Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016), known professionally as Toots Thielemans, was a Belgian jazz musician. He was mostly known for his chromatic

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

playing, 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".Gioia, Ted. ''The History of Jazz'', Oxford Univ. Press (2011) p. 382 He eventually became the "preeminent" jazz harmonica player.Morton, Brian, and Cook, Richard. ''The Penguin Jazz Guide: the History of the Music in the 1000 Best Albums'', Penguin UK, (2010) ebook. His first professional performances were with

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

'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 Bluesette is a jazz standard, composed by Toots Thielemans. First recorded by Toots Thielemans in 1961, with lyrics added by Norman Gimbel, the song became an international hit. It has since been covered by over one hundred artists. Selected cove ...

", which featured him playing guitar and whistling. In the 1970s and 1980s, he continued touring and recording, appearing with musicians such as Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald,

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

Kenny Werner Kenny Werner (born November 19, 1951) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and author. Early life Born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 19, 1951 and then growing up in Oceanside, Long Island, Werner began playing and performing at a young a ...

, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Mina Mazzini, Elis Regina, Quincy Jones, George Shearing, Natalie Cole,

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

and Paquito D'Rivera. Thielemans recorded the soundtracks for ''

The Pawnbroker ''The Pawnbroker'' (1961) is a novel by Edward Lewis Wallant which tells the story of Sol Nazerman, a concentration camp survivor who suffers flashbacks of his past Nazi imprisonment as he tries to cope with his daily life operating a pawn sho ...

'' (1964), '' Midnight Cowboy'' (1969), '' The Getaway'' (1972), '' Cinderella Liberty'' (1973), ''

The Sugarland Express ''The Sugarland Express'' is a 1974 American crime drama film directed by Steven Spielberg in his directorial debut. The film follows a woman (Goldie Hawn) and her husband (William Atherton) as they take a police officer (Michael Sacks) hostage a ...

'' (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." 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.

Early years

Thielemans was born in Brussels on 29 April 1922. His parents owned a café. He began playing music at an early age, using a homemade accordion at age three. During the German occupation of Belgium beginning in 1940, he became attracted to jazz, but was then playing on a full-size accordion or a harmonica, which he taught himself to play in his teens. After being introduced to the music of Belgian-born jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, he became inspired to teach himself guitar, which he did by listening to Reinhardt's recordings. At the time he was a college student majoring in mathematics.Carr, Ian; Fairweather, Digby. ''The Rough Guide to Jazz'', Rough Guides (2004) p. 788 By the war's end in 1945, he considered himself a full-time musician. He said in 1950, "Django is still one of my main influences, I think, for lyricism. He can make me cry when I hear him."Field, Kim. ''Harmonicas, Harps, and Heavy Breathers: the Evolution of the People's Instrument'', Rowman & Littlefield (1993) pp. 253-255 During an interview in 1988, he recalled, "I guess I was born at the right time to live and adapt and be touched by the evolution in the jazz language." He played in two Silverio Pisu stories: ''Giacomino passerotto vagabondo'' and ''Manolo gattino sognatore''.

Career

1940s–1950s

In 1949 he joined a

jam session A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without exte ...

in Paris with Sidney Bechet, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis,"Belgian jazz harmonica great Toots Thielemans passes away at 94"
, ''The Economic Times'', 23 August 2016 Max Roach and others. He first heard the faster bebop style of jazz from records by Parker and

after they had reached Belgium after the war. They became his musical "prophets." As his small collection of jazz records grew, the music of

and Lester Young began to impress him the most. During a visit to the U.S. in 1948, an agent of Benny Goodman heard him play at a small New York music club. Not long after he returned to his home in Belgium, he received a letter inviting him to join Goodman's band while they toured in Europe. He readily accepted the invitation and joined their tours in 1949 and 1950. During the tour, Goodman was "shocked" when he learned that these tours were the first time Thielemans had earned money from his playing. Although Thielemans was hired on as a guitarist, when Goodman's group debuted at the London Palladium, he played the harmonica due to union restrictions. During those years, he also made his first record with fellow band member, tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims. In 1951 he toured with singer-songwriter and compatriot Bobbejaan Schoepen, performing strictly as a guitarist. Thielemans moved to the United States in 1952 where he was a member of Charlie Parker's All-Stars and worked with Miles Davis and Dinah Washington. In 1957 he became a U.S. citizen."'Toots' Thielemans, master of the jazz harmonica, dies at 94"
'' The Washington Post'', 22 August 2016 From 1953 to 1959 he played guitar and harmonica with the George Shearing Quintet. With Shearing, he added whistling to his repertoire. While playing in Hamburg in 1960 on tour with Shearing, a young musician and observer — John Lennon— noticed that Thielemans played a

Rickenbacker guitar Rickenbacker International Corporation is a string instrument manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California. The company is credited as the first known maker of electric guitars – a steel guitar in 1932 – and today produces a range o ...

. Lennon was impressed, and felt he had to have an American guitar, on the principle that "if was good enough for Thielemans it was good enough for me." Lennon and the Beatles helped make Rickenbacker guitars world-famous. In 1955, Thielmans recorded his first album as a band leader, "The Sound." During the 1950s, Thielemans had dominated the "miscellaneous instrument" category in '' Down Beat'' magazine's poll. Jerry Murad, of

Jerry Murad's Harmonicats Jerry Murad's Harmonicats were an American harmonica-based group. Background The band was founded in 1947. Originally they were named The Harmonica Madcaps and the group consisted of Jerry Murad ( chromatic lead harmonica), Bob Hadamik (bass h ...

recalls Thielemans's mastery: From 1959 on he toured internationally with his small group along with intermittently recording in the studio. He recorded with singers and musicians including Ella Fitzgerald, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Stephane Grappelli, J.J. Johnson, Oscar Peterson,

Shirley Horn Shirley Valerie Horn (May 1, 1934 – October 20, 2005) was an American jazz singer and pianist. She collaborated with many jazz musicians including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Toots Thielemans, Ron Carter, Carmen McRae, Wynton Marsalis and othe ...

Joe Pass Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalaqua; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. Pass is well known for his work stemming from numerous collaborations with pianist Oscar Peterson and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, an ...

, and jazz pianist

, among others. Thielemans says that his recording with Evans's trio, ''Affinity,'' (1979) was one of his favorites.

1960s–1970s

Toots Thielemans wrote "Bluesette," a jazz standard, which he performed on harmonica or while playing the guitar and whistling in unison. He said, "If there's a piece of music that describes me, it's that song." First recorded by him in 1962, with lyrics added by Norman Gimbel, the song became a major worldwide hit. It has since been covered by over one hundred artists. Toots also wrote the ballad "Lady Fingers," which appeared on Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass's album "Whipped Cream and Other Delights." He worked both as a bandleader and as a sideman, including many projects with composer/arranger Quincy Jones. In the 1960s he performed on television with

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

. In 1969 he recorded "

Honeysuckle Rose Aquarela Do Brasil ''Elis & Toots'' is a 1969 bossa nova album by Brazilian singer Elis Regina and Belgian jazz musician Toots Thielemans recorded at a studio in Sweden and released on Philips Records. It features Toots Thielemans on harmonica, whistling and vocalizin ...

" with singer Elis Regina and performed with her on Swedish television special. During his career he performed on many film soundtracks, such as ''

'' (1964), '' Midnight Cowboy'' (1969), '' The Getaway'' (1972), '' Turkish Delight'' (1973), '' Cinderella Liberty'' (1973), ''

'' (1974), '' The Yakuza'' (1974), '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977), '' The Wiz'' (1978), ''

Jean de Florette ''Jean de Florette'' () is a 1986 period drama film directed by Claude Berri, based on a novel by Marcel Pagnol. It is followed by '' Manon des Sources''. The story takes place in rural Provence, where two local farmers plot to trick a newcomer o ...

'' (1986), and '' French Kiss'' (1995). His closing theme to the popular '' Sesame Street'' television show was heard for 40 years. His music was heard on the Belgian television series ''

Witse ''Witse'' is a Dutch language crime drama produced by Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, F ...

,'' and in the Netherlands, for the ''

Baantjer ''Baantjer'' is a Dutch television programme which was broadcast by RTL 4 from 6 October 1995 until 1 December 2006 for a total of 123 episodes in 12 seasons. It stars Piet Römer as Jurriaan 'Jurre' de Cock, a police detective, and Victor Reinier ...

'' program. He composed the music for the 1974 Swedish film ''

Dunderklumpen! ''Dunderklumpen!'' is a 1974 Swedish family film directed by Per Åhlin, which combines animation and live action. The story involves several musical numbers. It was released on 26 September 1974. At the 11th Guldbagge Awards, Åhlin won a Special ...

,'' in which he also provided the voice of the animated character Pellegnillot. His whistling and harmonica playing was heard on Old Spice commercials in the 1960s. He played harmonica on "Night Game" on Paul Simon's 1975 album '' Still Crazy After All These Years''.

1980s and later

During the early 1980s Thielemans was a guest a number of times on ''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...

.'' He performed with the bassist Jaco Pastorius, and in 1983 he contributed to

's album ''

An Innocent Man ''An Innocent Man'' is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on August 8, 1983. The concept album is a tribute to the American popular music of Joel's adolescent years with Joel paying homage to a number of ...

,'' in the song, "Leave A Tender Moment Alone." (The two later collaborated on this selection in concert, and this was recorded o
video
) A year later, he appeared on the Julian Lennon song "

Too Late for Goodbyes "Too Late for Goodbyes" is the first single (second in the U.S.) from Julian Lennon's 1984 album ''Valotte''. It featured the harmonica of Jean "Toots" Thielemans, and it was a top-10 hit, reaching No. 6 in the UK Singles Chart in November 1984, ...

" from the album ''

Valotte ''Valotte'' is the debut studio album by singer-songwriter Julian Lennon. The album was produced by Phil Ramone and recorded at several studios from February to August 1984. It was released in October 1984 on Charisma and Atlantic. The album was f ...

.'' In 1984, he recorded with

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

on the singer's final album (''I Am a Singer''), featuring ballads and standards arranged and conducted by Angelo DiPippo. In the 1990s, Thielemans embarked on theme projects that included world music. In 1998 he released a French-flavoured album titled ''Chez Toots'' featuring guest singer

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

. During those years, he often recorded songs as personal tributes to those who were influential during his career. On ''Chez Toots'', for example, he included "Dance For Victor," which he dedicated to his sometimes keyboard accompanist, Victor Feldman. Similarly, he recorded "Waltz for Sonny" as a tribute to saxophonist

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...

. In June 1998, at Germany's

Jazzbaltica Jazz Baltica is a jazz festival which was started in 1990. Up until 2011 it was held every summer in Schloss Salzau (Salzau Palace) near Kiel, Germany, and the coast of the Baltic Sea. In 2009 the festival was directed by Bengt-Arne Wallin and in ...

, he paid tribute to

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

who died a month earlier. And during the first Caspian Jazz and Blues Festival in Azerbaijan in 2002, he performed his recorded version of "Imagine," his tribute to its writer, John Lennon. Thielemans was well liked for his modesty and kind demeanor in his native Belgium, and was known for describing himself as a Brussels ''"ket,"'' which means "street kid" in old Brussels slang.

Later life

He was nominated for the title of the Greatest Belgian in 2005. In the Flemish version, he finished in 20th place, and in the Walloon version he came 44th. On 23 January 2009, he joined guitarist Philip Catherine on stage at the Liberchies church (Belgium) in memory of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Django Reinhardt. In 2012, the

Jazz at Lincoln Center Jazz at Lincoln Center is part of Lincoln Center in New York City. The organization was founded in 1987 and opened at Time Warner Center in October 2004. Wynton Marsalis is the artistic director and the leader of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orches ...

concerts in New York celebrated Thieleman's 90th birthday with, among others,

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...

, Eliane Elias, and

. He performed for the occasion and left the stage standing among his friends. Because of health issues that led to show cancellations, Thielemans announced his retirement on 12 March 2014, cancelling all scheduled concerts. He was also hospitalized for a broken arm. His manager stated that Thielemans "wants to enjoy the rest he deserves." However, he did make one more stage appearance, unannounced, in August 2014, at the Jazz Middelheim Festival in Antwerp.

Death

Thielemans died in Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium, at the age of 94. After the announcement, the Netherlands-based jazz and pop orchestra

Metropole Orkest The Metropole Orkest (Metropole Orchestra) is a jazz and pop orchestra based in the Netherlands, and is the largest full-time ensemble of its kind in the world. A hybrid orchestra, it is a combination of jazz, big band and symphony orchestra. Com ...

, along with American musician Quincy Jones, performed at London's

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in Thielemans' honor."Toots Thielemans Saturday buried in Terhulpen"
''dS De Standard'', Belgium, 22 August 2016 Another concert was performed at the Grand-Place, Brussels. Thielemans was buried on 27 August 2016 in

La Hulpe La Hulpe (; nl, Terhulpen, ; wa, L’ Elpe) is a municipality of Wallonia in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant, 20 km south-east of the centre of Brussels, but only about 3 km from the edge of the Brussels-Capital Region. On Janua ...

, just outside Brussels. Pianist

read a personal message from U.S. President Barack Obama for his widow, Huguette. It read: "Dear Huguette. I was deeply saddened when I heard about your husband's passing. I hope that shared memories will soften your suffering. Lift faith from the support of friends and family. Know that you will be in my thoughts for the next days. May Toots' music lead you and offer you consolation. I'm sure it will do this for all of us."

Toots Thielemans Collection

In December 2016, the Music Division of the

Royal Library of Belgium The Royal Library of Belgium (french: Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, nl, Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België, abbreviated ''KBR'' and sometimes nicknamed in French or in Dutch) is the national library of Belgium. The library has a history t ...

acquired the Toots Thielemans Collection. The collection consists of hundreds of sound recordings (78 rpm, vinyl records and CDs) and thousands of documents, such as photographs, press articles, scores, letters and concert programmes.

Honours and awards

Thielemans received a joint honorary doctorate from the Université libre de Bruxelles and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. In 2001, he was raised into the Belgian nobility by King Albert II and created ''

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

'' Thielemans for life, this in recognition of his contribution to music. Herewith, he chose the motto ''Be yourself, no more no less''.Etat présent de la noblesse belge, 4th series, 2003 /2014 In 2006, Thielemans was honoured by an all-star tribute concert for him at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

. Pianist

and clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera were among the performers. In 2009, he was awarded the highest U.S. honour that can be accorded to a jazz musician, the distinction of "Jazz Master," by The National Endowment for the Arts. He was celebrated by a Google Doodle on his 100th birthday, 29 April 2022.

Titles of Honour

* Created "Baron Thielemans" by Royal Order * Commander in the Belgian

Order of Leopold Order of Leopold may refer to: * Order of Leopold (Austria), founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918 * Order of Leopold (Belgium), founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium * Order of Leopold II, founded in Congo ...

* Knight in the Belgian Order of Leopold II * Knight in the French

Order of Arts and Letters The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

* Commander in the Brazilian Order of Rio Branco * Honorary doctorate of the universities ULB and VUB

Awards

* Grammy Award nomination for Best Instrumental Theme "Bluesette": 1964 *

DownBeat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

winner Miscellaneous Instruments (harmonica): 1978->1996, 1999->2008, 2011, 2012 * Grammy Award nomination for

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album The Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album has been presented since 1961. From 1962 to 1971 and 1979 to 1991 the award title specified instrumental performances. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works ...

Affinity Affinity may refer to: Commerce, finance and law * Affinity (law), kinship by marriage * Affinity analysis, a market research and business management technique * Affinity Credit Union, a Saskatchewan-based credit union * Affinity Equity Partn ...

": 1980 * Grammy Award nomination for

Best Jazz Instrumental Solo The Grammy Award for Best Improvised Jazz Solo has been awarded since 1959. Before 1979 the award title did not specify instrumental performances and was presented for instrumental or vocal performances. The award has had several minor name change ...

"Bluesette": 1992 * Zamu Music Lifetime Achievement Award: 1994 *

North Sea Jazz The North Sea Jazz Festival is an annual festival held each second weekend of July in the Netherlands at the Ahoy venue. It used to be in The Hague but since 2006 it has been held in Rotterdam. This is because the Statenhal where the festival w ...

Bird Award: 1995 * Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical "

Q's Jook Joint ''Q's Jook Joint'' is an album by Quincy Jones, released in 1995 by Qwest Records. The album reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' jazz albums chart on December 30, 1995. ''Q's Jook Joint'' won the Grammy Award for Grammy Award ...

": 1997 * Edison Jazz Career Award: 2001 * German Jazz Trophy: 2004 * Octaves de la Musique Album of the Year "One More for the Road": 2006 * Bronze Zinneke Award: 2006 * Klara Career Prize: 2007 * NEA Jazz Master Award: 2009 * Concertgebouw Jazz Award: 2009 * San Sebastian Jazz Festival Premio Donostiako: 2011 * Honorary member of the Union of Performing Artists: 2011 * French Académie Charles Cros Career Award: 2012 *

Music Industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

Lifetime Achievement Award: 2017 *

IFMCA The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) is a professional association for music journalism, online, print and radio journalists who specialize in writing about film score, original film and television music. History and purpose ...

Award nomination - Best Film Music Compilation Album “The Cinema of Quincy Jones”: 2017

Name references

* 2 Hohner harmonica types, Toots Mellow Tone and Toots Hard Bopper * The Toots Thielemans Jazz Awards in Brussels, from 2007 * Streets in Forrest, Brussels (Rue Toots Thielemans/Toots Thielemansstraat) and Middelburg (Toots Thielemansstraat) * Schools in Brussels, E.F.A. A.R. Toots Thielemans, and Athénée Royal Toots Thielemans * A Brussels metro station Toots Thielemans * An

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

(13079) Toots Thielemans was honorary citizen of

Dinant Dinant () is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Namur Province, province of Namur, Belgium. On the shores of river Meuse, in the Ardennes, it lies south-east of Brussels, south ...

Molenbeek ( French, ) or (Dutch, ), often simply called Molenbeek, is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, from which it is separated ...

, Sint-Amands and

Discography

As leader

* ''The Sound'' (

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

, 1955) * ''

Man Bites Harmonica! ''Man Bites Harmonica!'' is an album by harmonica player Jean "Toots" Thielemans which was recorded in late 1957 and early 1958 for the Riverside label.

' (

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

, 1958) * ''Time Out for Toots'' ( Decca, 1958) * ''The Soul of Toots Thielemans'' with Ray Bryant ( Signature, 1960) * ''Blues for Flirter (aka Try a Little Tenderness)'' ( Polydor, 1961) * ''Road to Romance'' with Orchestra Directed by Kurt Edelhagen (Polydor, 1961) * ''The Romantic Sounds of Toots Thielemans'' ( MGM, 1962) * ''Jazz Workshop Concert - Ruhrfestspiele 1962'' with

Friedrich Gulda Friedrich Gulda (16 May 1930 – 27 January 2000) was an Austrian pianist and composer who worked in both the classical and jazz fields. Biography Early life and career Born in Vienna the son of a teacher, Gulda began learning to play the piano ...

, Herb Geller,

Ack van Rooyen Ack van Rooyen (1 January 1930, The Hague – 18 November 2021) was a Dutch jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist. He was the brother of Jerry van Rooyen. Van Rooyen began playing with a military band as a teenager, touring bases in Indonesia. He the ...

and

Hans Koller Antonio Hans Cyrill Koller (12 February 1921 in Vienna – 21 December 2003 in Vienna) was an Austrian jazz tenor saxophonist and bandleader. Koller attended the University of Vienna from 1936 to 1939 and served in the armed forces from 1940 to 1 ...

(Columbia, 1962) * ''Toots Thielemans'' (Columbia, 1963) * ''The Whistler and His Guitar'' (

ABC-Paramount ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels bef ...

, 1964) * ''Too Much! Toots!'' ( Philips, 1965) * ''Contrasts'' ( Command, 1966) * ''Toots'' (Command, 1968) * ''Toots on Tour'' (Philips, 1968) * ''

'' (aka Elis & Toots) with Elis Regina (Phillips, 1969) * ''Toots in Holland'' (Philips, 1970) * ''A Taste of Toots'' (Philips, 1970) * ''Yesterday and Today'' with Svend Asmussen ( A&M, 1973) * ''Captured Alive'' (Choice, 1974) * ''Toots Thielemans/Philip Catherine & Friends'' ( Keytone, 1974) Limetree, 1996)">Timeless_Records.html" ;"title="eissued with 2 bonus tracks as Two Generations (Timeless Records">Limetree, 1996)* ''Old Friend'' (Polydor, 1974) * ''Sweet & Lovely'' (ABC, 1975) * ''Sherlock Jones Original Soundtrack'' (Polydor, 1974) * ''Toots Möter Taube'' ( Sonet, 1978) * ''Höresund'' with Östen Warnerbring">Sonet Records">Sonet, 1978) * ''Höresund'' with Östen Warnerbring (Frituna Sweden, 1979) * ''Johnny Larsen'' with C.V. Jørgensen (Metronome Denmark, 1979) * ''When I See You'' with Bill Ramsey (singer), Bill Ramsey (Erus Technik Gmbh, 1980) * ''Collage'' (CBS, 1980) * ''Swing on Birdland Vol.4'' with Yuzuru Sera (Canyon, 1980) * ''The Guitar Session'' with Gene Bertoncini ( Inner City, 1981) * ''Slow Motion'' ( Jazz Man, 1981) * ''Toots & Louis '' with

Louis Van Dijk Louis van Dijk, also spelled Louis van Dyke (27 November 1941 – 12 April 2020), was a beloved Dutch pianist. Born as Arnold Ludwig van Dijk in Amsterdam, he studied solo piano at the Amsterdam Conservatorium. Louis van Dijk became well-known fo ...

(Polydor, 1982) * ''Live'' (Inner City, 1982) * ''Live 2'' (Inner City, 1982) * ''Live 3'' (Inner City, 1982) * ''Live in the Netherlands'' ( Pablo, 1982) * ''Steel Tenor Madness'' (HEP, 1982) * ''Midnight Cruiser'' (Better Days Japan, 1983) * '' Christian Escoudé Group feat. Toots Thielemans'' (JMS France, 1983) * ''Harmonica Jazz'' (CBS, 1984) * ''Bringing It Together'' with Stephane Grappelli (Cymekob, 1984) * ''YaKsa (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) with

Masahiko Satoh is a Japanese jazz pianist, composer and arranger. Early life Satoh was born in Tokyo on 6 October 1941. His mother was Setsu and his father, who owned small businesses, was Yoshiaki Satoh. The house that his family moved into in 1944 contained ...

& Yukihide Takekawa (Interface Japan, 1985) * ''Chiko's Bar'' with Sivuca (Sonet, 1985) * ''Your Precious Love'' (Sonet, 1985) * ''Bande Originale Du Film "Une Femme Ou Deux"'' with Kevin Mulligan (

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

, 1985) * ''Just Friends'' with Paul Kuhn (

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also re ...

, 1986) * ''Check It Out'' with Mezzoforte (BBC Radioplay Music, 1986) * ''Toots & Svend'' with Svend Asmussen (Sonet, 1987) * ''Home Coming'' (CBS, 1987) * ''Only Trust Your Heart'' (

Concord Jazz Concord Jazz is a record company and label founded in 1973 by Carl Jefferson, the former owner of Jefferson Motors Lincoln Mercury dealership in Concord, California. The label was named after the city in the East San Francisco Bay area, and the j ...

, 1988) * ''Romantic Gala'' (Dino Music, 1988) * ''Rosinha De Valença-Flavio Faria'' with

Rosinha De Valença Maria Rosa Canelas (July 30, 1941 – June 10, 2004), better known as Rosinha de Valença, was a Brazilian composer, arranger and musician. She is considered one of the best acoustic guitarists in Brazilian music and played with many famous artis ...

(RGE, 1989) * ''Toots Thielemans In Tokyo (

Denon is a Japanese electronics company started in 1910 by Frederick Whitney Horn, an American entrepreneur. Denon produced the first cylinder audio media in Japan and players to play them. Decades later, Denon was involved in the early stages of de ...

, 1989) * ''Footprints'' (EmArcy Records, 1990) * ''Spotlight'' (Sonet, 1990) * ''Apple Dimple'' (Denon, 1990) * ''For My Lady'' with the Shirley Horn Trio (

EmArcy EmArcy Records is a jazz record label founded in 1954 by the American Mercury Records. The name is a phonetic spelling of "MRC", the initials for Mercury Record Company. During the 1950s and 1960s, musicians such as Max Roach, Clifford Brown ...

, 1991) * ''Make Someone Happy'' with Mary Kay (Gam Jam, 1991) * ''L'Or De L'Île Carn'' with Sirius (Keltia Musique, 1992) * ''The Brazil Project'' (

Private Music Private Music was an American independent record label founded in 1984 by musician Peter Baumann as a "home for instrumental music". Baumann signed Ravi Shankar, Yanni, Suzanne Ciani, Andy Summers, Patrick O'Hearn, Leo Kottke, and his former ...

, 1992) * ''Martial Solal Toots Thielemans'' with Martial Solal (

Erato In Greek mythology, Erato (; grc, Ἐρατώ) is one of the Greek Muses, which were inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. The name would mean "desired" or "lovely", if derived from the same root as Eros, as Apollonius o ...

, 1992) * ''The Brazil Project Volume 2'' (Private Music, 1993) * ''Calling Me Back Home'' with

Randy Bernsen Randy Bernsen (born July 15, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist. Career Bernsen was born in Needham, Massachusetts and grew up in Florida. He attended high school in Plantation and was active in the clubs of South Florida, starting at age 1 ...

(101 South Records, 1993) * ''Do Not Leave Me'' ( Milan, 1994) * ''East Coast West Coast'' (Private Music, 1994) * ''Chez Toots'' (Private Music, 1998) * ''Chet & Toots'' with Åke Johansson Trio and

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

(

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

, 1998) * ''Accentuate the Positive'' with

Joe Kennedy Jr. Joe Kennedy Jr. (1923 – April 17, 2004) was an American jazz violinist and educator. Kennedy was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He performed and recorded with pianist Ahmad Jamal and was director of jazz studies at Virginia Tech from 1984 to ...

(CAP, 1998) * ''The Live Takes Volume 1'' ( Narada, 2000) * ''Toots Thielemans and Kenny Werner'' (

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * ''The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ho ...

, 2001) * ''This Heart Of Mine'' with Jackie Ryan and

Ernie Watts Ernest James Watts (born October 23, 1945) is an American jazz and rhythm and blues saxophonist who plays soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone. He has worked with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and toured with the Rolling Stones. On Frank Zappa's ...

(OpenArt Records, 2003) * ''Lady Be Good'' with

DR Big Band The Danish Radio Big Band (aka: DR Big Band), often referred to as the Radioens Big Band is a radio ensemble and big band founded in Copenhagen in 1964 at the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR). Band history Originally called the New Radio ...

and Etta Cameron (Content Records, 2003) * ''One More for the Road'' (Verve, 2006) * ''European Quartet Live'' (Challenge Jazz, 2010) * ''Live in Brussels'' with Tito Puente (Smith & Co, 2011) * ''Toots 90'' (Challenge Jazz, 2012) * ''What a Wonderful World'' (Challenge Records, 2012) * ''Airegin'' (Vinyl Passion, 2014)

As sideman

With George Shearing * ''Shearing in Hi-Fi'' (MGM, 1955) * ''The Shearing Spell'' ( Capitol, 1955) * ''Lullaby of Birdland'' (MGM, 1957) * ''

Latin Affair ''Latin Affair'' is a 1959 album by pianist George Shearing. Reception The initial ''Billboard'' magazine review from November 30, 1959 chose the album as one of its "Special Merit Spotlights" and commented that "Shearing serves up his usual, l ...

'' (Capitol, 1958) * ''Jazz Conceptions'' (MGM, 1958) * ''

Latin Lace ''Latin Lace'' is a 1958 album by jazz pianist George Shearing and his quintet. ''Latin Lace'' is one of a number of themed recordings with deliberately sexualised album covers that Shearing and his quintet produced in the 1950s; in his 2005 auto ...

'' (Capitol, 1958) * ''

Beauty and the Beat! ''Beauty and the Beat!'' is a 1959 album (see 1959 in music) by Peggy Lee, accompanied by the George Shearing Quintet. Sleeve notes The notes on the back cover of the original 1959 LP are in the exaggerated style that was common at the time an ...

'' (Capitol, 1958) * ''Rap Your Troubles in Drums'' (MGM, 1959) * ''Shearing on Stage!'' (Capitol, 1959) * ''On the Sunny Side of the Strip'' (Capitol, 1960) With George Shearing and Dakota Staton * '' In the Night'' (Capitol, 1958) With

* '' Blues Cross Country'' (Capitol, 1962) * ''

Somethin' Groovy! ''Somethin' Groovy!'' is a 1967 studio album by Peggy Lee. It was released in 1967 on Capitol Records. It was arranged by Ralph Carmichael and Toots Thielemans is credited for harmonica. Track listing #"Somethin' Stupid" (Carson Parks) - 2:31 #" ...

'' (Capitol, 1967) With Quincy Jones * ''

Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini ''Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini'' is an album by Quincy Jones that contains music composed by Henry Mancini. Track listing All music composed by Henry Mancini, lyricists indicated # "Baby Elephant Walk" – 2:49 # "Charade" ( ...

'' (

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

, 1964) * ''

'' (Mercury, 1964) * '' Walk, Don't Run'' (

Mainstream Mainstream may refer to: Film * ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film Literature * ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine * Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher * ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso Mu ...

, 1966) * ''

Walking in Space ''Walking in Space'' is a 1969 studio album by Quincy Jones. The album was recorded for A&M who released the album with a cover photo of Jones taken by Pete Turner. Vocalist Valerie Simpson is featured on the title track, an arrangement of a ...

'' (A&M, 1969) * ''

Gula Matari ''Gula Matari'' is a 1970 studio album by Quincy Jones. Track listing # "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (Paul Simon) – 5:09 # "Gula Matari" (Quincy Jones) – 13:02 # "Walkin'" (Richard Carpenter) – 8:02 # "Hummin'" (Nat Adderley) – 8:08 Per ...

'' (A&M, 1970) * ''

Smackwater Jack ''Smackwater Jack'' is a 1971 studio album by Quincy Jones. Tracks include the theme music to '' Ironside'' and ''The Bill Cosby Show''. Track listing # " Smackwater Jack" (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) – 3:31 # "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" (Vin ...

'' (A&M, 1971) * ''

You've Got It Bad Girl ''You've Got It Bad Girl'' is a 1973 album by the American jazz musician/producer Quincy Jones. The title track is a song written by Yvonne Wright and Stevie Wonder and was originally released on Wonder's 1972 album ''Talking Book''. Here Jone ...

'' (A&M, 1973) * ''

Mellow Madness ''Mellow Madness'' is a 1975 studio album by Quincy Jones. It was Jones's first album recorded since treatment for a cerebral aneurysm. The album introduced the R&B public to The Brothers Johnson, who co-wrote four of the album tracks. Track lis ...

'' (A&M, 1975) * '' The Dude'' (A&M, 1981) * ''

'' ( Qwest, 1995) With Brook Benton * ''

Brook Benton Today A brook is a small river or natural stream of fresh water. It may also refer to: Computing *Brook, a programming language for GPU programming based on C *Brook+, an explicit data-parallel C compiler *BrookGPU, a framework for GPGPU programming ...

'' ( Atlantic, 1970) With Melanie * ''

Gather Me ''Gather Me'' is a 1971 album released by Melanie and featuring the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Singles Chart #1 song "Brand New Key" (a novelty hit which also reached the #1 chart position in Canada, New Zealand and Australia between November 1971 ...

'' (

Neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

, 1971) * ''As I See It Now'' (Neighborhood, 1975) With

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...

* '' Aerie'' ( RCA, 1971) * ''

Farewell Andromeda ''Farewell Andromeda'' is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter John Denver, released in June 1973. The LP made Billboard's Top 20, reaching No. 16, with three singles subsequently released: "I'd Rather Be a Cowboy" 62 POP, ...

'' (RCA, 1973) With

* '' Still Crazy After All These Years'' (Columbia, 1975) With Oscar Peterson * ''

The Oscar Peterson Big 6 at Montreux ''The Oscar Peterson Big 6 at Montreux'' is a 1975 live album featuring a jam session led by Oscar Peterson. _Overview_))).html" ;"title="allmusic ((( The Oscar Peterson Big 6 at Montreux > Overview )))">allmusic ((( The Oscar Peterson Big 6 at ...

'' ( Pablo, 1975) * '' Live at the North Sea Jazz Festival, 1980'' (Pablo, 1980) With Urbie Green * '' The Fox'' ( CTI, 1976) With Jay Berliner, Gene Bertoncini and Richard Resnicoff * '' The Guitar Session (Philips, 1977) With

* ''

'' ( Warner Bros. Records, 1979) With

* ''

Digital at Montreux, 1980 ''Digital at Montreux, 1980'' is a live album by trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie with Toots Thielemans and Bernard Purdie recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1980 and released on the Pablo label.Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...

* '' Songs of The Beatles'' (Atlantic, 1981) With Jaco Pastorius * '' Word of Mouth'' (Warner Bros. Records, 1981) With

* ''

'' (Columbia, 1983) With Michael Franks * ''

Passionfruit ''Passiflora edulis,'' commonly known as passion fruit, is a vine species of passion flower native to southern Brazil through Paraguay and northern Argentina. It is cultivated commercially in tropical and subtropical areas for its sweet, seedy f ...

'' (Warner Bros. Records, 1983) With Julian Lennon * ''

'' (Atlantic, 1984) With Sivuca * Chiko's Bar (1985) (Sonet, 1985) With Eliane Elias * '' Illusions'' (Denon, 1986) * '' Bossa Nova Stories'' ( Blue Note, 2008) With Sheena Easton * ''

No Sound But a Heart ''No Sound But a Heart'' is Sheena Easton's eighth studio album, released in 1987 on the EMI America label. The album was issued in the Canadian, Mexican and Asian markets. The album consists of midtempo and ballad songs, including the single and ...

'' ( EMI, 1987) With James Last * '' Theme from Der Landarzt'' (Polydor, 1987) With Pat Metheny * '' Secret Story'' ( Geffen, 1992) With Diane Schuur * ''Love Songs'' ( GRP, 1993) With Jay Anderson * ''

Local Color Local color/colour may refer to: * ''Local Color'' (book), a 1950 note and sketch study by Truman Capote * ''Local Color'' (Mose Allison album), 1958 * ''Local Color'' (University of Northern Iowa Jazz Band One album), 2015 * ''Local Color'' (film ...

'' ( DMP, 1994) With Natalie Cole * ''

Stardust Stardust may refer to: * A type of cosmic dust, composed of particles in space Entertainment Songs * “Stardust” (1927 song), by Hoagy Carmichael * “Stardust” (David Essex song), 1974 * “Stardust” (Lena Meyer-Landrut song), 2012 * ...

'' ( Elektra, 1996) With

*'' I Remember Miles'' (Verve, 1998) With Fumio Karashima * ''Rencontre'' (Polydor, 1999) With Joe Lovano * '' Flights of Fancy: Trio Fascination Edition Two'' (Blue Note, 2001) With James Taylor * ''

James Taylor at Christmas ''James Taylor at Christmas'' is the seventeenth studio and second Christmas album by singer-songwriter James Taylor, released by Columbia Records in 2006. It was his last release for Columbia since signing with them in 1977. The album is essent ...

'' (Columbia, 2006) With Aziza Mustafa Zadeh * ''Jazziza'' (Columbia, 1997)

References

External links

* *
Official MySpace page

NEA Jazz Masters

Toots Thielemans Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2005) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thielemans, Toots 1922 births 2016 deaths 20th-century guitarists 20th-century Belgian musicians 21st-century guitarists 21st-century Belgian musicians Barons of Belgium Bebop harmonica players Belgian emigrants to the United States Belgian expatriates in the United States Belgian jazz guitarists Belgian jazz harmonica players Brazilian jazz (genre) harmonica players Jazz harmonica players Latin jazz harmonica players Mainstream jazz harmonica players Musicians from Brussels People from Uccle Private Music artists Riverside Records artists Whistlers EmArcy Records artists Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

Early years

Career

1940s–1950s

1960s–1970s

1980s and later

Later life

Death

Toots Thielemans Collection

Honours and awards

Titles of Honour

Awards

Name references

Discography

As leader

As sideman

References

Further reading

External links