Mark Wade and his Trio Start a New Third Stream with their latest release "New Stages"

 

Mark Wade Trio- New Stages- Dot Time Records

The bassist Mark Wade is becoming more widely recognized as an important voice on his instrument. Originally born in Michigan and raised in New Jersey, Wade began his musical education at the age of fourteen. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at New York University in 1997. There Wade studied with the world class bassist/educator Mike Richmond, whose own experience spanned working with the likes of Stan Getz and Lee Konitz to Jack DeJohnette and Ravi Shankar. 

Wade’s playing was always following a dual path with skills allowing him to easily traverse playing bass in a classical orchestra or in a jazz trio or a big band setting. His classical skills brought him to be a longtime member of the Key West Symphony, The Orchestra of the Bronx Opera and the S.E.M./Janacek Czech Republic Philharmonic. His jazz skills have been seen as a member of the Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra and as a bandmate whose has worked with notable instrumentalists Gary Bartz, Jimmy Heath, Conrad Herwig and vocalists Stacey Kent and Peter Eldridge to name just a few. Wade has been on the faculty of the Lehigh University’s jazz program since 2017.

Mark Wade photo by Bill Heuberger

My exposure to Wade’s music started when I reviewed his sophomore release Moving Day from 2018. The trio dealt skillfully with such standards as “Autumn Leaves” and “Maiden Voyage” along with his own twist on Dizzy Gillespie’s classic with “Another Night in Tunisa” as well as his classically influenced composition “The Bells,” which was inspired by a small fragment of Debussy’s “La Mer.”  That album offered a lot of promise. His 2022 release True Stories used compositions inspired by Miles Davis, Charles Mingus and Igor Stravinsky and received more attention from a wider audience for this musically talented bassist.

The latest album titled New Stages, was released in March on Dot Time records. This offering finds this creative bassist continuing his search; his quest to find a common ground between the structure of compelling classical music and the expansive freedom that the musical improvisation of jazz brings to music. The album has fifteen compositions by Wade and he is joined by his intuitive trio members, Tim Harrison on piano and Scott Neumann on drums. These guys have been playing together since 2013.

Wade acknowledges that his playing in classical orchestras has been the source of much of his compositional inspiration. The bassist starts off this album with his take on Debussy’s music, in this case the composer’s Children’s Corner Suite.  Opening with “The Good Doctor Gradus” the music erupts with speed, dynamism and propulsion.  Harrison’s piano takes on the almost frantic pianistic exercise, as Wade’s plucky bass keeps the music in pace and Neumann’s drum work accents the music with splashing cymbals and rolling toms. The music continues with “The Elephant’s Lullaby” a take on Debussy’s “Jimbo’s Lullaby.” The UK born Harrison, seems quite adept in his classical mode to piano here. Wade creates his own miniature lullaby. “The Shepherd Takes A Turn” opens with a booming, walking bass line by Wade, as the music introduces a feeling of  swing. Wade’s pizzicato resonates with fluidity and inventiveness. Harrison’s piano maintains the repeating melody in accompaniment. The original composition by Debussy ,“The Little Shepherd,” was said to represent a shepherd and his flute. Here Wade takes the more memorable repeating melody, opening it up with his own harmonic interpretations that make this one seem more cinematic than a children’s song. 

“Cakewalk” takes the strut-like, syncopated rhythm of the original and makes it jump and pulse with excitement. Wade’s fingers pluck the fretboard with a dervish intensity, as Neumann’s drum work adds dynamism. Harrison’s piano work seems to add a Monk-like change of timing in his improvisations that seem to make this one stand out.

The album continues with “Saga” taken from Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, the only concerto the composer wrote. Wade’s bass, Harrison’s piano and Neumann’s drum work matching notes synchronously.  Wade takes an extended pizzicato solo that is quite impressive, an extended improvised section that in the original piece was dedicated to the violin. The bassist modernizes this piece brilliantly with his trio to great effect.

“The Storm” is a take on Chopin’s turbulent D-minor prelude and the music creates the feel of being in a whirlwind, a tempest. Harrison plays with fearlessness and beauty. Wade’s double bass sings with a beautiful tone and hums with sonorousness. Neumann’s kit creates a tumultuous array of percussive effects.

“Idyll” comes from Maurice Drufle’s Requiem, which Wade and his trio plays this with devoted respect and solemness, while still maintaining a spaciousness that makes this music connect with the listener.

Wade creates a two-part suite that uses Joaquin’s flamenco guitar inspired Concierto de Aranjuez to create his “Iberia Part 1 and Part 2”.  This music has also inspired other jazz musicians in the past. Miles Davis and Gil Evans Sketches of Spain and Chick Corea’s Spain come to mind. Wade and his trio find their own interpretation of this Iberian inspired music, incorporating musical elements that come before them to make their own rendition ring true.

Wade’s “Lament” is a reimagination of Henryk Gorecki’s 1st movement of “Symphony Number 3.” The music was composed in 1976 and first played in 1977. It is a more modern source than the other music in this album. It has a lively repeating line driven by Harrison's piano and Wade's ostinato driven bass. The music offers a hopeful feel as Harrison’s piano creates austerity and hope. Neumann's cymbal and tom build up tension before Harrison's piano provides a easy, swinging release and then Wade is featured on a probing double bass solo that moves deftly against the music.  

The album includes with "Judgement "“Transition” and “At Rest” all inspired by Gabriel’s Faure’s Requiem. “Waltz and Variation” inspired by Chopin’s Waltz in A Flat and ends with “Jesu” which is inspired by Johan Bach’s chorale from Canata Jesu, Joy of Men’s Desiring .

No matter if you are a classical music follower or not, Mark Wade and his trio somehow reimagine this music and instill in it a new vitality. These talented musicians play the music with an inherent respect, and they make it more reachable by adding creative improvisational elements and rhythmic variation to the architecture of these classical gemstones. Wade’s approach on his New Stages  is  his own version of this eras new Third Stream.