Gunhild Carling at Biscuits & Blues

2026-10-25T17:30:00-07:00concert, sf bayNo comments

Gunhild Carling’s performance at Biscuits & Blues in San Francisco was a terrific night out for fans of traditional jazz—from Dixieland and swing to big-band classics—and for anyone who appreciates musicians as entertaining to watch as they are to hear.

The Swedish-born multi-instrumentalist, singer, and entertainer, often dubbed the Queen of Swing, brings together dazzling musicianship, vintage jazz, playful humor, and theatrical showmanship. Her performances are a joyful celebration of an earlier jazz era, but never feel like a museum piece. With Carling, you can expect virtuoso playing, unexpected musical detours, and plenty of surprises.

We parked our Tesla Model Y at the Mason/O’Farrell Garage (325 Mason Street), which was both convenient and inexpensive. With a Biscuits & Blues ticket, you get discounted rates of $10 for up to three hours or $16 for up to five hours of covered parking. Just remember to show your ticket to qualify for the discount.

Since we arrived early, around 4:30 p.m., we stopped at One65 Patisserie, our favorite spot in the area, for coffee and pastries. We shared a pain aux raisins and a tartelette. I ordered a cappuccino, while Inna enjoyed freshly brewed mint tea.

At 5:15 p.m., we walked over to Biscuits & Blues, showed our tickets, and sat in the second row, just a few feet from the stage. We ordered a bottle of Pellegrino, fried chicken, and hot tea. Unfortunately, the tea never arrived, yet it appeared on our bill alongside a beer I hadn’t ordered. Sorting out the incorrect charges with the waitress took some time after the show.

The performance began right on schedule at 5:33 p.m., as the musicians took the stage. Aside from Carling and her Swedish husband, the band members were local musicians from Oakland, Pacifica, and elsewhere in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The following band members were introduced during the performance:

Gunhild Carling: Leader, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist
Yuan Blum (or Johnny Bloom): Banjo player and Gunhild's husband
Luke Gurley: Musician from Oakland
Sophie Powers: Trombone player and vocalist from Pacifica
Eric Kong: pianist from San Jose
Ryan Callaway: Multi-instrumentalist from Oakland, typically playing clarinet and bass saxophone
Bo Bradford: Drummer from north of San Francisco

I thoroughly enjoyed the show, although the sound level was uncomfortably loud. Inna and I both resorted to using our AirPods’ noise-reduction feature to make the volume more tolerable—and to protect our hearing.

Despite the billing hiccup and the excessive volume, it was a memorable evening. We hope to catch Carling again when she returns to San Francisco for several performances in November and December.

Sunday, October 25, 2026
Biscuits & Blues
401 Mason Street, San Francisco

Early show: 5:30 PM; doors at 4:15 PM
Late show: 7:30 PM; doors at 7:15 PM

Dinner and drinks: Full menu and bar service during the show.

Parking: The venue advertises discounted parking at Mason/O'Farrell Garage, 325 Mason Street: $10 for up to 3 hours or $16 for up to 5 hours with your ticket.

What makes her special?

Surprisingly, Carling played one of my favorite New Orleans-style jazz standards — Everybody Loves My Baby — as her second song in the setlist.

Here is a short video clip of her performance of "Bei mir bist du schön" (originally a Yiddish song). It accurately captures the energy Carling brings on stage.

Between songs, Carling’s introductions were almost as entertaining as the music. Before “Samba de Orfeu,” the theme from Black Orpheus, she drew laughs with a story about her family of twenty musicians. “You mix us up with the Jackson Five, but that is totally wrong. We play medieval music, so I brought a medieval recorder because I’m going to play a 1,000-year-old song on a 1,000-year-old instrument.” Then she did exactly that. The result sounded ancient, charming, and unexpectedly at home amid the evening’s jazz.

As the set progressed, the performance became a delightful hybrid of masterclass and vaudeville revue, a blur of musical virtuosity and physical comedy that Carling seemed to relish. She balanced and plucked an upright bass, swayed her hips while playing trumpet, and then played three trumpets simultaneously, somehow coordinating her lips to produce the improbable effect.

For “SFJAZZ Stomp,” which she announced she was composing on the spot, Carling tilted her head back to balance a trumpet on her lips while playing bass with her hands. “The only thing you should think of now,” she instructed the audience, “is that you haven’t heard the song before, so sit there and look excited.” Tap dancing followed, delivered with the same breezy confidence she brought to every instrument.

In a pre-show interview, Carling had offered a glimpse into her relationship with the many instruments she collects. Although the trombone is her primary voice, she explained, each instrument has its own soul. “When I play hard, it’s very beautiful and a little meditative, and choosing the right instrument is not easy,” she said. “The flute can create this magic, the trumpet gives the melody, and the trombone has a lot of ability.”

My favorite songs included the following:

Everybody Loves My Baby (12:44)
Bei Mir Bistu Shein (21:31)
Back to New Orleans (44:11)
I Ain't Got Nobody (57:15)
Bourbon Street Parade (1:16:19)

Carling closed the set with “Ice Cream,” the traditional New Orleans jazz standard. The number gave each band member a turn in the spotlight while showcasing her playful vocals and tap dancing.
Instead of taking a conventional bow, Carling stepped offstage and led her horn section down the center aisle into the lobby, playing “When the Saints Go Marching In” as she filmed the audience’s reactions on her phone. A fitting finale: exuberant, mischievous, and determined to turn even the exit into part of the show.