Mads Mathias

Mads Mathias is a Danish vocalist/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, inspired and influenced by the great jazz vocalists of the past and present from Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra to Harry Connick Jr, and with a deep respect for the crooner tradition.

'truly gifted artist' (Brian Blain, London Jazz News)

His first release as a soloist, ‘Free Falling’, is a hugely ambitious project with contributions from twenty-five ‘hand-picked’ musicians in a mix of big band, strings and small group arrangements. Ten of the songs are originals by Mathias, who also performs saxophone, trumpet and piano alongside his vocals, with arrangements by himself and Peter Jensen. In Mathias’s words: “I decided early on not to compromise or use shortcuts and not let time or money dictate, but only to stop when I arrived at the sound I had in my head”. The resulting critically-acclaimed album won him a Danish Music Award for ‘Best New Danish Jazz Artist of the Year’ as well as a nomination for ‘Danish Vocal Release of year’. He also won an ‘Honorable Mention’ in the USA’s International Songwriting Competition for his song ‘Fool for Love’. The album has received extensive airplay on Danish radio stations DR P1, DR P4, P8 JAZZ and on the BBC in the UK.

“Denmark’s leading male jazz vocalist, on the verge of an international breakthrough”

(Michael Bo, Politiken)

Mads Mathias grew up partly in his native town of Silkeborg, Denmark and partly in Tanzania, in a musical home with 34 instruments, which he explored from infancy. The saxophone became his main instrument, but at the age of 17 he injured his hand in a car accident, losing three fingers. Afraid that his playing days were over, he began to sing and write songs. Fortunately the rehabilitation of his hand enabled him to play the saxophone once again and he was accepted to study at the Copenhagen Rhythmic Music Conservatory, from which he graduated in 2007.

Besides fronting his own Orchestra and Quartet, Mathias appears regularly with the prestigious Danish Radio Big Band and Tivoli Orchestra.

www.madsmathias.com

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