Results for "Toots Thielemans"

Toots Thielemans

Jean 'Toots' Thielemans is widely regarded by most people as the most accomplished harmonica player in the world. Of course, that's not all he does and it would be a great injustice to label him as just a good harmonica player. If you are not into Jazz, you may not have heard of his name but you have probably heard his music many times and I suspect you liked it. He is equally good at playing guitar, the accordeon and many other instruments. For instance, you will never hear anyone whistle jazz better than Toots. Born on 29 April 1922 in Brussels, he quickly got interested in music and was playing the accordeon at age 3

Hanksgiving - A Tribute to Hank Mobley, Part 1

By LUDOVICO GRANVASSU

For our seasonal Hanksgiving show, this year we pay tribute to Hank Mobley, both as a saxophonist and a composer, by playing music from his albums, which are a cornerstone of the Blue Note sound and catalogue, and renditions of his music by musicians that came after him. There's so much to love in Mobley's repertoire. ...

Susan Alcorn Quintet: Pedernal

By TROY DOSTERT

Pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn has achieved the enviable feat of commanding her own instrumental niche in the jazz world. Much like Toots Thielemans' harmonica, Gary Versace's accordion or Béla Fleck's banjo, she seems to have a unique role all to herself, at least until her substantial talents eventually spawn a host of imitators. From her ...

Summer 2020

By DOUG COLLETTE

Jazz Journal is a regular column comprised of pithy takes on recent releases of note, spotlighting titles that might otherwise go unnoticed or that deserve special attention. Claus Waidtløw The Game Self Produced 2020 A saxophonist who, over the last 3 decades, has recorded and toured with a ...

Sir Stevie: Jammin' on Stevie Wonder - Part 3

By LUDOVICO GRANVASSU

There's so much amazing material penned by Stevie Wonder, so here we go again with the third part of our birthday special. After a dive in renditions from the '70s during part one and two, here we mix things up with a combination of contemporary stunners, like the unique take of Alicia Hall Moran on “Signed, ...

Drummers as Bandleaders: An Alternative Top Ten Albums

By CHRIS MAY

Drummers have been key members of every band which has changed the course of jazz history, from Max Roach with Charlie Parker to Elvin Jones with John Coltrane and onwards. Yet drummers have been the leaders of a surprisingly small proportion of landmark bands themselves. Chick Webb in the 1920s was the first of the few. ...

Pat Metheny: From This Place

By JOHN KELMAN

It's been a full six years since Pat Metheny last released a studio recording. This, despite the guitarist who has become, in a career now in the midst of its fifth decade, one of the most famous and influential jazz guitarists of his (or, some would argue, any) generation, reportedly having enough material in the can ...

Jonathan Kreisberg, Clifford Jordan, John Clayton and More

By JOE DIMINO

This week we open with a live recording from Jonathan Kreisberg off Capturing Spirits and then we honor the spirit of Kobe Bryant with music by John Williams and celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs on their Super Bowl run for ending their 50-year drought and making it to Super Bowl LIV by playing a 1960's jazz ...

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal 2019: Week 2

By MARK SULLIVAN

Various Venues Festival International de Jazz de Montréal Montréal, Canada July 2-6, 2019 The festival celebrated its 40th anniversary this year with the usual dazzling array of musical offerings. And a few that were unusual: including concerts celebrating the 50th anniversary of ECM Records (founder Manfred Eicher was awarded the Bruce ...

Salutes to Ma Rainey, Ella Fitzgerald and Blossom Dearie

By MARY FOSTER CONKLIN

Winding up Jazz Appreciation Month with special birthday shout outs to the Mother of the Blues Ma Rainey, pianist Dorothy Donegan, vocalists Ella Fitzgerald, Barbara Streisand and Blossom Dearie, among others, with new concept recordings from Nancy Kelly (a tribute to Mark Murphy) , Christina Morrison (duets with five other women vocalists) and Ellynne Rey (a ...