Biography
Jazz vocalist Teri Leggio Wade has performed at venues throughout the greater New York area, including Pangea, Jazz at Kitano, the Russian Samovar, engagements for Jazz and Blues Preservation, and private events. She often performs as the featured vocalist with the Mark Wade Trio, led by her husband, bassist and composer Mark Wade.
Teri is the daughter of the late Carmen Leggio, a celebrated jazz saxophonist who played with numerous renowned jazz artists, including Gene Krupa, Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Maynard Ferguson, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, and many others. Her mother was a classical pianist and music teacher. As a child and young adult growing up in New York City in the 1960s and 70s, Teri studied classical music with her mother and her mother’s music colleagues, and she developed a natural inclination toward and appreciation for jazz by listening to her father perform with iconic musicians of the era and with his own groups. She met many esteemed jazz performers, including Krupa, Rich, saxophonist Sal Nistico, and pianist John Bunch. She was also heavily influenced by listening to the music of jazz vocalists Ella Fitzgerald, Anita O’Day, Carmen McRae, and Peggy Lee.
Teri later performed as the featured vocalist with her father’s jazz quartet in the Westchester area. In July 2018, she fronted a tribute concert in his memory at the acclaimed Jazz Forum Arts summer festival in her father's hometown of Tarrytown, NY, backed by her husband Mark Wade's quartet, featuring saxophonist Ralph Lalama.
Teri has also performed classical works in the choral ensemble of the One World Symphony, in productions including Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten, Elektra by Richard Strauss, and Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss. She sang with Central City Chorus, St. George’s Choral Society, the volunteer and professional choirs of Marble Collegiate Church, and the 10-person jazz and pop vocal ensemble Uncommon Chord. She has studied jazz voice with several renowned jazz vocalists, including Jay Clayton and Carol Fredette.
In 2020, during the Covid lockdown, Teri’s husband, Mark Wade, who has been named among the top jazz bassists in the Downbeat Reader’s Poll for 4 out of 5 consecutive years, released a solo album, Blues in Isolation. A track featuring Teri’s vocals on the Gil Evans arrangement of Bob Dorough’s "Nothing Like You" garnered praise from reviewers at Something Else!, New York City Jazz Record, and Simply Jazz Talk. Teri is currently making plans to record her first full album as a leader.