Jazz Legend, Toots Thielemans
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
Dear readers,
I like to introduce you (if this is still necessary) to one of the greatest Belgian musician. I got to know his harmonica sound with the movies from Sergio Leone “Once upon a time in the West”. He is now 91 years old and still playing life all over the world. He has been playing with the greatest Jazz musicians and played his amazing harmonica in a lot of Movie soundtracks. I put a few of my favourites in my blog.
Toots Thielemans
is a Belgian jazz musician known for his guitar and harmonica playing as well as his whistling. Thielemans is credited as one of the greatest harmonica players of the 20th century.
Jean “Toots” Thielemans
was born in Brussels, Belgium on April, 29 1922. He played accordion at the age of 3 and started playing harmonica as a hobby. His first guitar, won on a bet. During the German occupation he got hooked on Jazz or as he says himself, “contaminated” by the jazz virus. His first idol was Django Reinhardt and very early he was influenced by Charlie Parker. He got his nickname “Toots” after Toots Mondello and Toots Camarata. First international break through was when he joined Benny Goodman on an European Concert tour in 1950. Immigrating to the USA in 1952, he became a member of the Charlie Parker’s All Stars in Philadelphia and worked for 6 years with the George Shearing Quintet.
Toots originated a new sound by whistling and playing the guitar in unisono which he did for commercials. The best known is “Old Spice”. In 1962 he composed “ Bluesette”. He was asked as harmonica soloist for many filmscores such as, Midnight Cowboy, The Getaway, Sugarland Express, Cinderella Liberty, Turks Fruit, Jean de Florette… Toots played concerts and made recordings with musicians like George Shearing, Ella Fitzgerald, Quincy Jones, Bill Evans, Jaco Pastorius, Natalie Cole, Pat Metheny, Paul Simon, Billy Joel… You can hear him as a soloist on the TV theme of Sesame Street. Until two years ago he was the perennialwinner of Down Beat readers and critics poll in the category “miscellaneous instruments”.
2001- The King of Belgium, Albert II the King honored him with the title “ Baron”.That same year he received the title Professor Honoris Causa at the 2 universities of Brussels, Belgium. Also receiving from Gilberto Gill in 2006 the title “Comendador da Ordem do Rio Branco”, a very high distinction in Brasil.
2008- The National Endowment for the Arts honored him with the NEA 2009 Jazz Master Award, the highest distinction for a Jazz musician in the USA.
2009- Toots received the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Jazz Award in The Netherlands. His favorite compliment is from the late Clifford Brown “Toots, the way you play the harmonica they should not call it a miscellaneous instrument”
I can say without hesitation that Toots is one of the greatest musicians of our time. On his instrument he ranks with the best that jazz has ever produced. He goes for the heart and makes you cry. We have worked together more times than I can count and he always keeps me coming back for more…” from Quincy Jones’ Liner Notes
Q’s Jook Joint, 1995
“I feel best in that little space between a smile and a tear” Toots Thielemans
Discography
Toots Thielemans Discography
Toots Thielemans – Wives and Lovers(1962)
Toots Thielemans – The Whisler and his guitar
Toots Thielemans – Bluesette (1962)
Toots Thielemans – Bluesette
ENNIO MORRICONE-”Harmonica/ Man With A Harmonica/ Death Rattle” (1968)
Toots Thielemans – A man with the harmonica
Ennio Morricone – Once upon a time in the West (1969)
Toots Thielemans – Once upon a time in the west
Midnight Cowboy / John Barry – Harmonica theme ( Audio Only) 1969
Toots Thielemans – Midnight Cowboy
The Getaway – End credits – Quincy Jones – Toots Thielemans (1972)
Toots Thielemans-The Getaway
Mongo Santamaria with Dizzy Gillespie and Toots Thielemans – Afro Blues (1981)
Toots Thielemans and Dizzy Gillespie
Jaco Pastorius & Toots Thielemans – Sophisticated Lady (1982)
Toots Thielemans & Jaco Pastorius-Sophisticated lady
BILLY JOEL AND TOOTS THIELEMANS -LEAVE A TENDER MOMENT ALONE (1983)
Billy Joel and Toots Thielemans
Toots Thielemans & Masahiko Sato – YaKsa Soundtrack (1984)
Toots Thielemans – Yaksa
Jazz Middelheim – Toots Thielemans – Ne Me quitte pas (2009)
Toots Thielemans ne me quitte pas
Toots Thielemans – Midnight cowboy playing life in 2012.
“90 years” old and unstoppable !
Toots Thielemans-90th birthday
Toots Thielemans in de Marollen
Marolles (French) or Marollen (Dutch) is an ancient district of Brussels, situated between the Law Courts of Brussels (Palace of Justice) and the Brussels-South railway station.[1] In the heart of Marollen can be found the Église de la Chapelle/Kapellekerk and the Place du Jeu de balle/Vossenplein. Major arteries of the neighborhood include the rue Haute/Hoogstraat, the rue Blaesstraat and the rue des Tanneurs/Huidevetterstraat. Inhabitants of the district are called Marolliens.
The dialect known as Marols (marollien) was spoken in this area. You hear Toots Thielemans speak this lovely dialect.
Toots Thielemans in de Marollen
The Marolles-Brussels-Belgium