Harmonicas sur Cher is my favourite festival. Great location, great organisation, great music and great local support from the people of Saint Aignan. For three days, harmonicas can be heard on the streets, in the cafes, the church and the Salle des fete. Saint Aignan is a small old town with narrow cobbled streets in […]
Chromatic Harmonica
Homage to Toots – Steven De bruyn
When I started to play the harmonica 27 years ago, Toots was big in Belgium. He did not only play on films and in concerts, but also on many local music shows and local television series. He was also the godfather of the great Jazz Middelheim Festival and played the national anthem before an International […]
Toots’ Funeral – William Galison
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 […]
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 […]
Introduction to Blues on the Chromatic Harmonica by David Barrett
Here are some great examples of blues music played on the Chromatic Harmonica. They were put together by top educator and performer, David Barrett, who introduces each track, identifying the artist and indicating how it was played. This playlist is taken from the third part of David’s series of articles about playing Blues Chromatic published […]