Mark Wade: ‘New Stages’

It’s always a pleasure to chat with Mark Wade for Harmonious World, and there’s a new episode coming to follow up on our chats in 2020 and 2024. This time, it’s to discuss ‘New Stages’ which has been released today.

Mark takes his New York trio on a journey around original compositions inspired by specific classical music pieces.

Through the last few weeks, Mark has been touring Switzerland and UK (you can read my review of tonight’s final show of the tour). Although using different musicians, each one is exploring these new tracks. The album features Mark’s bass, with Scott Neumann’s drums and Tim Harrison on piano: the upcoming US dates will include Cecilia Coleman on piano.

Of the concept behind this new album, Mark says: “I try to take inspiration wherever I can find it. Good music is good music, no matter what label you want to put  on it. I've played both jazz and classical music professionally now for years, and some of the most inspiring  sounds I've heard were from my experiences playing classical music in the orchestra. Over the last eight years, I've been collecting some of these remarkable themes from both large orchestral works and small solo works to create a new set of original music for my trio.

“With this project, I've taken on the challenge of finding the  essence of these great masterworks and combining it with my unique writing style to produce something completely new and different. I've drawn from a wide variety of musical sources ranging from the baroque period to modern day, always combining them with my own compositional ideas and perspectives. Is the result jazz music? Classical music? Something different? That is for every listener to decide.” 

This is eight years well spent, and the compositions are very definitely jazz to my ears, and recognisably the virtuousic work of Mark.

The opening track - The Good Doctor Gradus - has a clarity and momentum that has a direct nod to Debussy’s original theme but brings it forward to the 21st century and the world of jazz. It’s part of a quartet of tracks inspired by Debussy’s ‘Children’s Corner’ suite.

Tracks like Waltz and Variation come much more clearly from the classical music tradition, developing the original theme until it absolutely breaks into the jazz trio’s realm. The link back to Chopin’s Prelude in Ab Major No. 69 is absolutely clear, but a development and evolution rather than a tribute.

Similarly, the final track on the album is Jesu, a recognisable tip of the hat to the Bach Cantata BWV 147 -  Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring.

Throughout New Stages, Mark’s bass sings and directs the motion, without dominating the trio more than it democratically should. Jazz has frequently taken its inspiration from other spheres, and Mark does it brilliantly on this new collection.

‘New Stages’ by Mark Wade Trio is available on CD and Digital from Dot Time Records