TOOTS
THIELEMANS
Do Not Leave Me
Milan
Records
Toots Thielemans pretty much invented the
language of the chromatic harmonica in jazz music, and he
had continued to be its strongest advocate. Do Not Leave
Me is one of the top Thielemans recordings, demonstrating
as it does the very core of his artistry stripped of any
extramusical pretension. The performance on Do Not Leave
Me was recorded at Palais de Beaux Arts, Brussels,
on June 19, 1986. This is about five years after Thielemans
suffered—and recovered from—a major stroke.
No one listening to this performance without that knowledge
could gather as much.
Thielemans is joined here by a stellar cast
that supports him strongly and ably. That includes pianist
Fred Hersch, in many ways the perfect foil for Thielmans
with his warm, romantic tone and playing. Marc Johnson plays
bass, and the drummer is Joey Baron. At every turn this
rhythm section helps push Thielemans forward. Hersch plays
to great effect, playing with exquisite lyricism on “Ne
Me Quitte Pas” (the title track) and then offering
an earthy feel to “Velas.” Thielemans plays
guitar on the Brazilian “Velas,” sounding every
bit the modern jazz guitarist in the Pat Metheny/Kurt Rosenwinkel
vein, though without the technical proficiency of either.
Still, the piece is a remarkable demonstration of the way
that Thielemans is able to keep his work contemporary even
in the latter part of his career.
The fact is that this CD is pure Thielemans
and deserves a place in the record collection of anyone
who just wants to hear an empathic group of musicians swing
out live in front of an audience, with no studio manipulation
at all. The sound quality is good, and the performances
without peer. The opening title track is handled as a duet
by Thielemans and Hersch, and there are few better, more
emotionally charged versions of this song, which has long
been a favorite of jazz and cabaret vocalists. The second
number is the meaty centerpiece of the album, a 20-minute
meditation on the Miles Davis pieces “Blue In Green”
and “All Blues.” Hersch takes the lead, providing
a lengthy piano solo to open “Blue In Green”
before the rhythm section comes in, adding a lush bed of
warm tones over which Thielemans plays the melody, injecting
every bit as much lyricism and melancholy as Miles Davis
did. “All Blues” finds both Thielemans and Hersch
pushing themselves into a higher energy level, buoyed by
the drums and bass. Tension is dispersed as Johnson takes
a solo and the piece quietly ambles to its conclusion.
“Stardust” and “Autumn Leaves”
allow Thielemans to cut loose on some standards and allow
his harmonic conception to come to the fore. He really is
a consummate improviser, and those who find it difficult
to imagine jazz played convincingly on harmonica need only
hear the evidence to realize they are in the presence of
a great musician.
The 48-minute set closes with a brief rendition
of Thielemans’ musical theme, “Bluesette.”
Thielemans whistles the song’s hook, and the audience
continues it as a kind of chant of support. It’s clear
that the audience took away a warm and satisfied feeling
from this performance, and it’s a great service to
all jazz fans that Milan Entertainment is reissuing this
excellent release from the Thielemans discography. It would
have been nice if the CD booklet contained more background
information on the performance—it merely recreates
Thieleman’s liner notes. It is from these that we
obtain the list of personnel, as there is no other listing
of who plays what on the jacket. But this is quibbling when
the music within is of such high quality. Pick this one
up while it’s available and enjoy.
