Toots Thielemans

Jean-Baptiste “Toots” Thielemans did more than any other player in the 20th century to make the harmonica a jazz instrument. He was a virtuoso on the chromatic harmonica, which allows vastly more complex melodic maneuvers than the standard blues/folk harp, and from the ’50s on, he was recognized as the premier jazz harmonica man. Born in Brussels, Belgium, in 1922, he played accordion as a child, but by his teens he had picked up both the harmonica and a love of jazz. He learned guitar soon after, and upon being discovered during a 1948 visit to New York, he was invited to play guitar with Benny Goodman. Due to logistical complications at Thielemans’ first Goodman gig, he ended up playing harmonica, and the rest is history. In the ’50s, having become widely known for his bop chops on harp, Toots worked with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, George Shearing, and others, and he released his solo debut LP, The Sound, in 1955. Thielemans’ 1962 recording of his composition “Bluesette” became a jazz standard and etched his name into history. The boundary-busting musician occasionally crossed over to pop, playing with the likes of Paul Simon and Billy Joel, but he continued performing and recording as a jazz giant until his retirement in 2014, two years before his passing.