A case can be made that outside of Jacques Brel, Thielemans is Belgium's greatest musical and cultural export to this country. Originally a jazz guitar player, Thielemans would play the harmonica like no other.
Like many people, I first heard Thielemans on harmonica with the closing theme of Sesame Street only I didn't know it at the time.
I first became fully aware of Thielemans himself on an obscure jazz album called Pure as Rain by Gil Goldstein (no relation) on a cut called "Boy Inside a Drum (For Timmy)". To give you an idea of how obscure this song is I am unable to provide a video clip. But there are others.
Who could forget Thielemans' contributions to John Barry's "Midnight Cowboy Theme"?
Or to Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely?"
Need I add more? Absolutely. See Toots join Billy Joel on stage for "Leave a Tender Moment Alone".
Last but not least here's Toots accompanying Paul Simon on "I Do It For Your Love" on the BBC late in 1975.
On a personal note, I had the opportunity to see Thielemans in concert on two occasions at Scullers Jazz Club here in Boston most recently in 2010.
While he had to be helped onto the stage, once he began to play the years fell away in an instant. Music has a way of doing that and did that to Toots Thielemans for nearly a century.
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