The Harmonica Wizard
You'll never think the same way about this instrument again.
When you think of the harmonica, do you think of excellent jazz music? If you are familiar with Toots Thielemans, you do. And if you aren’t familiar with him, allow me to change that for you.
Even if you’ve never heard his name before, you have probably heard his music. He was the one who whistled the famous old jingle for the Old Spice commercials. He played on multiple movie soundtracks in the 60s and 70s, including Midnight Cowboy. And, the one most familiar today, he played the harmonica for Sesame Street’s theme song. But what he really excelled at and loved was jazz music. His harmonica skills in jazz are unbelievable. Just give a listen to his rendition of Scotch on the Rocks:
Or, this amazing cover of Coltrane’s Giant Steps:
Ted Gioia describes Toots as “The most unlikely jazz star of them all” and makes the case with ease. It was that article that first introduced me to this Belgian jazz star. Gioia writes, “seeing him in performance was a revelation. You could tell immediately how much Toots Thielemans loved the music, how emotionally committed he was to the performance. And these traits stood out all the more because of the absolute virtuosity of his music-making.” Virtuosic is the perfect word.
Toots was an unlikely star not just for his instrument but for his background. “Thielemans never set out to be a harmonica player. He started out playing the accordion as a youngster, but was soon fascinated by the sound of jazz, which became all the more alluring after the German occupation of Belgium during World War II. Jazz was the sound of freedom and underground opposition to the Nazi regime.” Who would expect a jazz star to come from Belgium?
“Most musicians slowly fade from view in theirs 70s and 80s, but Thielemans merely became more famous, more in-demand, and more beloved as he aged. He had always possessed a kindly avuncular appearance and demeanor—almost as if he had been destined from the start to assume the role of tribal elder in the music community. And numerous organizations wanted to give him an award to celebrate this status—and share in the warmth of his presence and music.” As proof of his talent well into his 80s, I’ll share one last video, this one a live concert from 2008 when he was 86 years old. His stage presence is far from your typical jazz star, and exactly as described above.
To read more about Toots, his background, and his music, read the whole of Ted Gioia’s article here. And next time you are in the mood for a good jazz album, turn on one of Toots Thielemans’!