Customer Reviews

Toots Thielemans & Kenny Werner

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Extraordinary music is what is contained in this disc. That's for sure. But be aware that it is a romantic and intense ballad program the one contained here that's why I gave this cd only four stars. It could be a little heavy if you listen to it from its beginning to its end. But nevertheless this compact disc could easily be considered an extraordinary achievement. Toots Thielemans is truly one of the few Jazz greats still alive and well. I love him. He plays fantastic sublime melodic lines with his harmonica which has an unbelievable tender sound. No one on Earth plays the harmonica the way he does. He's unbelievable. I have several Toots's records where he improvises on fast tunes and he can blow every musician away. He's unbelievable. But here he choose a ballad program. Ballads which he plays with incredible tenderness and romanticism at a level only he can reach. The harmonica is the only instrument he plays here. Infact he's a very good bop guitarist (and an exceptional whistler too) but here he did concentrate only on the harmonica thing. This is a duo album so it is very intimate in its atmosphere. Toots's pal here is Kenny Werner a really gifted piano player which is a perfect companion for Toots in this ballad program. He plays grand piano but also a few keyboards here and there to add strings section. He improvise too obviously in a very nice manner ... the two seem telepatically linked. Really. A really strong album which to me has the only minus to be a strictly ballad one. With a bass player and a drummer and few fast tunes could be unreachable. But yes, you're right, that would be completly another project. For example recently I purchased "Just friends" another Toots album which is really really great. It is a collaboration between him Teupen and Kuhn. It is a more interesting program in my opinion and the line up is more entertaining too. Harp, harmonica, piano, doublebass and drums. The music is fantastic like in this cd but a little more varied .. Another fantastic one from Toots is "Live takes" which is on Amazon too. Anyway I enjoy this one very much too, don't get me wrong, maybe some tunes of it at a time. I'm not THAT romantic!! Just Joking! Toots rules !!!!!

I have loved the music of Toots Thielemans since I first heard him with the George Shearing Quintet. Toots has a wonderful melodic flow no matter whether he is playing a ballad or an up tempo bop tune. On this CD, he is playing only ballads, and with another musician who has the same sense of melodic flow. Werner is a very technically proficient pianist, but he allows the technique to be at the command of the melody. With two wonderful melody players playing really lovely ballads, this CD radiates warmth. It is all slow and relaxed, but certainly not boring. Of course, Toots is never, ever boring. One of the best Toots CDs I've ever heard, and I love all of them.

It is a wonderful soulful album, but would have been better if Kenny Werner played acoustic piano exclusively instead of synths on some tracks. There is another review of this album on the web which stated the same and I agree. Soft and soulful, I found it to be quite inspirational, since I enjoy playing the chromatic harmonica as a hobby. Toots has many imitators but he is the only one, and has stood the test of time. Blues fans might want to look elsewhere for their harmonica, e.g. Paul Delay.

Well what else could be said about this musician? He has played with all the Jazz Greats! No wonder being Himself One of Them! I have treasured Toots Thielemans for decades and especially his 2 Brazilian projects! One of the finest Jazz Musician around and no one could improve on that statement! This album is state of the art sensuality "made a la Toots" with fabulous arrangements "the Belgian Chocolate of the Harmonica Sound par Excellence"! Bruno Pierre Gebarski (Hamburg Germany)

Nice doing business with this seller. Merchandise is great and service was easy and good.

Words cannot describe the beauty and the mastery of Mr. Thielemans' music. He has once again expressed his soul through harmonica. Together with Kenny Werner this album took a totally indescribable shape. The music is beautiful beyond this world. If I could I would give it a million stars but even that would not describe my gratitude and appreciation for this music. It truly grabs your soul!!!

Listening to these great artists perform together is a treat, of course, but for me there was too little variety in the selections. I've learned to play this CD in installments; otherwise I get either depressed or sleepy. If you're hoping for either, this could be the CD for you. Otherwise, I'd look elsewhere in Warner's and Thielemans' repertoires.