Mads Tolling, Kenny Washington & John R Burr

Mads Tolling is the recipient of the 2016 DownBeat Critics Poll Rising Star Award for violin. A former long-time member of Stanley Clarke’s band and the Turtle Island Quartet, Mads is currently touring with Bob Weir & Wolf Bros. He has performed his violin concertos with the late great Michael Morgan and The Oakland Symphony, and he leads his own ensemble, Mads Tolling & The Mads Men. His work has been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition and in The Washington Post, and he has performed with musical legends such as Kenny Barron, Ramsey Lewis, Paquito D’Rivera, and Leo Kottke.

Kenny Washington is a highly acclaimed jazz vocalist, known for his soulful interpretations, seemingly limitless range, and inventive scatting. He's been called the "Superman of the Bay Area jazz scene" by the San Francisco Chronicle. Washington's style is influenced by classic jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, while also incorporating elements of Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway. If you have never heard this New Orleans native sing before, prepare to join a global audience that has been wowed by Washington’s talent.

John R. Burr is one of the most in-demand pianists around the Bay Area. He has toured extensively with Maria Muldaur and The Alison Brown Quartet. Mads and John met back in 2015, and last year they released the album Ramblin’ on Blue Coast Records, which features creative arrangements of songs from all corners of the music world, including Toto, Lennon/McCartney, Victor Young and John McLaughlin.

Also check out other Music events in Oakland, Entertainment events in Oakland.