Mandy make up your mind Carlings 1985
Who are the Carlings?
Hans married Aina in the sixties, and they moved high up in the north country and, both being lawyers, pursued careers in law. Aina, who comes from a musical family and originally played cello, learned to play banjo and guitar to be able to perform in jazz format herself.
Max, their first child, was born in August 1969, and two daughters Gerd and Gunhild were born respectively in November 1971 and May 1975. Ulf, their second son, was born in May 1979. The Carling children were more than just interested in music; the youngsters had a strong feeling for melody and harmony and they began to play on rather primitive home-made instruments guided by their parents. It soon became obvious that the children were very talented. When they had had reached the 4 to 8 range, they played Nordic folk songs together.
By Christmas 1983, the children were playing jazz on real musical instruments: Max on clarinet, Gerd on piano, Gunhild on trombone. Ulf was still too young to participate. Unbelievable as it may sound, the following year, on July 13, 1984, the family recorded their first album. Hans, who is an accomplished musician, kept it fairly simple to accommodate and balance out the music the family produced. The result was a recording of endearing simplicity.
In May, the next year , the family was in invited to the Netherlands to perform at the prestigious Breda Jazz Festival. At one of the concerts, while giving a small speech, the family was praised by Spencer Williams, son of composer Clarence Williams and singer Eva Taylor. The family responded by playing "Mandy make up your mind" from the 1924 recording of Clarence Williams with Sidney Bechet and Louis Armstrong.
