Goodbye Toots!

Toots Thielemans died yesterday. He was one of the oldest living jazz legends, besides from being the most successful and versatile harmonica player in the genre. He also played the guitar masterfully, and he was known for his incredible whistling skills. Born in Brussels, Belgium, Thielemans began his career as a guitar player. In 1949 he joined a jam session in Paris with Sidney Bechet, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Max Roach and others, and In 1949 and 1950 he participated in European tours with Benny Goodman. He made his first record in Stockholm with fellow band member, tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims. After moving to the United States in 1952, he became a member of Charlie Parker's All-Stars and worked with Miles Davis and Dinah Washington. From that time onward, his career went only uphill. In his long and fruitful career, he worked with other jazz greats such as  Ella Fitzgerald, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Stephane Grappelli, J.J. Johnson, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Shirley Horn, and Joe Pass, among others. He was so influential that even John Lennon admitted that he bought his first Rickenbacker guitar after seeing Thielemans play it during a 1959 concert.

Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidore Thielemans died on August 22nd, in Brussels, Belgium, at the age of 94. May he be remembered for his timeless music, extraordinary talent as a musician, and as a great persona that everybody liked and loved to work with. Hats off to Toots!