Featured In
ALBUMTout De SuiteJohan Hoogewijs & Toots Thielemans
Albums by Toots Thielemans
ALBUMTout De SuiteJohan Hoogewijs & Toots Thielemans
ALBUMMusical Moments to Remember: Toots Thielemans "Harmony on Harmonica" (Remastered 2018)Toots Thielemans
ALBUMHarmonica LiveToots Thielemans
ALBUMJazz Legends from BelgiumRoby Lakatos, Jean-Pierre Catoul & Toots Thielemans
ALBUMOne More for the RoadToots Thielemans
ALBUMBetween a Smile and a TearAlbert 'Tootie' Heath, Didier Lockwood, Johnny Griffin, Lisa Nilsson, Mads Viding, Niels Lan Doky & Toots Thielemans
ALBUMThe Live Takes, Vol. 1Toots Thielemans
ALBUMChez TootsToots Thielemans
ALBUMTwo GenerationsToots Thielemans
ALBUMYour Precious LoveToots Thielemans
Artist Playlists
Toots Thielemans Essentials
Artist Biography
A child prodigy, Toot Thielemans played the accordion at the age of three, switching to harmonica (and guitar) in his mid-teens. Guitar aside, Thielemans' chosen instruments were not especially suited to jazz, but he displayed enough invention and assurance to be hired by Benny Goodman for a European tour in 1950, afterwards joining George Shearing in 1953 for a five-year stint. In the '60s, his popularity increased with a successful recording of his own composition, "Bluesette," and he worked frequently in clubs in Europe and the U.S. and at international festivals. He subsequently played with leading artists such as Oscar Peterson and Dizzy Gillespie, and contributed to many film soundtracks, including Breakfast at Tiffany's and Midnight Cowboy.
Hometown
Brussels, Belgium
Genre
Jazz