■MUSIC veteran BASSIST releases debut album BY ANGELA MATUA Jazz bassist Mark Wade has been steadily building his music career for 20 years, performing at established venues like Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and with jazz greats such as Jimmy Heath and Harry Whitaker. In February, after two decades of experience in the music industry, Wade released his debut album titled “Event Horizons.” Working with pianist Tim Harrison and drummer Scott Neumann, the Mark Wade Trio recorded the album at Brooklyn recording studio, Systems Two. Waiting 20 years to release a debut album is unconventional, with many jazz musicians releasing their first album right out of college, Wade said. But the Long Island City-based musician wanted to wait until he had something to say. “I waited later in life to record my album because I wanted to wait until I really had something that I felt was worth saying to put it on a record,” Wade said. The album received national and international radio play and received positive reviews from publications such as Downbeat Magazine, The Jazz Reader and The Vertical Spin. Wade said he wanted to emphasize the concept of a trio in his writing and composition, allowing each musician to have an equal part in each piece. “A lot of times when you hear piano, bass and drums, the piano will dominate a lot or one person will be the leader,” Wade said. “Even though I was the leader on the record, I wanted everybody to have an opportunity to communicate as equals.” In addition to releasing an album later in his career, Wade, who was born in Michigan and grew up in New Jersey, did not start playing the bass until his sophomore year of college. He studied music at New York University and has lived in New York ever since. Wade and his wife moved to Long Island City 6 years ago and he has become an active member of the Queens music community, as an artist-in-residence at Flushing Town Hall and curator of the Spring Jazz Fest at the same venue in 2013 and 2014. The jazz veteran also created an organization to help fellow classical and jazz musicians promote their music through social media and planned concerts. New Music Horizons, founded in May 2014, is also in the process of fundraising money to host several concerts, including possible shows at Flushing Town Hall. Jazz has always been “a tough sell,” Wade said, and the field has gotten more competitive with social media tools that make it easier for musicians to promote their work. “The days of just sitting in your room and practicing and waiting for the phone to ring, those days are probably over,” Wade said. It’s just too competitive. There are just too many talented musicians out there doing it.” For this reason, Wade wants to use New Music Horizons to showcase the work of talented musicians and give them an advantage in a competitive and cluttered music scene. “Jazz will always survive,” Wade said. “There will always be people who hear it and will get it. It will always be a struggle but I think like everything else, there will always be an opportunity and a market for it.” The Mark Wade trio will be performing at the Sounds of Arts Festival on Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at The Secret Theatre.
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