Belgian jazz musician and harmonica player (1922–2016)
Toots Thielemans
Thielemans in 2006
Background information
Birth name
Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor Thielemans
Born
(1922-04-29)29 April 1922 Brussels, Belgium
Died
22 August 2016(2016-08-22) (aged 94) Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium[1]
Genres
Jazz
Occupation(s)
Musician, composer
Instrument(s)
Chromatic harmonica, guitar, accordion
Years active
1949–2014
Musical artist
Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016), known professionally as Toots Thielemans ([tutstiləmans]), was a Belgian jazz musician. He was mostly known for playing the chromatic harmonica, as well as his guitar and whistling skills, and composing. According to jazz historian Ted Gioia, his most important contribution was in "championing the humble harmonica", which Thielemans made into a "legitimate voice in jazz".[2] He eventually became the "preeminent" jazz harmonica player.[3]
His first professional performances were with Benny Goodman's band when they toured Europe in 1949 and 1950. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1951, becoming a citizen in 1957. From 1953 to 1959 he played with George Shearing, and then led his own groups on tours in the U.S. and Europe. In 1961 he recorded and performed live one of his own compositions, "Bluesette", which featured him playing guitar and whistling. In the 1970s and 1980s, he continued touring and recording, appearing with musicians such as Oscar Peterson, Elis Regina, Caetano Veloso, Ella Fitzgerald, Ivan Lins, Sarah Vaughan, Bill Evans, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Werner, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Mina Mazzini, Elis Regina, Quincy Jones, George Shearing, Natalie Cole, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, and Paquito D'Rivera.
Thielemans recorded the soundtracks for The Pawnbroker (1964), Midnight Cowboy (1969), The Getaway (1972), Cinderella Liberty (1973), The Sugarland Express (1974) and Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977). His harmonica theme song for the popular Sesame Street TV show was heard for 40 years. He often performed and recorded with Quincy Jones, who once called him "one of the greatest musicians of our time."[4] In 2009 he was designated a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts, the highest honor for a jazz musician in the United States.
^"Newsflash - Final bar : Toots Thielemans". Jazzinbelgium.com. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
^Gioia, Ted. The History of Jazz, Oxford Univ. Press (2011) p. 382
^Morton, Brian, and Cook, Richard. The Penguin Jazz Guide: the History of the Music in the 1000 Best Albums, Penguin UK, (2010) ebook.
^Cite error: The named reference NYT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016), known professionally as TootsThielemans ([tuts tiləmans]), was a Belgian...
TootsThielemans is a planned Brussels Metro station on line 3, between Anneessens and Gare du Midi/Zuidstation. It is named after the famous Belgian jazz...
Bluesette is a jazz standard, composed by TootsThielemans. First recorded by TootsThielemans in 1962, with lyrics added by Norman Gimbel, the song became...
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company, which were chromatic with either 12 or 16 holes. Jazz player TootsThielemans also has a chromatic harmonica line with two types being Mellow Tone...
debut studio album Valotte (1984). It featured the harmonica of Jean "Toots" Thielemans, and it was a top-10 hit, reaching No. 6 in the UK Singles Chart in...
1985, he played with the Jamie Baum Quartet. In 1986, he played with TootsThielemans at the Great Woods jazz festival. He played with him in several sessions...
Jaco Pastorius (his main influence), Mike Stern, and Belgian jazzmen TootsThielemans, Ivan Paduart, Steve Houben, Philip Catherine, and Pierre Van Dormael...
musicians and composers such as the harmonica player and guitarist TootsThielemans, guitarist Philip Catherine and the gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt...
Steve Grossman, David Schnitter, Art Farmer, Bob Mover, Teddy Edwards, TootsThielemans, Philip Catherine, Michael Moore and Barre Phillips. He was often a...
'Romeo & Juliet' (1969) Version #2: with TootsThielemans on Thielemans' album Chez Toots (1998) Chez Toots track listing reads "Les Moulins de mon cœur...
Johnson on tuba; Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker, and Tom Scott on reeds; TootsThielemans on harmonica; Kenwood Dennard, Peter Erskine and Jack DeJohnette on...
Spielberg's films since; although Williams re-recorded the main theme with TootsThielemans and the Boston Pops Orchestra for 1991's The Spielberg/Williams Collaboration...
Thelonious Monk. He also appeared on records released by J.R. Monterose, TootsThielemans, Sonny Clark, Tina Brooks, Zoot Sims, and Grant Green, among others...
in Belgium is also of repute. Jazz musicians Django Reinhardt and TootsThielemans and singer Jacques Brel have achieved global fame. Nowadays, singer...
collaborated with many jazz musicians including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, TootsThielemans, Ron Carter, Carmen McRae, Wynton Marsalis and others. She was most...
by Billy Joel and the fifth single from his album An Innocent Man. TootsThielemans makes a guest appearance on harmonica. The song reached number 27 on...
maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) Yanow, Scott. "Chez Toots – TootsThielemans". AllMusic. Retrieved March 5, 2016. Newsom, Jim. "Some of My Best...
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