Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016), known professionally as Toots Thielemans (), was a Belgian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

musician. He was mostly known for playing the

chromatic harmonica The chromatic harmonica is a type of harmonica that uses a button-activated sliding bar to redirect air from the hole in the mouthpiece to the selected reed-plate desired. When the button is not pressed, an altered diatonic major scale of the key ...

, as well as his guitar and

whistling Whistling, without the use of an artificial whistle, is achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips, usually after applying moisture (licking one's lips or placing water upon them) and then blowing or sucking air through the space. Th ...

skills, and composing. According to jazz historian

Ted Gioia Ted Gioia (born October 21, 1957) is an American jazz critic and music historian. He is author of 12 books, including ''Music: A Subversive History'', '' The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire'', ''The History of Jazz'' and ''Delta Blues'' ...

, 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". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

'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 Sir George Albert Shearing (13 August 191914 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 so ...

, 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 Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. As a virtuoso who is considered to be one of the greatest Jazz piano, jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordin ...

Elis Regina Elis Regina Carvalho Costa (March 17, 1945 – January 19, 1982), known professionally as Elis Regina (), was a Brazilian singer of Bossa nova, Música popular brasileira, MPB and jazz music. She is also the mother of the singers Maria Rita and ...

Caetano Veloso Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso (; born 7 August 1942) is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicália, which encompas ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

Ivan Lins Ivan Guimarães Lins (born 16 June 1945) is a Latin Grammy-winning Brazilian musician. He has been an active performer and songwriter of Brazilian popular music (MPB) and jazz for over fifty years. His first hit, "Madalena", was recorded by ...

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (, March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "List of nicknames of jazz musicians, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, innovative chord voicings, a ...

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 improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

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 ...

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He was the leader of the Pat Metheny Group (1977–2010) and continues to work in various small-combo, duet, and solo settings, as well as other side pr ...

Jaco Pastorius John Francis Anthony Pastorius III, also known as Jaco Pastorius (; December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987), was an American jazz bassist, composer, and producer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential bassists of all time, ...

Mina Mazzini Mina Anna Mazzini (born 25 March 1940) or Mina Anna Quaini (for the Swiss civil registry), known mononymously as Mina, is an Italian singer and actress. She was a staple of television variety shows and a dominant figure in Italian pop music from ...

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

, and

Paquito D'Rivera Francisco de Jesús Rivera Figueras (born 4 June 1948), known as Paquito D'Rivera, is a Cuban-American alto saxophonist, clarinetist and composer. He was a member of the Cuban songo band Irakere and, since the 1980s, he has established him ...

. 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 s ...

'' (1964), ''

The Reivers ''The Reivers: A Reminiscence'', published in 1962, is the last novel by the American author William Faulkner. It was published a month before his death. The bestselling novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1963. Faulkner previou ...

'' (1969), ''

Midnight Cowboy ''Midnight Cowboy'' is a 1969 American drama film directed by John Schlesinger, adapted by Waldo Salt from the 1965 novel by James Leo Herlihy. The film stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, with supporting roles played by Sylvia Miles, J ...

'' (1969), '' The Getaway'' (1972), '' Cinderella Liberty'' (1973), ''

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

'' (1974) and ''

Looking for Mr. Goodbar Looking for Mr. Goodbar may refer to: * ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (novel), a 1975 novel by Judith Rossner * ''Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (film), a 1977 film adaptation, starring Diane Keaton {{disambiguation ...

'' (1977). His harmonica theme song for the popular ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

'' TV show was heard for 40 years. He often performed and recorded with

, 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 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

, the highest honor for a jazz musician in the United States.

Early years

Thielemans was born in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

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 Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani people, Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Belgium, Belgian-born Romani jazz guitarist and composer in France. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe ...

, 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."

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 ...

in Paris with

Sidney Bechet Sidney Joseph Bechet ( ; May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important Solo (music), soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Ar ...

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

,"Belgian jazz harmonica great Toots Thielemans passes away at 94"
, ''The Economic Times'', 23 August 2016

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He wo ...

and others. He first heard the faster

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo (usually exceeding 200 bpm), complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerou ...

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 Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most i ...

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 The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

, 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 John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

. In 1951 he toured with singer-songwriter and compatriot

Bobbejaan Schoepen Bobbejaan Schoepen (a pseudonym of Modest Schoepen; 16 May 1925 – 17 May 2010) was a Flemish pioneer in Belgian pop music, vaudeville, and European country music. Schoepen was a versatile entertainer, entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, guit ...

, 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

and

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (; born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a ...

. In 1957 he became a U.S. citizen."'Toots' Thielemans, master of the jazz harmonica, dies at 94"
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', 22 August 2016 From 1953 to 1959 he played guitar and harmonica with the

Quintet. With Shearing, he added whistling to his repertoire. While Thielemans was playing in Hamburg in 1960 on tour with Shearing, a young musician and observer —

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

— noticed that Thielemans played a

Rickenbacker guitar Rickenbacker International Corporation is a string instrument manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California. Rickenbacker is the first known maker of electric guitars, with a steel guitar in 1932, and produces a range of electric guitars and bass ...

. Lennon was impressed, and felt he had to have one as well, on the principle that "if it 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 ''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 that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

'' magazine's poll. Jerry Murad, of

Jerry Murad's Harmonicats Jerry Murad's Harmonicats were an American harmonica-based group. Background The earliest iteration of The Harmonicats was known as the Harmonica Madcaps, later renamed The Quintones by Jimmy Mulcay, who promoted and produced the group until 1 ...

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

Stephane Grappelli Stephane may refer to: * Stéphane, a French given name * Stephane (headdress) A stephane (''ancient Greek'' στέφανος, from ''στέφω'' (stéphō, “I encircle”), '' Lat.'' Stephanus = wreath, decorative wreath worn on the head; cr ...

, J.J. Johnson,

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 oth ...

Joe Pass Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalacqua; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. Although Pass recorded and performed live with pianist Oscar Peterson, composer Duke Ellington, and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, he ...

, 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 Norman Gimbel (November 16, 1927 – December 19, 2018) was an American lyricist and songwriter of popular songs and themes to television shows and films. He wrote the lyrics for songs including " Ready to Take a Chance Again" (with composer Cha ...

, the song became a major worldwide hit. It has since been covered by over one hundred artists. Toots also wrote the ballad "Ladyfingers", 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

. 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, and actress whose career spanned seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local r ...

. In 1969 he recorded " Honeysuckle Rose Aquarela Do Brasil" with singer

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

'' (1964), ''

'' (1969), '' The Getaway'' (1972), ''

Turkish Delight Turkish delight, or lokum () is a family of confectionery, confections based on a gel of starch and sugar. Premium varieties consist largely of chopped dates, pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts bound by the gel; traditional varieties are often fl ...

'' (1973), '' Cinderella Liberty'' (1973), ''

'' (1974), ''

The Yakuza is a 1974 neo-noir crime drama film directed and produced by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura and Brian Keith. The screenplay by Paul Schrader and Robert Towne is from a story by Schrader's brother, Leonard Schrader. ...

'' (1974), ''

'' (1977), ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' ...

'' (1978), ''

Jean de Florette ''Jean de Florette'' () is a 1986 period drama film directed by Claude Berri. It was followed by '' Manon des sources'', released the same year. Both are the adaptation of Marcel Pagnol’s 1963 two-part novel '' The Water of the Hills'', with t ...

'' (1986), and ''

French Kiss A French kiss, also known as cataglottism or a tongue kiss, is an amorous kiss in which the participants' tongues extend to touch each other's lips or tongue. A kiss with the tongue stimulates the partner's lips, tongue and mouth, which are sens ...

'' (1995). His closing theme to the popular ''

'' 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 Belgium, Belgian broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep, VRT and broadcast on their één channel. It is also shown on BVN. It was first broadcast in 2004 and was popular enough to run ...

,'' 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 Reini ...

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

Dunderklumpen! ''Dunderklumpen!'' is a 1974 Swedish family film directed by Per Åhlin Per Johan Axel Åhlin (7 August 1931 – 1 May 2023) was a Swedish artist and director of animated films. He is known for his collaborations with the comedy duo Hasse & Tag ...

,'' in which he also provided the voice of the animated character Pellegnillot. His whistling and harmonica playing was heard on

Old Spice Old Spice is an American brand offering male grooming products including aftershaves, deodorants and antiperspirants, shampoos, body washes, shaving cream, and soaps. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble. Old Spice was launched as Early Amer ...

commercials in the 1960s. He played harmonica on "Night Game" on Paul Simon's 1975 album ''

Still Crazy After All These Years ''Still Crazy After All These Years'' is the fourth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon, released on October 17, 1975, by Columbia Records. Recorded and released in 1975, the album produced four U.S. Top 40 hits: " 50 Way ...

''.

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 television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the first installment of the '' Late Night''. Hosted by David Letterman, it aired from February1, 1982 to June 25, 1993, and was replaced by ...

.'' He performed with the bassist

, 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 di ...

,'' in the song, "Leave A Tender Moment Alone". A year later, he appeared on the

Julian Lennon Julian Charles John Lennon (born John Charles Julian Lennon; 8 April 1963) is an English musician, photographer, author, and philanthropist. He is the son of Beatles member John Lennon and his first wife Cynthia; Julian is named after his pate ...

song "

Too Late for Goodbyes "Too Late for Goodbyes" is the first single (second in the US) from Julian Lennon's 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 ...

" 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 ...

.'' 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 a ...

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 "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...

. 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. Starting his 69-year career with singles of standard (music), standard music, Mathis is one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century and became highly popular as ...

. 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 Victor Stanley Feldman (7 April 1934 – 12 May 1987) was an English jazz musician who played mainly piano, vibraphone, and percussion. He began performing professionally during childhood, eventually earning acclaim in the UK jazz scene as ...

. Similarly, he recorded "Waltz for Sonny" as a tribute to saxophonist

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

. In June 1998, at Germany's Jazzbaltica, he paid tribute to

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

who died a month earlier. And during the first Caspian Jazz and Blues Festival in

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

in 2002, he performed his recorded version of "

Imagine Imagine may refer to: * Imagination Music Albums * ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008 * ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002 * ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012 * ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971 ** ''Imagine: John Lennon' ...

", his tribute to its writer,

. 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 Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

version, he finished in 20th place, and in the Walloon version he came 44th. On 23 January 2009, he joined guitarist

Philip Catherine Philip Catherine (born 27 October 1942) is a Belgian jazz rock guitarist. Biography Philip Catherine was born in London, England, to an English mother and Belgian father, and was raised in Brussels, Belgium. His grandfather was a violinist i ...

on stage at the Liberchies church (Belgium) in memory of the 100th anniversary of the birth of

. In 2012, the

Jazz at Lincoln Center Jazz at Lincoln Center is an organization based in New York City. Part of Lincoln Center, the organization was founded in 1987 and opened at Time Warner Center (now Deutsche Bank Center) in October 2004. The organization seeks to “represent th ...

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 musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...

Eliane Elias Eliane Elias (born 19 March 1960) is a Brazilian jazz pianist, singer, composer and arranger. Biography Elias was born in São Paulo, Brazil, on 19 March 1960. She started studying piano when she was seven, and at age twelve she was transcribing ...

, 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 Braine-l'Alleud (; ; ) is a Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, in the Provinces of Belgium, province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium, about south of Brussels. The municipality consists of the following districts: Braine-l'Alleud ...

, Belgium, at the age of 94. After the announcement, the Netherlands-based jazz and pop orchestra

Metropole Orkest The Metropole Orkest () 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 combines jazz, big band and classical symphony orchestra styles. Comprising bet ...

, along with American musician

, performed at London's

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

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

Grand-Place The (French language, French, ; "Grand Square"; also used in English) or (Dutch language, Dutch, ; "Big Market") is the central Town square, square of Brussels, Belgium. It is surrounded by opulent Baroque architecture, Baroque guildhalls of ...

, Brussels. Thielemans was buried on 27 August 2016 in

La Hulpe La Hulpe (; , ; ) 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 January 1, 2007, La Hulpe had a ...

, just outside Brussels. Pianist

read a personal message from U.S. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

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 ( ; ; , abbreviated ''KBR'' and sometimes nicknamed in French or in Dutch) is the national library of Belgium. The library has a history that goes back to the age of the Duke of Burgundy, Dukes of Burgundy. In ...

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 The (French language, French, ; lit. Free University of Brussels; abbreviated ULB) is a French-speaking research university in Brussels, Belgium. It has three campuses: the ''Solbosch'' campus (in the City of Brussels and Ixelles), the ''Plain ...

and the

Vrije Universiteit Brussel The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Dutch language, Dutch, ; lit. Free University of Brussels; abbreviated VUB) is a Dutch- and English-speaking research university in Brussels, Belgium. It has four campuses: Brussels Humanities, Science and Engine ...

, Belgium. In 2001, he was raised into the

Belgian nobility The Belgian nobility comprises Belgian individuals or families recognized as noble with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of Belgium. The Belgian constitution states that no specific privileges are attached to the nobility. History ...

by King Albert II and created ''

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

'' 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, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

. Pianist

and clarinetist

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 The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

. He was celebrated by a

Google Doodle Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running annual Bu ...

on his 100th birthday, 29 April 2022. In 2020, the Brussels public transport authority began work on the Toots Thielemans Metro station. It will form part of the extension of Metro Line 3 and is expected to come into service in 2025.

Titles of Honour

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 The Order of Leopold II is an order of Belgium and is named in honor of King Leopold II. The decoration was established on 24 August 1900 by Leopold II as Sovereign of the Congo Free State and was in 1908, upon Congo being handed over to Belgiu ...

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Chevalier ribbon

Knight in the French

Order of Arts and Letters The 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 the recognition of significant ...

Commander in the Brazilian

Order of Rio Branco Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...

* Created "Baron Thielemans" by Royal Order * Honorary doctorate of the universities ULB and VUB * 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 Sint-Amands () is a town and a former Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp, Belgium. The municipality comprises the towns of Lippelo, Oppuurs and Sint-Amands proper. In 20 ...

and

Brussels Region Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

awarded Thielemans a

Bronze Zinneke The Bronze Zinneke is an award handed out by the cabinet of the Brussels Region to individuals, personalities, organisations, or companies that perform a role as informal ambassador of the Brussels Region or otherwise add to the positive image of ...

Award: 2006

Awards

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nomination for Best Instrumental Theme "Bluesette": 1964 *

DownBeat ''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 that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

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

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

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 Pa ...

": 1980 * Grammy Award nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo "Bluesette": 1992 * Zamu Music Lifetime Achievement Award: 1994 *

North Sea Jazz The North Sea Jazz Festival is a festival held annually on the second weekend of July in the Netherlands at the Ahoy venue. The festival moved to Rotterdam in 2006 after the demolition of the Statenhal in The Hague where it was originally held. ...

Bird Award: 1995 *

Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical The Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical has been awarded since 1959. The award had several minor name changes: * In 1959, the award was known as Best Engineered Record – Non-Classical * In 1960, it was awarded as Best Engineeri ...

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'' jazz albums chart on December 30, 1995. ''Q's Jook Joint'' won the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classi ...

": 1997 * Edison Jazz Career Award: 2001 * German Jazz Trophy: 2004 * Octaves de la Musique Album of the Year "One More for the Road": 2006 *

Klara Klara may refer to: * Klara, a female given name, see Clara (given name) * Klara (radio), a classical-music radio station in Belgium * Klara (singer), birth name ...

Career Prize: 2007 * NEA Jazz Master Award: 2009 *

Concertgebouw Concertgebouw may refer to one of the following concert halls: * Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Netherlands * Concertgebouw, Bruges, Belgium * Concertgebouw de Vereeniging, Netherlands {{disambiguation Buildings and structures disambiguation pages ...

Jazz Award: 2009 * San Sebastian Jazz Festival Premio Donostiako: 2011 * Honorary member of the Union of Performing Artists: 2011 * French

Académie Charles Cros The Académie Charles Cros (Charles Cros Academy) is an organization located in Chézy-sur-Marne, France, that acts as an intermediary between government cultural policy makers and professionals in music and the recording industry. The academy ...

Career Award: 2012 *

Music Industry The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...

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

Other

* 2 Hohner harmonica types, Toots Mellow Tone and Toots Hard Bopper * A music studio, Studio Toots, was opened in Brussels in 1999 * The Toots Thielemans Jazz Awards in Brussels, from 2007 * Streets in Forrest, Brussels (Rue Toots Thielemans/Toots Thielemansstraat) and

Middelburg Middelburg may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Europe * Middelburg, Zeeland, the capital city of the province of Zeeland, southwestern Netherlands ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Middelburg, a former Catholic diocese with its see in the Zeeland ...

(Toots Thielemansstraat) * Schools in Brussels, E.F.A. A.R. Toots Thielemans, and Athénée Royal Toots Thielemans * A

Brussels metro The Brussels Metro ( ; ) is a rapid transit system serving a large part of the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It consists of four conventional metro lines and three '' premetro'' lines. The metro-grade lines are M1, M2, M5, and M6 wi ...

station Toots Thielemans * An

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

, (13079) Toots * A limited Belgian 20 € silver coin was issued in 2017 * Statues in

Lissewege Lissewege () is a sub-municipality of the city of Bruges located in the province of West Flanders, Flemish Region, Belgium. It was a separate municipality until 1971. On 1 January 1971, it was merged into Bruges. Lissewege also includes Zeebrugge ...

(2011) and La Hulpe (2018) * The Toots Sessies, music sessions by different artists organized by VRT from 2020 *On 29 April 2022,

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

celebrated Toots Thielemans' 100th birthday with a

Discography

As leader

* ''The Sound'' ( Columbia, 1955) * '' Man Bites Harmonica!'' ( Riverside, 1958) * ''Time Out for Toots'' (

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

, 1958) * ''The Soul of Toots Thielemans'' with

Ray Bryant Raphael Homer "Ray" Bryant (December 24, 1931 – June 2, 2011) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Early life Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 24, 1931. His mother was an ordained minister who had tau ...

(

Signature A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, Handwriting, handwritt ...

, 1960) * ''Blues for Flirter (aka Try a Little Tenderness)'' (

Polydor Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

, 1961) * ''Road to Romance'' with Orchestra Directed by

Kurt Edelhagen Kurt Edelhagen (; born 5 June 1920 – 8 February 1982) was a German big band leader. Biography Edelhagen was born in Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Edelhagen studied conducting and piano in Essen. In 1945, he started a trio, then a big ...

(Polydor, 1961) * ''The Romantic Sounds of Toots Thielemans'' (

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

, 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 Herbert Arnold Geller (November 2, 1928 – December 19, 2013) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger. He was born in Los Angeles. Early life His mother, Frances ''(née'' Frances Mildred Fullman, also known as Fannie Fullman; ...

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 then ...

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 ...

(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! Records, Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquire ...

, 1964) * ''Too Much! Toots!'' (

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...

, 1965) * ''Contrasts'' (

Command Command may refer to: Computing * Command (computing), a statement in a computer language * command (Unix), a Unix command * COMMAND.COM, the default operating system shell and command-line interpreter for DOS * Command key, a modifier key on A ...

, 1966) * ''Toots'' (Command, 1968) * ''Toots on Tour'' (Philips, 1968) * '' Honeysuckle Rose Aquarela Do Brasil'' (aka Elis & Toots) with

(Phillips, 1969) * ''Toots in Holland'' (Philips, 1970) * ''A Taste of Toots'' (Philips, 1970) * ''Yesterday and Today'' with Svend Asmussen (A&M Records, A&M, 1973) * ''Captured Alive'' (Choice, 1974) * ''Toots Thielemans/Philip Catherine & Friends'' (Keytone Records, Keytone, 1974) [reissued 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 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 Records, Inner City, 1981) * ''Slow Motion'' (Jazz Man Records, Jazz Man, 1981) * ''Toots & Louis '' with Louis Van Dijk (Polydor, 1982) * ''Live'' (Inner City, 1982) * ''Live 2'' (Inner City, 1982) * ''Live 3'' (Inner City, 1982) * ''Live in the Netherlands'' (Pablo Records, 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

(Cymekob, 1984) * ''YaKsa'' (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) with Masahiko Satoh & 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 Records, Apache, 1985) * ''Just Friends'' with Paul Kuhn (band leader), Paul Kuhn (Delta Records, Delta, 1986) * ''Check It Out'' with Mezzoforte (band), Mezzoforte (BBC Radioplay Music, 1986) * ''Toots & Svend'' with Svend Asmussen (Sonet, 1987) * ''Home Coming'' (CBS, 1987) * ''Only Trust Your Heart'' (Concord Jazz, 1988) * ''Romantic Gala'' (Dino Music, 1988) * ''Rosinha De Valença-Flavio Faria'' with Rosinha De Valença (RGE, 1989) * ''Toots Thielemans in Tokyo'' (Denon Records, Denon, 1989) * ''Footprints'' (EmArcy, 1990) * ''Spotlight'' (Sonet, 1990) * ''Apple Dimple'' (Denon, 1990) * ''For My Lady'' with the Shirley Horn Trio (EmArcy, 1991) * ''Make Someone Happy'' with Mary Kay (Gam Jam, 1991) * ''L'Or De L'Île Carn'' with Sirius (Keltia Musique, 1992) * ''The Brasil Project'' (Private Music, 1992) * ''Martial Solal Toots Thielemans'' with Martial Solal (Erato Records, Erato, 1992) * ''The Brasil Project Volume 2'' (Private Music, 1993) * ''Calling Me Back Home'' with Randy Bernsen (101 South Records, 1993) * ''Do Not Leave Me'' (Milan Entertainment, Milan, 1994) * ''East Coast West Coast'' (Private Music, 1994) * ''Chez Toots'' (Private Music, 1998) * ''Chet & Toots'' with Åke Johansson Trio and Chet Baker (Dragon Records, Dragon, 1998) * ''Accentuate the Positive'' with Joe Kennedy Jr. (CAP, 1998) * ''The Live Takes Volume 1'' (Narada Productions, Narada, 2000) * ''Toots Thielemans and Kenny Werner'' (Verve Records, Verve, 2001) * ''This Heart Of Mine'' with Jackie Ryan and Ernie Watts (OpenArt, 2003) * ''Lady Be Good'' with DR Big Band and Etta Cameron (Content, 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 Jay Anderson * ''Local Color (Jay Anderson album), Local Color'' (DMP Digital Music Products, DMP, 1994) With Brook Benton * ''Brook Benton Today'' (Atlantic Records, Atlantic, 1970) With Jay Berliner, Gene Bertoncini and Richard Resnicoff * ''The Guitar Session'' (Philips, 1977) With The Brothers Johnson * ''Look Out for Number 1, Look Out for #1'' (A&M Records, 1976) With

* ''End of August'' (WEA, 1982) With Ray Charles * ''A Message from the People'' (ABC, 1972) With

* ''Stardust (Natalie Cole album), Stardust'' (Elektra Records, Elektra, 1996) With John Denver * ''Aerie (album), Aerie'' (RCA Records, RCA, 1971) * ''Farewell Andromeda'' (RCA, 1973) With Rick Derringer * ''All American Boy (Rick Derringer album), All American Boy'' (Blue Sky, 1973) With Sheena Easton * ''No Sound But a Heart'' (EMI Records, EMI, 1987) With

* ''Illusions (Eliane Elias album), Illusions'' (Denon, 1986) * ''Bossa Nova Stories'' (Blue Note Records, Blue Note, 2008) With

* ''

'' (Warner Bros. Records, 1979) With Michael Franks (musician), Michael Franks * ''Passionfruit (album), Passionfruit'' (Warner Bros., 1983) With Richard Galliano * ''Laurita (Richard Galliano album), Laurita'' (Dreyfus Records, 1995) With

* ''Digital at Montreux, 1980'' (Pablo, 1980) With Lesley Gore * ''Love Me By Name'' (A&M, 1976) With Urbie Green * ''The Fox (Urbie Green album), The Fox'' (CTI Records, CTI, 1976) With Henry Gross * ''Love Is the Stuff'' (Lifesong, 1978) With Lena Horne * ''We'll Be Together Again (album), We'll Be Together Again'' (Blue Note, 1994) With

*''I Remember Miles (Shirley Horn album), I Remember Miles'' (Verve, 1998) With James Ingram * ''It's Real (James Ingram album), It's Real'' (Warner Bros., 1989) With

* ''

'' (Columbia, 1983) With

* ''Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini'' (Mercury Records, Mercury, 1964) * ''

'' (Mercury, 1964) * ''Walk, Don't Run (soundtrack), Walk, Don't Run'' (Mainstream Records, Mainstream, 1966) * ''Walking in Space'' (A&M, 1969) * ''Gula Matari'' (A&M, 1970) * ''Smackwater Jack'' (A&M, 1971) * ''You've Got It Bad Girl'' (A&M, 1973) * ''Mellow Madness'' (A&M, 1975) * ''The Dude (Quincy Jones album), The Dude'' (A&M, 1981) * ''

'' (Qwest Records, Qwest, 1995) With Fumio Karashima * ''Rencontre'' (Polydor, 1999) With James Last * ''Der Landarzt, Theme from Der Landarzt'' (Polydor, 1987) With

* ''Blues Cross Country'' (Capitol, 1962) * ''Somethin' Groovy!'' (Capitol, 1967) With

* ''

'' (Atlantic, 1984) With Joe Lovano * ''Flights of Fancy: Trio Fascination Edition Two'' (Blue Note, 2001) With Melanie (singer), Melanie * ''Gather Me'' (Neighborhood Records, Neighborhood, 1971) * ''As I See It Now'' (Neighborhood, 1975) With

* ''Secret Story (album), Secret Story'' (Geffen Records, Geffen, 1992) With Laura Nyro * ''More Than a New Discovery'' (Verve, 1967) With Sally Oldfield * ''Instincts'' (CBS, 1988) With

* ''Word of Mouth (Jaco Pastorius album), Word of Mouth'' (Warner Bros., 1981) With

* ''The Oscar Peterson Big 6 at Montreux'' (Pablo Records, Pablo, 1975) * ''Live at the North Sea Jazz Festival, 1980 (Oscar Peterson album), Live at the North Sea Jazz Festival, 1980'' (Pablo, 1980) With Lionel Richie * ''Louder Than Words (album), Louder Than Words'' (Mercury, 1996) With Diane Schuur * ''Love Songs (Diane Schuur album), Love Songs'' (GRP Records, GRP, 1993) With

and Dakota Staton * ''In the Night (George Shearing and Dakota Staton album), In the Night'' (Capitol, 1958) With

* ''Shearing in Hi-Fi'' (MGM, 1955) * ''The Shearing Spell'' (Capitol Records, Capitol, 1955) * ''Lullaby of Birdland'' (MGM, 1957) * ''Latin Affair'' (Capitol, 1958) * ''Jazz Conceptions'' (MGM, 1958) * ''Latin Lace'' (Capitol, 1958) * ''Beauty and the Beat!'' (Capitol, 1958) * ''Rap Your Troubles in Drums'' (MGM, 1959) * ''Shearing on Stage!'' (Capitol, 1959) * ''On the Sunny Side of the Strip'' (Capitol, 1960) With

* ''

'' (Columbia, 1975) With

* ''The World We Knew'' (Reprise, 1967) With Sivuca * ''Chiko's Bar'' (Sonet, 1985) With James Taylor * ''A Christmas Album (James Taylor album), A Christmas Album'' (Hallmark, 2004) * ''James Taylor at Christmas'' (Columbia, 2006) With

* ''Songs of The Beatles'' (Atlantic, 1981) With Vanessa Williams * ''The Sweetest Days'' (Mercury, 1994) 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 male musicians 21st-century Belgian guitarists Belgian barons 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 Belgian whistlers EmArcy Records artists Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres NEA Jazz Masters

Early years

Career

1940s–1950s

1960s–1970s

1980s and later

Later life

Death

Toots Thielemans Collection

Honours and awards

Titles of Honour

Awards

Other

Discography

As leader

As sideman

References

Further reading

External links