Toots Thielemans

Toots_Thielemans

Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans known professionally as Toots Thielemans, was a Belgian/American jazz musician. He was mostly known for playing the chromatic harmonica, but was also a proficient guitarist and exceptional whistler and composer. According to jazz historians, he made the harmonica into a legitimate voice in jazz. He eventually became the preeminent jazz harmonica player. Movie-going audiences were familiar with his playing from the soundtracks of The Pawnbroker (1964), Midnight Cowboy (1969), The Getaway (1972), Cinderella Liberty (1973), The Sugarland Express (1974) and Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977). His harmonica theme song for the popular Sesame Street TV show was heard for 40 years. He often performed and recorded with Quincy Jones, who once called him "one of the greatest musicians of our time." In 2009 he was designated a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts, the highest honor for a jazz musician in the United States.

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