"Without the tremendous support from these musicians and performers who are donating their time and energy on a pro bono basis ... we would not be able to launch it," Behan admitted.
Tolling, who performs with San Francisco's Turtle Island Quartet when not traveling the globe with his own quartet, didn't hesitate when Alban invited him to perform. With the victims of Hurricane Irene and the Orinda Arts Council lined up to receive most of the funds raised, Tolling said money that works itself into school music programs was the hook.
"It seems like in every place the music gets cut, so that's definitely a place I want to focus," he said. "We're also businessmen and women: if you just stay home, you're not networking."
Tolling spent his first 20 years growing up in Copenhagen, Denmark, tuning his ear to the Danish jazz-violin of Kristian Jørgensen.
"Lots of jazz, no fiddle music," Tolling explained, about his years before moving to the United States to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston. "I wasn't hip to the fiddle scene, but the jazz I could jump right in and play directly."
The ability to thrive in unfamiliar territory served Tolling well when he was invited to join Turtle Island in 2003. The quartet needed a violist, so the pioneering musician stashed his violin, auditioned, landed the gig, and crammed.
"I played six hours a day for two weeks, so it was a learning curve," he laughed.
With his own band, Tolling combines violin with the standard jazz combo of guitar, acoustic bass, and drums. He likens the sound to a combination of the Mahavishnu Orchestra -- known for their rich chords, diverse rhythms and rock elements -- and the note-dense fiddle style of Béla Fleck, an American banjo player.
"I'm writing beyond standards, exploring the possibilities of the guitar, writing through composed music, and combining different styles," he said.
Working with great musicians, Tolling found a correlation between his passion for sports and his music.
"I love tennis, soccer, basketball; the obvious link is that you're on a team," he exclaimed. "Especially in jazz, you're really riding on the other players."
"The Playmakers," Tolling's 2009 release, features bass legend Stanley Clarke, Yellowjackets founder Russell Ferrante and vibist Stefon Harris as guest artists.
"Everything sounds so good with great musicians," Tolling said. "It taught me not to overwrite and to let them come up with certain things themselves. I'm more controlling, usually, so that was a good stretch."
The two-hour concert in Orinda will offer another opportunity for flexibility. Tolling will bring "Danish Dessert," a piece he said is "not too hard" and one that will allow Alban and the other artists to "collaborate and expand."
Behan, convinced that music festivals are a powerful medium for bringing communities together to support a worthwhile cause with great entertainment, has only one stretch in mind -- reaching out to promote Lamorinda's booming appetite for jazz.