A Slang of Ages Q&A with Preston Frazier

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Preston Frazier: New Stages feels like a long time in the making. When did the idea first take shape?

Mark Wade: The concept actually goes back about eight years. I came across a solo piano piece by Frédéric Chopin, who has always been one of my favorite composers. I wrote something inspired by it, but it didn’t quite fit with the rest of my music. Still, the idea stuck with me—what if I could take classical repertoire and translate it into something that sounded natural in a Mark Wade Trio set?

Over the years, the idea slowly snowballed. During that time, I released other albums—Moving Day, True Stories, and another during the pandemic—but this project was always in the back of my mind.

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Preston Frazier: Did you record the music gradually during those eight years? You’ve been working with Tim Harrison on piano and Scott Neumann on drums for quite a while. Did you record any of this material back when the idea first surfaced?

Mark Wade: No, the writing stretched out over time, but the recording didn’t. Once everything was ready, we went into the studio and recorded it in a focused session. I prefer that approach because if you spread a project out too much, ideas change and bands evolve.

I try to create albums that feel like cohesive statements. Even in the streaming era—where people might only hear one track—I still think of a record as a complete piece of music.

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Preston Frazier: Where did you record?

Mark Wade: At Oktaven Audio in New Rochelle, just outside New York City. It’s a fantastic studio with an incredible piano sound—which is pretty important when you’re recording a piano trio.

Ryan Streber runs the place, and they’ve built a great operation there. Many jazz musicians migrated there after Systems Two in Brooklyn closed.

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Preston Frazier: The album opens with Debussy’s Children’s Corner Suite. Why start there?

Mark Wade: Debussy originally wrote six movements for solo piano. I selected four that translated well for the trio.

The challenge with this entire project was taking a range of source material—sometimes solo piano works, sometimes massive orchestral pieces—and translating it into something that works for three musicians. The key was identifying the essential musical ideas and then reinterpreting them in our language.

For example, the final movement, “Cakewalk,” has this quirky character that reminded me of Thelonious Monk. So I wrote a bridge inspired by Monk’s harmonic style.

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Preston Frazier: “Saga” draws from Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, which is a huge orchestral work.

Mark Wade: Exactly. You’re taking a piece written for an orchestra of 80 or 90 musicians and distilling it down to a trio. But Sibelius wrote such powerful melodies that it translates surprisingly well.

I didn’t grow up studying classical music, so often my first exposure to these pieces was actually performing them in orchestras. Sometimes a particular passage just hits you emotionally, and that’s what inspired me to explore these works further.

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Preston Frazier: Chopin appears twice on the album.

Mark Wade: Chopin was really my gateway into classical music. One of the pieces—sometimes called “The Storm”—we approached almost entirely free, without a steady groove. That allowed us to capture the Romantic rubato feeling that’s such a hallmark of Chopin’s music.

Another Chopin piece on the album is a waltz that I turned into an uptempo jazz feature.

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Preston Frazier: How structured are your arrangements?

Mark Wade: I write all the music, but jazz is always a framework. Some sections are more through-composed, while others leave room for improvisation.

I often think in terms of shapes and energy—where the music should feel expansive or intimate—and then allow space for spontaneity.

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Preston Frazier: The trio has been together for quite a while now.

Mark Wade: Yes, since 2013. Our first concert was at Flushing Town Hall in Queens. That’s when I realized these were the musicians I wanted to build a band with.

There’s a big difference between hiring great players for a session and having a real band. When musicians play together over time, they develop a kind of musical empathy. You anticipate each other, and the group becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

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Preston Frazier: Let’s talk about “Iberia.”

Mark Wade: That piece blends several influences. There’s music from Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, a touch of Rimsky-Korsakov, and even a reference to Chick Corea’s “La Fiesta.”

I’ve always loved the Rodrigo concerto—especially after hearing Miles Davis’s Sketches of Spain, where Gil Evans arranged it for Miles. In my arrangement, I even adapted some of the guitar parts so I could play them on the double bass.

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Preston Frazier: “Lament” is based on Górecki’s Symphony No. 3.

Mark Wade: Yes, and it’s an unusual choice for a jazz interpretation. That piece actually became a commercial hit in the 1990s, which is rare for a modern classical work.

It’s very emotional music dealing with themes from Poland’s wartime history. The original begins with the double basses, so it felt like a natural place for me to start exploring it.

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Preston Frazier: And the album closes with “Jesu.”

Mark Wade: That’s the Bach melody Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. Even people who don’t listen to classical music recognize it.

We played it in a straight-ahead jazz style with a bit of a Vince Guaraldi Trio vibe. It’s probably the most accessible track on the album.

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Preston Frazier: There’s even a Wagner interpretation.

Mark Wade: Yes, based on the Siegfried Idyll. We start with the traditional orchestral sound and then gradually shift it toward something that feels more Americana—almost like a hymn.

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Preston Frazier: The album is also your first release with a label.

Mark Wade: Yes, it’s coming out on Dot Time Records. My previous albums were self-released, and I’ve been very fortunate with the support they received. But it’s great to partner with a label this time. They have a fantastic roster and have been very supportive of the project.

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Preston Frazier: You’re also touring behind the album.

Mark Wade: Yes, I’m heading to Switzerland first, then to the UK, including a return to PizzaExpress Live in London. The tour lines up with the album’s release, so it’s exciting to bring the music directly to audiences.

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Preston Frazier: New Stages is a remarkable album. Thanks for taking the time to talk about it.

Mark Wade: Thanks so much. I really appreciate all the support over the years. There’s a lot of music out there, so getting someone’s attention even for a few minutes means a lot.

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