As violist with Turtle Island Quartet, 2003-2007 and now as violinist, 2007-present, Mads maintains an active touring and recording schedule as well as composing and giving master classes. In 06 and 08 as part of Turtle Island Quartet Mads won two Grammy Awards for Best Classical Crossover album with the recordings “4+Four” and “A Love Supreme - The Legacy of John Coltrane.”  Tolling has received Denmark's Sankt Annae's Award for Musical Excellence as well as grants from Queen Margaret, the Sonning Foundation and the Berklee Elvin Jones Award. He has performed with Paquito d'Rivera, Kenny Barron, Joe Lovano, Sergio and Odair Assad , Leo Kottke.

In 2007 Mads Tolling started his own trio and immediately recorded the album “Speed of light.” The following year the trio expanded to a quartet. In it are some of the top Bay Area musicians, including Mike Abraham on guitar, George Ban-Weiss on bass and Eric Garland on drums. Mads Tolling Quartet has performed all over the San Francisco Bay Area and the West Coast and will tour nationally and internationally in 09 and 10 in support of the release: “The Playmaker.

Mads grew up in Copenhagen, Denmark and moved to the U.S. at the age of 20 to pursue jazz studies. He studied under violinist Matt Glaser, and he graduated summa cum laude from Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2003. While still attending Berklee, the renowned jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty recommended Mads to join Stanley Clarke's band. Since then, he has performed more than 100 concerts with Clarke worldwide, including the Newport Jazz Festival and the Hollywood Bowl.

Besides his activities as a performer, Mads Tolling is an accomplished composer. The “Speed of Light” release mainly features Mads’ original compositions in addition to well known pieces such as Led Zeppelin's “Black Dog” and Miles Davis “Blue in Green”. Of his three prior recordings of original material, one features the legendary pianist JoAnne Brackeen. Mads has recorded with vibraphonist Dave Samuels and appears on RMB singer Teena Marie's recording “La Dona” and on jazz vocalist Ann Hampton Callaway’s “At Last”. He has additionally contributed numerous arrangements and compositions to Turtle Island Quartet's repertoire.

Mads has been a thriving force in the educational aspects of jazz and improvisation. He has been active as a Yamaha clinician and has been involved in workshops, coachings and master classes throughout Canada and the U.S. He was recently invited as a performer and clinician to the 34th International Viola Congress in Montreal, Canada. Mads was also featured on NPR's Performance Today on Christmas Eve, where he on solo viola performed his version of the carol, “Beautiful Savior”.

In his spare time Mads enjoys golfing, tennis and hiking. In 1999, together with his father, he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

For more info about Mads please visit http://madstolling.com/

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Jazz violinist Mads Tolling er to gange Grammy Vinder og leder sit band Mads Tolling Quartet med udgivelsen ”The Playmaker,” som er ude i efteråret 2009.

Mads Tolling voksede op i København og flyttede til USA i en alder af tyve år for at studere jazz. Han studerede under violinist Matt Glaser, og han dimitterede summa cum laude fra Berklee College of Music i Boston i 2003. I forbindelse med Mads’ studier på Berklee anbefalede den berømte jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty Mads at tilslutte bassist legenden Stanley Clarke's band. Siden da har han optrådt ved mere end 100 koncerter med Clarke verden over, herunder Newport Jazz Festival og Hollywood Bowl.

Tolling er medlem af den Grammy-vindende Turtle Island Quartet. Som bratchist og nu violinist med kvartetten siden 2003 har Mads nok og lave med at tournere, komponere og give masterclasses. Som  medlem af Turtle Island Quartet vandt Mads to Grammy Awards for Best Classical Crossover albums, "4 + Four" i 2006 og “A Love Supreme – The Legacy of John Coltrane” i 2008. Mads Tolling har modtaget Danmark's Sankt Annæ's Award for Musical Excellence samt tilskud fra Dronning Margrethe Fonden, Sonning Fonden og Berklee Elvin Jones Award. Han har optrådt med Paquito d'Rivera, Kenny Barron, Joe Lovano, Al DiMeola, Lenny White og The Assad Brothers.