Toots Thielemans essentially established the chromatic harmonica within jazz. From the middle of the 1950s onward, no rival approached his level of mastery. He approached the instrument with the agility of a saxophonist and exchanged phrases successfully alongside figures such as Oscar Peterson.
Accordion served as his initial instrument, one he took up at age three. Although harmonica entered his practice at seventeen, he first gained notice as a guitarist shaped by Django Reinhardt. Embracing bop, he performed in American GI clubs across Europe, made his initial journey to the United States in 1947, and appeared onstage with Charlie Parker during the Paris Jazz Festival of 1949. In 1950 he traveled through Europe as guitarist with the Benny Goodman Sextet, then relocated to the United States the next year. Between 1953 and 1959 Toots belonged to the George Shearing Quintet, performing primarily on guitar, before pursuing an independent path for the rest of his long musical life.
He introduced his major success “Bluesette,” which showcased his accomplished whistling alongside guitar, when he recorded it in 1961. After that release he found himself sought after for both harmonica and whistling on numerous pop sessions, among them repeated collaborations with Quincy Jones, while also working regularly as a jazz soloist. His two-volume Brasil Project drew wide attention in the 1990s and placed him in fluid interplay on harmonica with leading Brazilian players. Featured on many film scores, including Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Midnight Cowboy, as well as the signature theme for the television program Sesame Street, Thielemans was awarded Jazz Master honors by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2009. He passed away in Belgium during August 2016 at ninety-four.
