ can be interpreted both as a pair of opposites and as descriptive (can something dark possess a quality of brightness?), a conundrum which is played out in the music, where sparks fly against shadow strewn backdrops. The album was released in April 2022 on UNIT Records and marks Pringle’s first recorded statement as leader of a trio.

PRESS:

"His motifs have a dappled quality, thrown into sonic space, clear and sparklingly distinct even in moments of vehemence or judicious electronic distortion ... an exercise in contrasts from the tradition of free-flowing jazz modernism ... Pringle's brightness in the dark" - Ralf Dombrowski, Jazz thing

"Pringle's eclecticism is evident in the sonic aspects of his music: the acoustic space is repeatedly juxtaposed with electronic touches. This seeming programmatic contradiction results in Pringle's compositions being simultaneously accessible yet always adventurous. They often stray from the expected course and explore the periphery, and what emerges is not so much a narration as a curious enquiry" - Christof Thurnherr, Jazz‘N’More

Mark Pringle is a British pianist and composer based in Berlin, working at the intersection of various forms of composed and improvised music.

markpringlemusic.com
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