Tag: jazz

Remembering Toots – Adam Glasser

Archie

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 his solo on Sno Peas, all the more miraculous to my ears since I tried improvising on those very difficult chord changes.
In January 1996 he agreed to be interviewed before a gig in Leiden, Netherlands. We met at his hotel and I spent a fascinating couple of hours questioning him about the chromatic harmonica. The interview was published later that year in Harmonica World.

About a year later I received a call to do my first orchestral session ever, depping for Toots on the film Hard Rain. He could not make the first morning’s recording and I was asked to fill his shoes. It was a terrifying experience walking into the legendary CTS studio in Wembley with dozens of other musicians. The title music featuring harmonica was first up and not easy! When Toots arrived he greeted me with a very warm hug remembering our conversation a year earlier.

The producers were impressed by this camaraderie and I was asked to stay on for the whole week of recording as adviser to the composer Christopher Young. It was particularly extraordinary to hear Toots play something absolutely fantastic over very difficult shifting atonal harmony. Toots had to leave before the final days recording so I played the remaining few cues myself and I earned a harmonica credit below Toots at the end of the film.

The last time I saw him was at the 2010 Cape Town International Jazz Festival. We met and talked at length the night before his superb gig on 3rd April which I attended. The sadness I feel at his passing still sits in my heart as I write.

This appeared in the October 2016 issue of Harmonica World as part of a special tribute to Toots.

Toots Theilemans Tribute – The Archivist

Archie

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 I can count and he always keeps me coming back for more. Quincy Jones

Toots was a transcendental musician – if he had picked up any other instrument he would have been just as great. What was remarkable was that he was able to express the full range of musical ideas through the chromatic harmonica. He was playing music through the harmonica rather than playing the harmonica. Howard Levy

I feel best in that little space between a smile and a tear. Toots

Toots was born in Brussels, Belgium in 1922. He started playing a cheap accordion when he was three, but he took up the harmonica at sixteen after seeing Larry Adler in a film and realising what a harmonica could do. During the Second World War he heard a 78 recording of Louis Armstrong and his destiny was sealed.

His friends told him to get a real instrument. He was studying mathematics but he decided to become a jazz musician. He got to hear the local bands like Django Reinhardt and bought a guitar. He taught himself to play and soon got a reputation as a jazz player and after the war he joined a local band, Le Jazz Hot, where he got his nickname, Toots. He learned harmony through the guitar, which stood him in good stead when he played harmonica. Toots sat in at some New York jazz clubs when he made his first visit to the US in 1947, and he played with Charlie Parker in Paris.

In 1950, Benny Goodman asked him to join in his European tour which began at the Palladium in London in 1950. Toots moved to New York in 1951 and soon landed the guitarist’s seat in the George Shearing Quartet. He stayed for 6 years playing mainly guitar with some harmonica. In between gigs he was sitting in with some of the top bebop musicians. Toots recorded his first American jazz LPs in 1955/7, and the chromatic harmonica would never be the same again.

In 1957 Toots became an American citizen and he would divide his time between his Long Island and Brussels houses for the rest of his life. Toots also developed the art of whistling when playing guitar, and the original recording of his most famous composition, Bluesette, was done this way in 1962.

In the 60s Toots became a session musician and he began to be in demand for film music, something which lasted for most of his life. Toots moved more toward jazz in the 70s with appearances with Oscar Peterson, Jaco Pastorius and his landmark recording, Affinity, with Bill Evans in 1978.

Toots sufferred a stroke in 1982 which resticted his guitar playing. He had always suffered from athsma and he began to play more ballads. This suited his new style which used fewer notes, with the emphasis on melody and playing the lyrics of songs. In the latter years of his life, Toots toured with his quartet, usually with Kenny Werner or Fred Hersch on piano. He liked Brazilian music and produced two enjoyable CDs, The Brazilian Project.

Toots used Herbie Hancock as a pianist before Herbie was picked up by Miles Davis. Herbie returned the favour by setting up the two NY concerts which were held for Toots in Carnegie Hall, The Magic of Toots (2006) and The Lincoln Center, Toots 90th Birthday (2012) Toots developed a special musical friendship with Quincy Jones and they recorded film soundtracks and performed in festivals together on many occasions.

Toots was in great demand to play with top singers like Paul Simon, Ella Fitzgerald, Natalie Cole, and Billy Joel. He was the harmonica soloist for many filmscores such as, Midnight Cowboy, The Getaway, Sugarland Express, Cinderella Liberty, Turks Fruit, and Jean de Florette. Toots was cutting back on the demands of touring in his 80s and he finally retired in 2013 aged 91.

Hohner produced two harmonicas for Toots, the Hard Bopper and the Mellow Tone. Both are 3 octave and they are only available in C. The King of Belgium honoured Toots with the title Baron.in 2001. There are many videos on YouTube for anyone wanting to hear Toots. Toots recorded many LPs and CDs and these are available from record shops and online stores. These include two which provide a selection of Toots’ output from the late 40s to the present time, such as the Verve Jazz Masters 59 -Toots Thielemans, and Yesterday & Today from Universal Music BV.

This appeared in the October 2016 issue of Harmonica World as part of a special tribute to Toots.

Here are some great links to concerts and interviews with Toots on National Public radio in NY.

Jazzy Harmonica Arrangements at Christmas

Archie

Arrangements of Seasonal Christmas Music featuring harmonica players, Toots Thielemans, Jason Keene, Stevie Wonder, Tommy Morgan, Norton Buffalo, Rob Paparozzi, Tollack Ollestad and Chris Bauer.

Track Listing for Modern Harmonica Arrangements at Christmas

1 – Toots Thielemans – White Christmas – 00:00
2 – Jason Keene – Christmas Time is Here – 03:48
3 – Stevie Wonder – Christmas Song – 07:41
4 – Chris Bauer – Winter Wonderland – 10:48
5 – Tommy Morgan – Angels We Have Heard on High – 15:53
5 – Toots Thielemans, James Taylor – Christmas Song – 19:56
6 – Rob Paparozzi, John Carlini, Bill Robinson – Silent Night – 22:27
7 – Chris Bauer – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – 25:50
8 – Norton Buffalo, Kenny Loggins – Christmas Time is Here – 30:25
9 – Rob Paparozzi – Christmas Song – 32:52
10 – Tollak Ollestad, Cyrus Chestnut Trio – Skating – 38:07
11 – Toots Thielemans – Silent Night – 42:41

Harmonica Harry (Pitch) – 1925 to 2015

Archie

Harry Pitch took inspiration from Larry Adler and like him he was an entertainer who worked hard to build a successful career. They were both more interested in the music rather than technique, but Harry was always a jazz player.

This audio biography shows how Harry’s long musical career covered all areas of music on chromatic harmonica and trumpet, as a soloist, session man and bandleader. He could read music but was always happy to improvise and play with other musicians.

Harry started to play harmonica before the Second World War. When harmonicas became unavailable after the Second World War he moved to trumpet. He joined and led big bands in the 1940s/50s but he started to play harmonica again after hearing Max Geldray playing in the Goon Show. I have included examples of him playing both instruments in his big band. He carried over much of his trumpet solo style to his harmonica playing.

In the 1960s he became a successful session musician, featuring on film soundtracks, classical music concerts, pop records and his biggest hit, Groovin’ with Mr Bloe’.

From the 1970s, Harry played on the long running TV series, ‘The Last of the Summer Wine’ and he started to play more with his old friend, accordionist, Jack Emblow.

Harry set up two bands, ‘Rhythm and Reeds’ and ‘The Thames Valley Jazzmen’ and he continued to play trumpet and harmonica. As live gigs became harder to get he played more smaller venues like Pizza Express restaurants with some distinguished pianists and a repertoire of light classics, standards and tributes to Larry Adler.

There are some videos and more information on his web page.

Harry Pitch Audio Bio

1 – – – 00:00
2 – Max Geldray – Goon Show – 02:00
3 – – – 02:45
4 – Big Band Trumpet – Boy Friend – 03:10
5 – Big Band Harmonica – Lady be Good – 04.03
6 – – – 05:40
7 – Frank Ifield – I Remember You – 06:45
8 – Bill McGuffie – During One Night – 07:22
9 – – – 08:10
10 – Mr Bloe – Groovin with Mr Bloe – 09:10
11 – – – 10:00
12 – Ronnie Hazelhurst – Last of the Summer Wine – 10:30
13 – – – 11:30
14 – Rhythm and Reeds with Jack Emblow – Alfie – 11:45
15 – Thames Valley Jazzment – Birth of the Blues – 15:10
16 – Thames Valley Jazzmen – L’il Darlin’ – 18:40
17 – Harry Pitch Duo – Body and Soul – 23:30
18 – Harry Pitch – Summertime – 27:10

Fox and Goose, Ealing Jazz Club.

Archie

Fox and GooseI visited the Fox and Goose pub on Hanger Lane, Ealing , London, on Wednesday 19 Aug with Colin Kingwell to talk to the current  manager,  Julian Peters. Julian wanted to know more about the pub’s musical history. He was aware that The Who played there when they were known as The Detours.

We talked about about the Ealing Jazz Club, which was held there on Friday nights in the 1950s. Steve Lane, cornet, ran the club with his New Orleans Jazz Band, The Southern Stompers. Colin played trombone  and the banjo player was his friend Cyril Davies. During the evening, Cyril switched to 12 string guitar and played acoustic blues in a small group with  Bob Watson.  This was the start of the British Blues boom 10 years later. You can hear more about this in the broadcast I posted earlier, and read more on the Cyril Davies web site

The pub has changed a lot since the Jazz Club days. It was a skittle alley before it became the club room and now it houses the new kitchen and a conference room. We gave them some photos and newspaper cuttings about the Jazz Club’s acoustic blues sessions, which are now on the pub’s history wall.

Cyril moved on to The Round House pub in Soho in 1955 where he and Alexis Korner absorbed blues and amplification from visiting American artists and recordings. They emerged in 1962 as Blues Incorporated in the Ealing Club and the British Blues Boom was underway!

 

Golden Age of the Harmonica on BBC Radio – 1950 to 1960

Archie

Imagine you are back in the 1950s. Tune your AM Radio to the BBC and listen . The harmonica was heard in many radio comedies, variety and serious music shows in the 1950s.

Here are some examples featuring Tommy Reilly, Larry Adler, Ronald Chesney, Max Geldray, The Morton Fraser Gang and The Three Monarchs. Shows mentioned include Dixon of Dock Green, The Grove Family, The Navy Lark, Educating Archie, The Goon Show, Workers’ Playtime, and Variety Bandbox.

Light Programme , Opening , 0:00
Workers Playtime , Essex , 0:16
Tommy Reilly , Medley , 0:31
Tommy Reilly , Dixon of Dock Green , 4:42
Tommy Reilly , Family Joke, The Navy Lark , 5:58
Educating Archie , Ronald Chesney , 9:25
Ronald Chesney , Blues in the Night , 12:05
Ronald Chesney , Hora Staccato , 16:35
Variety Bandbox,  , 18:07
Morton Fraser Gang , Medley , 18:15
Morton Fraser Gang , Body and Soul , 20:24
Three Monarchs , Beer Barrel Polka, 23:10
Three Monarchs , Small Talk , 25:05
Three Monarchs , Bach goes to Town , 28:52
Max Geldray , The Goon Show , 30:09
Max Geldray , Side by Side , 31:46
Max Gelday , So Rare , 32:54
Light Progamme , Larry Adler Programme 1 , 34:20
Larry Adler , Smoke gets in your Eyes , 35:10
Larry Adler , Holiday for Strings , 38:40
Larry Adler , Genevieve Film Music , 42:04
BBC Light Programme, Closedown, 48:43