Jazz Articles about Toots Thielemans

Toots Thielemans: Do Not Leave Me

by Budd Kopman
August 22, 2005

That sound! That sound, which if you are old enough, you can still remember from the first time you heard it on Paul Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years. The sound, and the man behind it, is the direct musical expression of this phrase from Thielemans' website: “I feel best in that little space between a smile and a tear." That space is where the romantic, bluesy, and utterly enchanting Thielemans resides. He perennially wins awards for “Best Instrumentalist ...

Pruning the Tree: Seven Decades of Jazz with Toots Thielemans

by AAJ Staff
April 13, 2004

The title of “jazz legend" is thrown around a bit loosely these days, but there's no doubt that Toots Thielemans clearly qualifies for that accolade. Born in 1922 in Brussels, Belgium, Jean Baptiste Thielemans has worked as a professional musician for almost six decades. He's played with the likes of Benny Goodman, Charlie Parker, George Shearing, Miles Davis, Milt Jackson, Quincy Jones, Bill Evans, Pat Metheny, Ella Fitzgerald, Jaco Pastorius and a host of others during that time. Although he ...

Jackie Ryan: This Heart of Mine

by C. Michael Bailey
January 13, 2004

The thing that first struck me about this fine recording was the concrete accompaniment provided Ms. Ryan. Solid, effortless swing is what propels this veteran vocalist through This Heart of Mine.  The high quality of this swing, which I credit to crack arranging, is that much more a surprise when considering that the arrangements on this recording were very much a concerted effort.  All are uniformly fine, but I must tip my hat to pianist Jon Meyer for his astute direction ...

Jackie Ryan: This Heart of Mine

by Roger Crane
January 5, 2004

You simply cannot sing a song any better than Jackie Ryan does. And you cannot make a better jazz vocal CD than this one. It is perfect. If that sounds too reverent, let me change the praise to “perfectly wonderful.” Each of the elements is truly wonderful: the choice of songs, the arrangements, accompanying musicians, even the ordering of the songs. And, most importantly, of course, Jackie Ryan! She is a smart, sophisticated vocalist for grown ups and this is ...

Jackie Ryan: This Heart Of Mine

by Jim Santella
October 16, 2003

Listen to Jackie Ryan's voice and consider this: how important is it to you that vocal jazz come from the heart?

Ryan’s latest release proves that nothing works better on your soul than the real thing. With three teams of top-rate West Coast sidemen and welcome appearances from several key guests, Ryan’s straight-ahead program settles in with a charm seldom seen in today’s crowded singer’s market. She’s genuine.

Slow ballads, gentle bossa novas, and ...

Toots Sweet

by AAJ Staff
February 22, 1999

When most people think of the harmonica, they usually picture Ackroyd and Belushi soulin' it up in black suits, southern fried wah-wah blues or a scene from within a jail cell at state prison. Now that's not jazz. But, one man managed to create something unique with the harmonica that no one could ever imagine in the complex world of Be Bop. That man is “Toots" Thielemans. Toots' kaleidoscopic form can take you on a dreamy ride to ...

Toots Thielmans: Chez Toots

by John Sharpe
September 1, 1998

The harmonica is not a popular jazz instrument and since the mid-50's Toots Thielmans has been regarded as “a very big fish in a very small pond." Chez Toots stands as his tribute to the songs and sounds of the city of Paris. Toots invited some special guest vocalists to join the rhythm section of Bert van den Brink (piano), Hein Van de Geyn (bass) and Andre Ceccarelli (drums) and they all turn in pleasant, if not terribly exciting, performances. ...