Mads Tolling - The Playmaker (CD)

Release Date: 10/20/09

'The Playmaker' is a jazz release by Grammy Award-winning violinist Mads Tolling, which features Stanley Clarke, Stefon Harris and Russell Ferrante.

Mads Tolling, internationally renowned violinist, violist, and composer, is a two time Grammy Award-Winner. He is a former member of the Turtle Island Quartet and soloist with bassist Stanley Clarke's band. Born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark, Mads moved to Boston to study at Berkeley College of Music. Mads was immediately recognized as a fresh voice in jazz, and his career went into full swing performing with top artists such as Al Di Meola, Kenny Barron, Ramsey Lewis, Paquito d'Rivera & Leo Kottke. He now leads his own groups, and is part ofBob Weir's Wolf Bros Project.

Mads' sophomore CD release 'The Playmaker' features jazz greats pianist Russell Ferrante, bassist Stanley Clarke along with vibes extraordinaire Stefon Harris. Hear these leading musicians along with a violinist, who views his instrument as part fiddle, part saxophone, part acoustic and electric violin. Mads Tolling is a leading innovator in string playing, and this recording of jazz, fusion, funk, classical, Danish folk along with rock & roll arrangements of Led Zeppelin's 'Black Dog' and Radiohead's 'Just,' encapsulates his point of view.

'The Playmaker' conveys the connection between sports and music. In sports, the playmaker's role is to facilitate his teammates for scoring opportunities - to bring them, and ultimately the team, success. This is what musicians do: make their band mates sound better by supporting them during a solo, making the band sound greater than any one of its parts. In the Tolling original, 'The Playmaker Suite,' each of the movements is dedicated to three of his favorite athletes, who are truly great at what they do, individually and as part of the team. Likewise, for three of the remaining songs, they are dedicated to musicians, who had that same greatness in their music making, while being true 'playmakers' on the bandstand.
The album was featured on NPR's Morning Edition, reviewed in the Washington Post and received four stars in DownBeat Magazine.