Toots Thielemans, the founding father of jazz harmonica, returns to New York for the first time in two years for a rare set of performances at the Blue Note from March 4 - 7.
Toots first made a name for himself as a guitarist in the style of Django Reinhardt, sharing the bandstand with Charlie Parker in 1947, Benny Goodman in ‘50, and The George Shearing Quintet from '53 to '59. During this time, Toots worked on his harmonica skills and in the ‘60s emerged as a jazz and pop soloist and composer on the instrument. His remarkable work can be heard in films like "Midnight Cowboy" (1969) and on recorded collaborations with Ella Fitzgerald, Quincy Jones, Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel and many more. Joining Toots at the Blue Note will be pianist Kenny Werner, percussionist Airto, and guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves.
WHEN:
Thursday, March 4 - Sunday,
March 7, 2010; Sets @ 8:00pm & 10:30pm
WITH:
Toots Thielemans, harmonica;
Kenny Werner, piano; Airto, percussion; Oscar Castro-Neves, guitar
COST: $45 @ table / $30 @ bar
WHERE:
The Blue Note; 131 W 3rd. St, New York, NY 10012
MORE: Doors open at 6pm. Set times are 8pm and
10:30pm nightly.
BIO:
It's no secret that Jean 'Toots' Thielemans is the preeminent exponent of the harmonica in jazz. Thielemans took a simple instrument with folkloric baggage and brought it into the contemporary jazz ensemble, both large and small. However, non-jazz audiences are familiar with Toots also. Maybe he touched them with his mournful playing on the soundtracks of such movies as "Midnight
Cowboy" and "Sugarland Express," or spoke to the child in them through his performance of the "Sesame Street" theme, which he also wrote. No matter what the medium, Toots Thielemans knows how to emotionally connect with listeners.
By 1944, Thielemans was playing guitar in American GI hangouts in liberated Brussels. His fascination with things American led him to adopt the names 'Toots' after Toots Mondello, a saxophonist with Benny Goodman. With the advent of bebop, Thielemans worked hard to adapt the harmonica to the demands of the form.
Benny Goodman toured Europe in 1950 with a group of young musicians that included Thielemans. It was an important showcase for a jazz harmonica player (the first of his kind) and in November of that year, Toots jammed with Charlie Parker in Sweden. Toots emigrated to the U.S. in 1950, jamming regularly at Birdland in New York City. Pianist George Shearing heard him and soon Toots became a member of Shearing's group, an association that lasted from 1951 to 1959.
During this period, Toots had also begun recording under his own name, and by 1958 had cut The Sound - The Amazing Toots Thielemans (Columbia), Man Bites Harmonica (Riverside) and Time Out (Decca). Thielemans proved to be a fine accompanist for vocalists as well, and through the years, his harmonica has complemented such diverse singers as Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel and many others. In 1961, Thielemans recorded his most enduring composition, "Bluesette", which remains a staple of live sets by Toots to this day and has been recorded by scores of artists over the years. Pianist Bill Evans asked Toots to share a record date in 1978, the result being Affinity, an album which went a long way towards validating Thielemans as a preeminent jazz artist.
More recently, Toots guested on pianist Fred Hersch's Jazz Impressions of French Classics. The introspective harmonica lent much to that music because French melodies are so dear to Toots (he can be heard on the soundtracks of "Jean de Florette" from 1986 and "Le Guignolo" from 1979). In that sense, his latest recording, CHEZ TOOTS was almost a lifetime in the making. As Toots says in his liner notes, CHEZ TOOTS is "a return to my childhood and early professional experiences." - Excerpted from Windham Hill promotional material for Chez Toots
