On Saturday 27 August, I attended the funeral of my friend and mentor, the incomparable Toots Thielemans. I was on tour in France when I heard the news of Toots passing, and I knew I had to go to Belgium to pay my respects. I drove with Belgian harmonica player, Steved De bruyn, to Toots […]
Chromatic
Toots and Jazz – Howard Levy
I was lucky to meet Toots and play with him on two occasions – once around 1980 at a club in Chicago, and then at the Harmonica Summit in 2000 in Minneapolis. When we met in Chicago, I told him how I chose to play Jazz on diatonic because I loved the bluesiness of the […]
Memories of an Old Friend: Toots – Rob Paparozzi
Toots came to the USA in the 50’s to join the Benny Goodman band and later George Shearing. John Lennon saw this LP cover in a shop in Hamburg, with Toots playing guitar, and decided if the Rickenbacker 325 was good enough for Toots he wanted it and hit the pawn shop on the corner! […]
Toots & me – Antonio Serano
I first met Toots Thielemans when I was only 17 years old, in Seville, during the World Exposition of 1992. My father and I had travelled there to hear and meet the great Toots Thielemans! I was beginning to get interested in jazz so I was really excited! We arranged to meet in the lobby […]
Remembering Toots – Adam Glasser
I don’t remember when I first heard Toots Thielemans. He has always been part of my harmonica life. I was amazed particularly by his virtuosity on the album Man Bites Harmonica especially the tracks Don’t Be that Way and Scotch on the Rocks. His album with Bill Evans, Affinity has always been a reference especially […]
Toots Theilemans Tribute – The Archivist
Jean Toots Thielemans: 29 April 1922 to 22 August 2016 I can say without hesitation that Toots is one of the greatest musicians of our time. On his instrument he ranks with the best that jazz has ever produced. He goes for the heart and makes you cry. We have worked together more times than […]
Franz Chmel – 1944 to 2016 – The Archivist
Franz Chmel was regarded by some as the best classical chromatic harmonica player. He was born on 26th February 1944 in St.Pölten, Austria. Franz started playing harmonica at the age of six and when he was 12 years old he founded the successful Piccolo Harmonica Trio with his elder brothers. Between 1957 and 1965 he […]
Stan Harper – 1921 to 2016 – a Tribute by Antonio Piana
Stanley Harper, born Stanley Theodore Wisser, better known as Stan, was born in Brooklyn, New York, September 21, 1921, just as the chromatic harmonica was being born. As a lover of music, Stan was attracted to the fine, new instrument which was no longer restricted a mere seven diatonic notes, but could play anything. It […]
Stan Harper – 1921 to 2016 – The Archivist
I met Stan at the first Garden State Harmonica Festival run in New Jersey by Phil and Val Redler (2009). I was very impressed by the playing of this sprightly 88 year old. His music was full of life and emotion. He seemed to be one of the last of the Golden Age soloists. He […]
Tributes and Obituaries
I recently asked my friend Rob Paparozzi about the death of Stan Harper. He posted the question on Facebook and it was apparent that there was little or nothing online. I had just edited some tributes to Franz Chmel and Toots Thielemans for the October 2016 issue of Harmonica World and we both thought it […]