A jazz standard by Toots Thielemans is "Bluesette," where he used whistling and guitar in unison. He worked both as a bandleader and as a sideman, including many projects with composer/arranger Quincy Jones. He performed on many film soundtracks, such as Midnight Cowboy, Cinderella Liberty, Jean de Florette, The Sugarland Express, The Yakuza, Turkish Delight, the 1972 version of The Getaway, French Kiss, Dunderklumpen!, and in various television programs, including Sesame Street, whose closing credits (which did not list him accordingly) featured his performance, on harmonica, of the show's theme, the Belgian television series Witse, and in the Netherlands, for the Baantjer series.
Thielemans started his career as a guitar player. In 1949 he joined a jam session in Paris with Sidney Bechet, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Max Roach and others. In 1951 he went on tour with Bobbejaan Schoepen.
He moved to the United States in 1952 where he was a member of Charlie Parker's All-Stars. He played and recorded with names like Ella Fitzgerald, The George Shearing Quintet, Quincy Jones, Bill Evans, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Astrud Gilberto, Elis Regina and others.
A jazz standard by Toots Thielemans is "Bluesette" where he used whistling and guitar in unison. Bluesette became a major 1962 world-wide hit for him and this still much beloved and requested piece has been re-recorded by him and commercially released on records/CDs many times over both in various studio versions and live on-stage performances performed in several different countries. His trademark harmonica playing can also be heard in movie scores such as Breakfast at Tiffany's (where his plaintive "Moon River" solo in the opening scene brilliantly establishes the film's mood of romance noir), Midnight Cowboy, Bagdad Café, French Kiss, and in various TV programs like Sesame Street, the Belgian TV series Witse and the Dutch TV series Baantjer. His professional whistling and harmonica playing can be heard on Old Spice radio and TV commercials that have been made over the years. In 1983 he contributed to Billy Joel's album An Innocent Man, and his trademark harmonica can be heard on "Leave a Tender Moment Alone."
In the 90s Thielemans embarked on theme projects that included world music. In 1998 he released the a French flavoured album titled "Chez Toots" that included the Les Moulins De Mon Coeur (The Windmills of My Heart) featuring guest singer Johnny Mathis. This CD continues to sell well.
Today Jean "Toots" Thielemans remains a strong favorite among jazz aficionados and professional critics alike. His music CDs continue to delight (many of which were recorded in the 2000s) and have introduced him to entire new generations of keen fans.
Apart from his popularity as an accomplished musician, he is well liked for his modesty and kind demeanor. In his native Belgium, he is also popular for describing himself as a Brussels "ket", which means "street kid" in old Brussels slang. He received a joint honorary doctorate from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium) and in 2001 Thielemans was ennobled a baron by King Albert II of Belgium.
In 2005 he was nominated for the title of De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian). In the Flemish version he ended 20th place, in the Walloon version he ended 44th place.
Thielemans may have had a significant impact on The Beatles, (John Lennon in particular), during the group's pre-fame formative years. When performing in a 1959 Hamburg Germany with the pre-fame Beatles, John Lennon (sometimes with fellow Beatle George Harrison in tow) would often go over to the club where Toots was performing (at a noontime venue) as a member of The George Shearing Quintet. Lennon evidently was taken with Toot's harmonica playing and also for the guitar Toots was playing, an electric American made Rickenbacker with a short play neck. Based on the sound Lennon heard, he decided to purchase a natural alder wood "alderglo" colored three pickup Rickenbacker 1958 model 325 Capri guitar with a short scale as former Beatle and friend, George Harrison would recall to various interviewers many years later. (This iconic famous guitar often fondly referred to as the "Holy Grail" of all guitars, which was customized and tinkered with many times over the years by Lennon including being re-painted to jetglo black in September 1962, is the very same guitar that he played on The Beatles first and third appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show during February 1964).
Toots Thielemans died peacefully in his sleep on August 22, 2016 after being hospitalized for a fall a month earlier.
Secret love
Toots Thielemans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That lived within the heart of me
All too soon my secret love,
Became impatient to be free
So I told a friendly star,
The way that dreamers often do
Just how wonderful you are,
Now, I shout it from the highest hills
Even told the golden daffodils
At last my hearts an open door,
And my secret love's
No secret anymore.
Toots Thielemans's song Secret Love is about the overwhelming emotions that come with a secret love that is ready to be shared with the world. The song speaks of the singer's dilemma of keeping their love a secret, living with the fear of rejection, and the burden of holding a powerful emotion inside. The singer reveals that the secret love lived within their heart but soon became impatient to be free. Therefore, they decided to share their heart's deepest desires with a friendly star, as dreamers often do. The singer admits that their love for the person is wonderful, and they are de facto in love with them. The singer boldly shouts it from the highest hills and tells the golden daffodils, expressing that their heart is an open door, and their secret love is no longer a secret.
The song Secret Love was written by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster for the 1953 movie Calamity Jane, starring Doris Day. The song was performed by Doris Day in the film and went on to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song. However, it was not until Toots Thielemans's instrumental cover in 1962 that the song gained its iconic status.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I had a secret love,
At one point in my life, I had feelings of love that I kept hidden from others.
That lived within the heart of me
My secret love dwelled deep within my own heart and mind.
All too soon my secret love,
Unfortunately, my suppressed feelings of love became too much to bear.
Became impatient to be free
My secret love's desire to be expressed and shared grew stronger and more urgent.
So I told a friendly star,
In desperation, I revealed my true feelings - albeit to an inanimate object.
The way that dreamers often do
I confided in the star as many dreamers do: by pouring my heart out into words.
Just how wonderful you are,
In expressing my affection to the star, I explained how exceptional and special the person was that had captured my heart.
And why I'm so in love with you
I also shared the reasons behind my intense feelings of love and passion.
Now, I shout it from the highest hills
After keeping my secret love hidden for so long, I now proclaim my feelings to anyone and everyone without reservation.
Even told the golden daffodils
In addition to vocalizing my love, I even express it to inanimate flowers.
At last my heart's an open door,
I have finally opened up my heart and given in to the intensity of my feelings.
And my secret love's
My once-hidden love
No secret anymore.
is now completely out in the open for all to see and hear, and I am completely content with that decision.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PAUL FRANCIS WEBSTER, SAMMY FAIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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