Mads celebrates the music of the 1960s Mad Men Era with his own distinctive style and innovative flair. Mads Tolling & The Mads Men bring a fun and exciting program that is as nostalgic as it is contemporary, with re-imagined jazzed-up songs from 1960s television, film and radio. The band will perform songs from their critically acclaimed release, Playing the 60s, ranging from “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly” and “Georgia on My Mind” to “A Taste of Honey” and “All Along the Watchtower.”
So how did a Danish classical violin student growing up in Copenhagen in the 1980s discover his passion for the 1960s? When Mads was fourteen, his father gave him a Miles Davis cassette tape that changed his life. Mads was hooked. He found a sense of intimacy and freedom in the 1960s sounds of jazz, soul and early R&B, which inspired him to explore the possibilities of how to get there with his violin. The result is an exhilarating and thrilling musical adventure.
Joining Mads on this journey are his Mads Men—world-class musicians Colin Hogan on piano and Gary Brown on bass.
“Mads Tolling turns TV themes into jazz treasures…”
– Guy Ashley, San Francisco Examiner
“Playing the 60s is more than a simple exercise in nostalgia. It is popular music brought into jazz in such a way that the music transcends itself.”
“This is stellar performing. Tolling’s playing is near unbelievable.”
– Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
MADS TOLLING is an internationally renowned violinist and composer originally from Copenhagen, Denmark, now living in San Francisco. As a former nine-year member of both bassist Stanley Clarke’s band and the celebrated Turtle Island Quartet, Mads won two Grammy Awards, and he was nominated for a third Grammy in 2015. He was the 2016 winner of the DownBeat Critics Poll Rising Star Violin Award. Mads has performed with Chick Corea, Ramsey Lewis, Kenny Barron, Paquito D’Rivera, Leo Kottke and Sergio & Odair Assad. Mads is a current member of Bob Weir & Wolf Bros/Wolfpack Band. After graduating Berklee College of Music in 2003, he was recommended by Jean-Luc Ponty to join Stanley Clarke’s band. He has since been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, and his recordings have received rave reviews in Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Strings Magazine and DownBeat Magazine. Mads has performed for Danish royalty – Prince Frederik & Princess Mary – at the celebration of The Danish Embassy’s 50-year Anniversary. Since 2020, Mads has been a member of Bob Weir & Wolf Bros/Wolfpack with tours across the US, including at Red Rocks, The Greek Theatre and Radio City Music Hall. He is featured on Weir’s two albums Live in Colorado Vol 1 & 2 and Ace 50th Anniversary. Mads has contributed several arrangements of Grateful Dead tunes for the band, some of which he integrates in his own projects.
Mads has twice been commissioned to write violin concertos – for Oakland Symphony and Pacific Chamber Orchestra. He has performed his symphonic works and soloed with orchestras around the US and Japan.
Mads now leads his own groups – Mads Tolling Quartet and Mads Tolling & The Mads Men. His release, Playing the 60s, is a reimagination of classic songs from 1960s film, TV and radio, such as “A Taste of Honey,” “Hawaii 5-0” and “Mission: Impossible.” The album features vocalists Kenny Washington, Kalil Wilson and Spencer Day, and it spent two months on US jazz radio’s top 30.
With his groups, Mads has performed over a thousand concerts around the world, including at The Hollywood Bowl, Library of Congress and at the Bay Area’s Paramount and Herbst Theatres. As a featured Yamaha Artist, Mads leads clinics and masterclasses in the US and internationally.
Gary Brown is a skilled and versatile bassist on both acoustic and electric basses, his clear solid foundation as well as his melodic rainbow of color and counterpoint established him as a much sought after component for major recording, performance and production projects around the world. While enrolled in San Jose State University’s Art/Design/Music program Gary came to realize that music was his true calling and made the decision to make it his life and his career. he has brought a unique sound and approach to each and every endeavor he has been involved with. In the past 30 years Gary has recorded and performed with such notable artist as Flora Purim & Airto, Steve Winwood, George Duke, Santana ,Lyle Mays, Azar Lawrence , Narada Michael Walden, Gregg Rolie, Dianne Reeves, Roy Ayres, Ernie Watts, Jeff Beck ,Torninho Horta, Larry Coryell, Phararoh Saunders, Eddie Henderson Andy Narrell, Pete and Sheila (Sheila E.) Escovedo. Patrice Rushen .Gary has composed music for film and television with Pray for Rain, a film and soundtrack production team whose credits include work for major cable networks HBO, Lifetime, Showtime and Cinemax, as well as for the major television networks ABC, NBC and CBS credits include ,the cult film Sid & Nancy, The Linguini Incident (that stared the late great David Bowie)., Straight to Hell, Trust Me, Zandalee (with Judge Reinhold and Nicholas Cage) The Fox television series Key West. to name a few,
Currently dividing his time performing with Katerina Brown ,The Jose Neto Band , Narada Michael Walden and many others , Gary continues to compose, perform and produce with various artists and is writing music for his solo project.
Gary is a Bass instructor and has taught and coached for SFJAZZ Education, OPC Oakland Public Conservatory, UC Berkley Jazz Dept. Marin Country Day School SF Jazz Music Program and The Healdsburg Jazz Operation Jazz Band Program.
Colin Hogan was born in San Francisco to a very musical family. He began
studying drums in the 1st grade, started experimenting with the guitar in middle
school, and finally discovered his true passion for piano in high school. Colin was
a member of the world renowned Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble alongside
“young lions” Ambrose Akinmusire, Justin Brown, and Thomas Pridgen while also
studying with the Jazzschool’s founder, Susan Muscarella. He then attended Cal
State East Bay (Hayward) where he earned a BA in piano performance.
Colin has performed on five continents playing everything from jazz, funk, salsa,
and hip-hop to tango and Balinese gamelan. He has performed with many
legendary jazz musicians including James Moody, Peter Erskine, Bob
Brookmeyer, Roy Ayers, and Maria Schneider. In 2004 he performed with electric
bass revolutionary Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone at the California
Music Awards which was nationally televised. Colin is currently involved in many
projects including Hip-Hop/R&B group Dynamic, local jazz/groove/experimental
collective the Jazz Mafia, international cafe music group Trio Zincalo and
jazz/funk/fusion band The Hogan Bros. with brothers Steve and Julian. He
currently lives in Oakland, CA
