Toots Thielemans
Toots Thielemans virtually introduced the chromatic harmonica as a jazz instrument. In fact, beginning in the mid-'50s, he never had a close competitor. Thielemans simply played the harmonica with the dexterity of a saxophonist and even successfully traded off with the likes of Oscar Peterson.
Thielemans' first instrument was the accordion, which he started when he was three. Although he started playing the harmonica when he was 17, Thielemans' original reputation was made as a guitarist who was influenced by Django Reinhardt. Very much open to bop, Thielemans played in American GI clubs in Europe, visited the U.S. for the first time in 1947, and shared the bandstand with Charlie Parker at the Paris Jazz Festival of 1949. He toured Europe as a guitarist with the Benny Goodman Sextet in 1950, and the following year moved to the U.S. During 1953-1959, Toots was a member of the George Shearing Quintet (mostly as a guitarist) and freelanced for the remainder of his lengthy career in music.
He first recorded his big hit, "Bluesette" (which featured his expert whistling and guitar) in 1961, and was subsequently in great demand (particularly for his harmonica and his whistling) on pop records (including many dates with Quincy Jones) and as a jazz soloist. Toots' two-volume Brasil Project was popular in the 1990s and found him smoothly interacting on harmonica with top Brazilian musicians. Heard on numerous movie soundtracks (including Breakfast at Tiffany's and Midnight Cowboy) and also on the opening theme of television's Sesame Street, Thielemans received Jazz Master honors from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2009. He died in Belgium in August 2016 at the age of 94.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
Similar artists
-
Road to Romance
Toots Thielemans, Kurt Edelhagen
Jazz - Released by Polydor on 1 Jun 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Accentuate the Positive
Jazz - Released by Consolidated Artists Productions on 18 Oct 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Whistles, Plays Guitar And Harmonica
Jazz - Released by WM Sweden on 1 Jan 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Harmonica Harmonies
Toots Thielemans, Kurt Edelhagen And His Orchestra, Unknown Artist
Jazz - Released by Jube Legends on 12 Feb 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Toots möter Taube
Jazz - Released by Universal Music AB on 1 Jan 1978
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
The Best of Toots Thielemans (Original Mix)
Jazz - Released by The Blue Bridge Records on 1 Jan 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Harmonica Essentials '55-'58
Jazz - Released by Vintage Masters Inc. on 1 Aug 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Jazz Legacy (The Jazz Legends)
Jazz - Released by Sandstone on 25 Mar 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Take A Walk With
Jazz - Released by walk with me classics on 6 Jan 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Imagination (Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Podium on 30 Oct 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Soul of Toots Thielemans
Jazz - Released by TP4 Music on 6 Jan 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bluesette + Man Bites Harmonica + Road to Romance
Jazz - Released by Black Satin Recordings on 10 Jun 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Les idoles du Jazz : Toots Thielemans, vol. 1
Jazz - Released by Mpm on 31 Aug 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
The Romantic Sounds of Toots Thielemans (Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Avid Entertainment on 4 Nov 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live in New Orleans
Jazz - Released by Leisure Music Group on 23 Dec 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo