Mads Tolling Brings 'Cool Yule' to Joe Henderson Lab
This December 13th and 14th, the Joe Henderson Lab at SFJAZZ becomes a portal to the snow-covered streets of Copenhagen. Two-time Grammy Award-winning violinist Mads Tolling returns to this cozy venue with Cool Yule: A Nordic Holiday Celebration, a show that promises to replace typical holiday clichés with the rich and complex folklore of Scandinavia. For Bay Area jazz fans, this event provides a rare chance to see a master improviser reconnect with the warm and fuzzy traditions of his childhood through a refined jazz perspective. (Click play to listen to the interview with Mads.)
Tolling, a former member of the Turtle Island Quartet and Stanley Clarke’s touring band, considers these performances a crucial artistic anchor during the busy season.
“It is a love letter to my childhood and growing up over there,” Tolling explains. “My love for that time of year was a big reason for me doing it. I wanted to express what I feel about it musically. I also feel it gives me extra motivation to prepare some things for December. Otherwise, that month tends to get very busy... It's nice to do some artistic work around the holidays that you genuinely feel good about.”
A Study in Atmosphere
The show is designed to evoke hygge—the Danish idea of cozy contentment that acts as a needed balance to the Nordic winter. Tolling contrasts this focused, communal tradition with the often scattered nature of American holidays.
“I think the biggest culture shock is that it feels a little more... scattered here,” Tolling observes. “I was always so used to Christmas being a very traditional thing. You go to church during the day... And then you have that opulent Christmas meal and get the presents at night. So, there was this structure to it... The Christmas spirit is perhaps stronger there than in San Francisco because the temperature isn't really cold enough over here... We call it hygge—being inside. People treasure that.”
Folklore and "Uncle Scratchy"
Audiences at the Joe Henderson Lab can expect a repertoire that goes beyond the usual carols, exploring the quirky and sometimes dark aspects of Nordic mythology. A highlight of the set is the legend of the "Christmas Cat" (Jólakötturinn), a giant Icelandic beast that enforces good behavior with a frightening ultimatum. “There is a story about the Christmas cat that roams around Iceland, looking into people's houses. A giant cat—kind of a monstrous cat,” Tolling recounts with a laugh. To capture the menacing growl of this creature, Tolling uses a unique instrument he affectionately names "Uncle Scratchy"—a baritone violin tuned an octave below standard.
“The instrument makes you play differently because it isn't supported like traditional instruments,” he says. “The actual instrument is an old French violin from the 1830s... I realized that if I put thick, low-tension strings on it, it would mellow the sound. It plays the melody, so it kind of sounds like an old medieval modal dark tone.”
Global Rhythms in an Intimate Setting
The intimate 100-seat Joe Henderson Lab is perfectly suited for Tolling’s band, The Mads Men, which includes pianist and accordionist Colin Hogan, bassist Gary Brown, and drummer Eric Garland. The arrangements showcase Tolling’s signature style of blending Danish stories with global rhythms.
“We love to mix things up, too,” Tolling notes. “For example, in ‘The Gnome’s Attic,’ we added a Brazilian flavor to this otherwise traditional Danish tune... So, I think if you're going to the show, you're in for lots of different styles, a lot of different takes on what a violin can sound like. And you can also tell there's an accordion in there, too. I usually don't have many accordion tunes in my repertoire, but Colin Hogan, who is a fantastic keyboard player and pianist, incorporates them into the show.”
The program also celebrates Scandinavia's literary heritage by linking the modern phenomenon of Frozen to its 19th-century origins.“We do that famous song ‘Let It Go,” said Tolling. “The reason for that is that Hans Christian Andersen actually wrote the fairy tale that Frozen is based on. It's called The Snow Queen.”
TICKET INFO
Don't miss this opportunity to enjoy a holiday performance that blends the warmth and fantasy of Danish holiday tradition with the innovation of American jazz. Tickets for these cozy shows are selling quickly.
Show details: Mads Tolling & The Mads Men: December 13-14, Joe Henderson Lab (SFJAZZ Center), showtimes 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Tickets: https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/25-26/mads-tolling-cool-yule/
