Here is the new jazz album “Moving Day” by Mark Wade Trio
Mark Wade plays the melody plucking the double bass vigorously, accompanied only by the piano riff. Tim Harrison then replaces him, taking charge of the melody with his right hand on the piano. The drums joins the two musicians. The exchange of roles is the most harmonious game in this elegant interpretation of Moving Day, the opening song of the homonymous album by Mark Wade Trio. Mark plays a beautiful dynamic solo midway through the song and the closer you get to the conclusion, the more the piano’s riffs sound “obsessive”, emphasized by drummer Scott Neumann. But it’s only an apparent ending, in fact, everything always seems to start again in this composition that speaks of beginnings and conclusions, of departures and arrivals, of memories, of nostalgia and expectations that move everything in existence. The author seems to calmly accept this trend of things but he relives the emotions of the experiences that inspired the song, to effectively transmit them to the listener.
Wide Open is based on two themes, one very danceable at the beginning and the end of the song and one more variable, which alternate with a good flow. The rhythm, therefore, constantly changes, leaving the listener full of uncertainties yet involving him with its fascinating changeability.
Three themes intertwine in The Bells. Tim Harrison opens the song with a quote from Debussy’s La Mer. The settings move and if the first part seems to be projected on the seashore, in front of the rippling waves, the atmosphere changes later and becomes more relaxed: you can feel the swing and the rhythm is more defined. A moment of silence leaves time for the solo of the double bass and when the trio becomes compact again, time seems to dilate until it reconnects at the theme of the beginning of the track.
Another Night in Tunisia takes inspiration from Dizzy Gillespie’s song A Night in Tunisia. The captivating sound and the rhythm of the bebop persist during the solos of the trio halfway through the song, to end with a firm tone.
Something of a Romance is not purely romantic, a ballad focused on the emotions of a love story, with all the uncertainties and expectations that typically characterize it. Mark Wade manages to capture many nuances of the subject that inspired the composition. Neumann strokes the drum heads with brushes and we imagine atmospheres illuminated only by soft lights; there’s a sense of suspense and suspended breath, alternating with moments of surreal enchantment. Some traits of the melody played by Harrison suggest the curiosity of knowing and discovering each other and the game of seduction.
Joseph Kosma’s Autumn Leaves is the second cover of the album and also mentions Herbie Hancock’s Mayden Voyage in the bridge. Wade leaves ample room for the other musicians to express themselves and Tim Harrison emerges with great elegance at the piano.
Midnight in The Cathedral starts with the majesty and solemnity given by the percussion, followed immediately by the piano. It’s a song that surprisingly develops and evolves from start to finish, between classicism and street jazz, drawing on elements of medieval music. Double bass and piano work with great feeling building an intense and exciting melody.
More rhythmic, intriguing and seductive The Quarter in which the drums seem from the very beginning to recall a marching band and a festive atmosphere. At the same time, it makes you want to dance thanks to swing and another of Wade’s winking solos.
In The Fading Rays of Sunlight closes the album with touching and sumptuous romance.
Laura Mancini
