Gunhild Carling

Gunhild Carling — multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire and Sweden's Queen of Swing — brings her virtuosic vaudeville to the Joe Henderson Lab, accompanied by her musical family band. Known for her dazzling command of trombone, trumpet, recorder, bagpipes, and countless other instruments, Carling delivers vintage jazz and swing with theatrical flair that transforms every performance into a celebration.

Carling's live shows are legendary for their surprises: she'll play three trumpets simultaneously, balance a trumpet like a trained seal while playing upright bass, tap dance while blowing trombone, and march through the audience with horn in hand. Her stage presence radiates pure joy, dressed in sequined outfits and pearls, connecting with audiences through humor, call-and-response sections, and spontaneous song requests. Critics describe her as bringing "joy back to jazz" with performances that feel like stepping into a 1920s nightclub crossed with a carnival.

The family band creates an Andrews Sisters-style harmony section and swaps instruments throughout the show — everyone plays multiple parts in this musical circus. Expect New Orleans-style arrangements, hot swing numbers like "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" (during which she strolls through the crowd), original compositions including "Miller Avenue" and "Bagpipe Blues," and surprising instrumental combinations like medieval recorder on bossa nova.

Beyond the spectacle, Carling is a serious musician with over 40 million online views, collaborations with Postmodern Jukebox, and recent albums "Jazz Is My Lifestyle" (2024) and "Good Evening Cats!" (2022). Her performances blend virtuosity with vaudeville, creating what one reviewer called "a musical fest of celebration rather than cerebration" — an antidote to overly intellectual jazz that reminds audiences why they fell in love with swing in the first place.