Malte Toenissen
Jazz and authentic Swing,
Upright Bassist, Composer,
Arranger
from Berlin
About
The Berlin upright bassist Malte Toenissen is famous for his big acoustic gut string sound and is one of the most accomplished and prolific bass players in Germany’s swing and old-time jazz scene. Besides his main field of work and his special passion for the jazz styles of the 1920s/30s until the 1940s, he’s also versatile in modern jazz and many other genres and styles of music. He studied jazz upright bass with Sigi Busch and Pepe Berns from 2004 to 2010 at the University of the Arts (UdK) and the Jazz Institut Berlin (JIB). Malte is the bassist of The Swing Dance Orchestra, The Swingin’ Hermlins, The Big Five, The Ragtime Nightmare, George & His New Heartaches, and a founding member of Kind of Dukish and the Dukish Vagabonds, among others, and is part of the musicians’ pool of the Syncopation Society. Furthermore, he plays on a regular basis with Lenard Streicher and has worked, for example, with the Moka Efti Orchestra and the star violinist Daniel Hope. Malte also appears increasingly as a composer and occasionally as an arranger, including some contributions to the repertoire of the Swing Dance Orchestra and the Swingin' Hermlins. He also penned three compositions in the 1930s style for the 2021 Netflix film production Munich – The Edge of War. Malte has been inspired and influenced by many great double bass players, including Bill Johnson, Steve Brown, Pops Foster, Wellman Braud, Walter Page, Moses Allen, Milt Hinton, Slam Stewart, John Kirby, Jimmy Blanton, Oscar Pettiford, Ray Brown, and Charles Mingus, to name a few.
Bands
CURRENT BANDS
· George & His New Heartaches
FURTHER BANDS
a.o.
FORMER BANDS
Das Berliner Tanzorchester, Charlotte und die Luxusboys, Chloe´ Et Les Enfants Terribles, The Queensgang Orchestra, Swing Up die Big Band, Saudia Young, Marla Blumenblatt, Frederika Krier Quartett
a.o.
Dates
2025 11.10. · The Big Five - Bohème Sauvage N° 136, Ballhaus Berlin 16.10. · Stringband Lowdown - Berlin, Yorckschlösschen 17.- 18.10. · The Big Five – Schweden/ Malmö 22.- 27.10. · The Big Five – South Korea/ Jeju 31.10. · The Swing Dance Orchestra - Berlin, Philharmonie (Kammermusiksaal) 08.11. · The Big Five - Dockside Swing/ Hamburg 09.11. · The Swing Dance Orchestra – Jazztage Dresden 11.11. · The Big Five - Berlin, Crack Bellmer 14. -15.11. · The Big Five - Swingdom Festival, Utrecht/ Niederlande 20.11. · The Swing Dance Orchestra – Hamburg, Laeiszhalle/ Benny Goodman, carnegie hall concert 29.11. · The Swingin' Hermlins – Potsdam/ Nikolaisaal 05.12. · The Swing Dance Orchestra - Berlin, Philharmonie (Kammermusiksaal) 06.12. · Hans Sigl, Weisse Weihnacht - Frankfurt am Main, Alte Oper 10.12. · Hans Sigl, Weisse Weihnacht - Munich, Carl-Off-Saal 11.12. · The Swing Dance Orchestra – Konzerthaus Berlin 13.12. · The Swing Dance Orchestra – St Pölten/ Österreich 15.12. · Hans Sigl, Weisse Weihnacht - Stuttgart, Liederhalle 17.12. · Hans Sigl, Weisse Weihnacht - Köln, Theater am Tanzbrunnen 19.12. · Hans Sigl, Weisse Weihnacht - Schwandorf, Oberpfalzhalle 20.12. · The Swing Dance Orchestra – Wolfenbüttel 22.12. · Hans Sigl, Weisse Weihnacht - Ingolstadt, Festsaal 23.12. · The Swing Dance Orchestra - München, Gasteig 26.12. · The Swing Dance Orchestra – Berlin, Philharmonie (Kammermusiksaal) 27.12. · The Swing Dance Orchestra – Halle, Saale 28.12. · The Swing Dance Orchestra – Nuremberg, Meistersingerhalle 29.12. · The Swing Dance Orchestra – Stuttgart, Liederhalle 30.12. · The Big Five Konstanz 31.12. · The Big Five, Konstanz 2026 01.01. · The Big Five - Switzerland/ Zurich 02.01. · The Swingin' Hermlins – Malchow/ Kirche 09. -10.01. · The Big Five - Schweiz, Basel 15.01. · The Swing Dance Orchestra - Berlin, Grüne Woche 24.- 25.01. · The Big Five – Swing It Berlin 2026 25.01. · The Swing Dance Orchestra - Berlin, Philharmonie/ Benny Goodman, carnegie hall concert 29.01. The Swingin' Hermlins - Berlin, Yorckschlösschen 07.02. · The Swing Dance Orchestra - Schwalbach/ Zulu Ball 08.02. · The Swing Dance Orchestra – Konzerthaus Berlin 23.04. · The Swing Dance Orchestra – Hamburg, Laeiszhalle 03.12. · The Swing Dance Orchestra – Munich/ privat
Discography
· David Hermlin & his Swing Dance Orchestra - Swing Is The Thing, 2025 · The Big Five, featuring Nicolle Rochelle - Billie's Bounce, 2025 · The Ragtime Nightmare, 2024 · The Big Five - Boarding Completed!, 2024 · Andrej Hermlin & his Swing Dance Orchestra – Swing Is On Parade, 2023 · Huelyn Duvall - You Knock Me Out, 2023 · The Big Five - The Bellmer Session, 2023 · Björn Bergmann - Coffee First (Single), 2023 · Rolf Rötgers - In Memory, 2023 · Das Haus der Träume (Soundtrack zur Serie von Henning Fuchs), 2022 · Lenard Streicher – Kopf in den Wolken (Single), 2021 · Lenard Streicher – Gentleman (Single), 2021 · Ku'damm 63 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), 2021 · Kind of Dukish – Live at The Revival 2019 Vol. I & II, 2021 · The Swingin' Hermlins – It's Christmas Eve Tonight, 2020 · The Swingin' Hermlins – Swing Is In The Air, 2020 · Lenard Streicher - Schuld war der Mond (Single), 2020 · Harald Hertel's Jam Swingers - Swing Stays King, 2020 · The Modest Jazz Duo - Christmas Songs, 2019 · The Urban Voodoo Machine - Friends and Family Album, Volume One 2019 · Saudia Young - Unlovable, 2018 · Ku'damm 59 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), 2018 · Long John and his Ballroom Kings feat. Huelyn Duvall - 7" Vinyl Single (Pucker Paint / Marty The Duke's Blues), 2017 · The Modest Jazz Duo - Christmas Songs, 2017 · Long John and his Ballroom Kings feat. Huelyn Duvall - 7" Vinyl Single (Blue Suede Shoes / Is It True what They Say about Dixie, 2015 · Swing Up die Big Band - In Memoriam Count Basie (live), 2014 · Marla Blumenblatt - Immer die Boys, 2014 · Jazziki - 344, 2013 · Florian von Frieling Trio - Afloat, 2013 · Matt Voodoo - Diamonds ( Love (Sick) Ep), 2013 · Long John and his Ballroom Kings - 7" Vinyl Single (Hep Cat Baby / Dragnet), 2012 · Jean de la Lune (Moon Man / Stephan Schesch's Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), 2012 · Meike Büttner - Gut, alles!, 2012 · Florian von Frieling Trio - Florian von Frieling Trio, 2011 · Julie Dillon Band - Julie Dillon Band, 2011 · Eskeemo - Release, 2011 · Bremer Eisler Ensemble - Brecht Eisler Weil und Co., 2010 · Stefan Leibinger Trioplus - Ground, 2010 · Simon Scheibel - Sci-men Says..., 2010 · Frederika Krier Quartett - Devoted, 2009 · Das Berliner Tanzorchester (Demo CD), 2007 · Das Berliner Jugend Jazz Orchester - Berlin Los Angeles, 2006 · Rolf Rötgers - Küss Mich!, 2004
PHotos
