The upcoming 2026 release of New Stages on Dot Time Records not only marks a new album, but a turning point in Mark Wade’s creative evolution. It’s a moment where his past innovations meet his future ambitions. A five-time finalist for Bassist of the Year in the DownBeat Magazine Readers’ Poll, Wade has built a reputation as one of modern jazz’s most distinctive and dynamic instrumentalists. New Stages captures that ongoing evolution with a bold step forward that reimagines the architecture of classical compositions through the lens of a modern jazz trio. Drawing from a wide range of works across the classical spectrum, it is an expansive exploration of sound, composition, and collaboration.

 

Wade is known for his virtuosic command of both acoustic and electric bass, and has long been celebrated for blending technical precision with emotional depth. His work defies easy classification, embracing the improvisational spirit of jazz while drawing inspiration from classical and contemporary influences

alike. Across his career, which encompasses international breakout album Event Horizon to the critically acclaimed True Stories, Wade has continually redefined what the bass can express as a lead instrument in modern jazz. Wade is a modern composer with a global perspective, and each project serves

as an opportunity to stretch the boundaries of musical storytelling. His 2022 release True Stories was hailed by DownBeat Magazine as “a living work of modern art,” with compositions inspired by icons ranging from Miles Davis and Charles Mingus to Igor Stravinsky. The album showcased the breadth of his

musical vocabulary and linked past to present through an inventive fusion of rhythm, harmony, and narrative.

 

Wade first gained international recognition with his trio through the 2015 recording Event Horizon on Edition 46 Records and the 2018 follow-up Moving Day on AMP Music & Records. In 2020, during the global shutdown, he created Songs from Isolation, a groundbreaking visual album that debuted online from

the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music in Durban, South Africa. The project featured Wade performing on both acoustic and electric bass, accompanied by music videos he directed himself, a striking reflection of artistic self-sufficiency and innovation.

 

Born in Michigan and raised in New Jersey, Wade began teaching himself electric bass at age 14 before earning his B.A. in music from New York University, where he studied with renowned bassist Mike Richmond. That period deepened his technical foundation, introduced him to acoustic bass and

classical repertoire, and helped shape his unique dual fluency in both jazz and orchestral performance.

 

Now based in New York City, Wade has appeared at leading venues such as Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Blue Note, The Iridium, and Birdland. He has performed with an array of jazz luminaries including Gary Bartz, James Spaulding, Eddie Palmieri, Conrad Herwig, Harry Whitaker, Stacey Kent, Peter Eldridge, Don Byron, and Jimmy Heath, and he is a longtime member of the

Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra. On the classical stage, his credits include performances with the Key West Symphony featuring Grammy Award winners Sharon Isbin and Robert McDuffie, as well as the Orchestra of the S.E.M./Janáček Philharmonic (Czech Republic) at both Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.

 

Beyond performance, Wade is the founder and director of New Music Horizons, an organization dedicated to promoting the work of emerging jazz and classical composers. Its concerts have been featured at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, Flushing Town Hall, and The Clemente Cultural Center, among other

New York institutions. A respected educator as well as performer, he has served on the jazz faculty at Lehigh University since 2017 and is a former teaching artist with The New York Pops.

 

Whether on stage or in the classroom, Wade’s influence continues to expand and shape the sound and stories of contemporary jazz.