Mads Tolling, internationally renowned violinist, violist and composer, is a two
time Grammy Award-Winner. Tolling is a long time member of Turtle Island
Quartet, and he has recorded and performed hundreds of concerts with bassist
Stanley Clarke over the past decade. Born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark,
Tolling moved to Boston to study at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. He
soon spent most his time touring with some of the greatest musicians in the US,
including Paquito D’Rivera, Leo Kottke & Kenny Barron.
“Celebrating Jean-Luc Ponty – Live at Yoshi’s” is Tolling’s third CD release. A few
years back he released the critically acclaimed “The Playmaker,” which features
Stanley Clarke, Russell Ferrante & Stefon Harris. This time Tolling pays homage
to one of his mentors, the great French jazz violinist, Jean-Luc Ponty. Tolling does
so with his own quartet in an electric atmosphere at the famed Bay Area jazz club,
Yoshi’s.

Tolling explains that “It was my goal with this album to have a wide range
of material that was closely related to Ponty – I didn’t want to recreate his
compositions, but instead offer my take on them and also show the great
range of projects he has done through the years, including Frank Zappa’s band,
Mahavishnu Orchestra, Rite of Strings and even the swing and bebop stuff he
did early on in his career.” The set list includes some of Ponty’s greatest hits,
“New Country” & “Enigmatic Ocean” along with music by Ponty’s cohorts: John
McLaughlin’s “Lila’s Dance,” Stanley Clarke’s “Song to John” & Zappa’s “King
Kong.” Closing the CD is Tolling’s own tribute to Ponty: “Pontyfication.”
The comment most folks had after the Tolling Tolling Quartet show at Yoshi’s was:
“I wish someone had recorded that….” Someone did – and now it’s available – in
high fidelity!

“With Tolling’s honed technique, vigorous attack and engaging brand of
swing…”
-Washington Post

“The album is marked with virtuosic moments of sublime, genre-busting string
work by Tolling….”
-San Francisco Chronicle

“The music has a warmth and intensity somehow amplified by the in-the-
moment liveness of the occasion. The fiery moments are fierier and the tender
moments more moving….”
-Joe Woodard (Contributor to Downbeat & Jazz Times)

“A wonderful new voice on the violin --- very refreshing!"
-Chick Corea

Lila's Dance

After You've Gone

Enjoy the Exclusive World Premier Presentation of Lawson Rollin's album AIRWAVES : The Greatest Hits with SmoothJazz.com Global Founder, Sandy Shore featuring interview segments, song samples and artist song introductions. www.lawsonrollins.com

Presentation originally aired on SmoothJazz.com Global Radio on Saturday, January 13, 2018. Album available Worldwide on Infinita Records, January 19, 2018.

On Demand Experience edited by Rowan Meert for SmoothJazz.com Global, 2018.

Airwaves : The Greatest Hits

Lawson Rollins AIRWAVES : The Greatest Hits - World Premier Interview

Mads Tolling is two-time Grammy Award-winning violinist and composer from Copenhagen, Denmark, now based in the San Francisco Bay Area. A former member of both Stanley Clarke's band and the Turtle Island Quartet, Mads has performed with renowned artists like Chick Corea, Ramsey Lewis, Paquito D’Rivera, and Leo Kottke. He is currently a member of Bob Weir & Wolf Bros and leads his own ensembles.

After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2003, Mads joined Stanley Clarke's band on the recommendation of Jean-Luc Ponty. He has been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition and received praise from the Washington Post and The San Francisco Chronicle. In 2016, Mads won DownBeat Critics Poll Rising Star Violin Award. Mads has performed for King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark at the 50th Anniversary for the Danish Embassy in Washington D.C. 

Mads has written violin concertos for The Oakland Symphony and Pacific Chamber Orchestra and has performed them around the U.S. and Japan, including with The Hawaii Symphony and Orchestra Kanazawa. As a member of Bob Weir & Wolf Bros, Mads has recorded three albums and toured extensively, playing venues like Red Rocks and Radio City Music Hall. With hundreds of concerts worldwide, he leads Mads Tolling & The Mads Men and recorded the album Playing the 60s, which reimagines songs from 1960’s TV, film and radio. The release topped US jazz radio charts and peaked at #5. 

Mads is a featured Yamaha Artist, offering clinics and masterclasses globally.

Lila's Dance

Mads Tolling

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