Search - Toots Thielemans :: Only Trust Your Heart

Toots at his best

03/22/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a really fine album with beatiful playing throughout. In the opinion of the authors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz it is arguably his best album.I haven't heard all his albums, but I have this one and Man Bites Harmonica and I can vouch that both of them stand up to repeated listening."

A Jazz Master

John T. O'Connor | Ohio | 09/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Toots was a one of a kind. How many men would even try to play wonderful, bop oriented jazz on a chromatic harmonica? Not only did he try, he damned well did it, beautifully, melodically and wonderfully. If you don't have some Toots in your CD collection, then you don't have enough jazz. He is a master, a wonder and a constant delight."

My favorite Toots album

Richard Paschal | 10/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is my favorite Toots album, not only because of his beautiful playing but because of his sidemen, the first-rate engineering and production, and the thoughtful selection of the twelve tunes in the set. They range from standards like Wayne Shorter's "Speak No Evil", Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Hello Young Lovers", Monk's "Little Rootie Tootie", and a Toots original entitled "The Dragon", to a pair by pianist Fred Hersch, "Rain Waltz" and "Sarabande", that have become standards themselves. Mr. Hersch, one of the great jazz pianists working today, also produced, and has A. T. Michael MacDonald engineering as he has done with exceptional skill on many of Mr. Hersch's solo albums. Marc Johnson and Harvie Swartz on bass and Joey Baron on drums round out the group. It's hard to top a lineup like this one. This is one of the finest albums by Mr. Thielemans, who as of this writing (October 2008) is 86 years old, and according to his website is playing a trio of gigs in Holland this month. Wish I could be there for every one of them."