There’s a quiet kind of confidence that runs through New Stages, the latest offering from the Mark Wade Trio—a sense that the music doesn’t need to announce its ambitions loudly because it already understands its purpose.
From the very first moments, the album unfolds less like a statement and more like a journey in progress, one that invites the listener into a space where refinement, interplay, and emotional nuance are constantly evolving.
At the center stands Mark Wade, whose bass work is not merely foundational but deeply narrative. His tone carries a lyrical quality that feels almost vocal, guiding each piece with a storyteller’s instinct.
Rather than dominating, he shapes the contours of the trio’s sound with subtle authority, allowing each composition to breathe while maintaining a clear sense of direction. His writing, too, reflects this balance—melodically inviting yet harmonically thoughtful, rooted in tradition but never confined by it.
The trio format, often described as intimate, here becomes expansive. Piano and drums are not simply accompanists but equal partners in a dynamic conversation. The pianist’s touch ranges from crystalline delicacy to rich, chordal depth, often illuminating the harmonic pathways Wade sets in motion.
Meanwhile, the drummer approaches rhythm with both precision and elasticity, shifting textures and momentum in ways that feel organic rather than imposed. Together, they create a soundscape that feels fluid, responsive, and alive.
What makes New Stages particularly compelling is its sense of movement—not just between tracks, but within them. Themes emerge, dissolve, and reconfigure, as if the trio is continually discovering new possibilities in real time.
There’s a strong undercurrent of exploration here, yet it never veers into abstraction for its own sake. Even at its most intricate, the music remains grounded in feeling—melancholy, curiosity, quiet joy—expressed with clarity and restraint.
The album’s pacing is another of its strengths. Moments of introspection are given the space they deserve, allowing the listener to settle into the trio’s sonic world. Then, almost imperceptibly, the energy shifts—rhythms tighten, phrases stretch, and the music begins to pulse with a renewed vitality. It’s this ebb and flow that gives the album its narrative arc, making it feel cohesive without ever becoming predictable.
There’s also a notable maturity in how the trio handles silence. Pauses are not empty; they’re charged with intention, creating tension and release in equal measure. This sensitivity to space speaks to a deep level of trust among the musicians—a willingness to listen as much as to play, to let the music unfold naturally rather than forcing it forward.
Ultimately, New Stages lives up to its title not through grand reinvention, but through subtle progression. It captures a trio that is clearly in motion—refining its voice, deepening its connections, and expanding its expressive range. It’s an album that rewards close listening, revealing new details with each return, and offering a reminder that in jazz, evolution often happens not in leaps, but in the quiet, deliberate steps that shape the path ahead.
I play classical music as well as jazz. Over the years, I’ve always been deeply moved by some of the classical music I’ve had the great fortune to perform. For New Stages, I’ve compiled some of this music and reimagined it through the lens of a jazz piano trio. Sometimes I’ve taken large orchestral works and distilled them down to their essence, other times I’ve taken smaller solo works and expanded it out for the trio. The goal of the music is to make it sound like it belongs in a set of my own original compositions, as opposed to just being “covers” of the original. This project is eight years in the making,- an interview with us said Mark Wade.
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