TOOTS THIELEMANS


I want to introduce you also to the cultural life in our country, Belgium. Earlier I wrote about Adolphe Sax, the Belgian inventor and first producer of the saxophone.   

 Today I want to tell you about another world famous Belgian musician, TOOTS THIELEMANS.  Actually, this was not his real name. It was Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, baron Thielemans.  But he was all the time called Toots. He lived in the years 1922-2016. He was born in Brussels, and he also died there. As most people know he was a jazz musician. He played harmonica and also guitar.  Not at the same time, though – as far as I know 😊  

 He played together with a lot of other famous jazz musicians such as Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald.  And not least together with the probably most famous Danish jazz musician, Svend Asmussen.  They were close friends and performed together often. They called themselves “Toots & Svend”.  Listen to one of their performances here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kaacux3khjM&feature=youtu.be   
It was for many years a tradition that Toots Thielemans opened the annual Brussels Jazz Festival. Normally on Grand Place.  We have seen him do that.  He was also known for walking quietly around the city during the festival to listen to the music in many places.  And if he really liked what was being played, he pulled his harmonica out of his pocket and joined the band.
And Toots Thielemans did not only play jazz music. He also wrote it. One of his most known pieces of music is BLUESETTE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKnG_9q4crA&feature=youtu.be


Once he visited Aalborg in Denmark. It was in January 1992.  He performed in the local concert hall. And in that connection he was – like many other visiting artists – invited to plant a cherrywood tree in the public park next to the music hall.  The initiative to the park was taken in 1987 by the director of the Concert Hall, Ernst Trillingsgaard, and the first to plant a tree was Cliff Richard.  Today there are 85 trees in the park, including that planted by Toots.  And next to each tree you have a small stand. If a visitor pushes the button on the stand, you will here music and/or songs by the artist, who planted that tree.  They are called THE SINGING TREES.   They are certainly worth a visit 😊
Toots Thielemans was for many years honorary citizen in our neighbouring city, LA HULPE. To honour him they have started cultural centre called ESPACE TOOTS – and in front of the centre – in the middle of the main street – you see a nice statue of whom ?  Of Toots, of course.  See photo.    He opened the centre himself a few years before he died.

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