Jazz Middelheim 2009 - Interview Toots Thielemans

[Pianobelgium]

neen rechtsbaaje, goede Belg. Zéker in Toots zijn geval.

[rechtsbaasje]

Goede Vlaming :)

[PhuckHue2]

so sad most Americans don't know who he is. I am glad I am fan of this great artist and yet embarrased of the ignorance of my country

[landztranz]

@PhuckHue2 I'm American and I know him, but I don't understand him! Help!

[PhuckHue2]

@landztranz so sad. look him up in Wikipedia

[landztranz]

@PhuckHue2 i don't have to look him up, Mr. Phuck (or is it Mr. Hue?). As I said, I know him. I just want to understand what he says in this interview. Maybe someone can sum it up for me...?

[sunno666]

@landztranz don't know if you still wanna know. But he's talking about well jazz obviously. He describes it as a virus: 'you either have it or you don't' (when he's tapping his arm). He said that his infatuation with jazz started pretty late, only when he was about 20 years old. Before that he played the accordeon for his parents, mainly the popular tunes of that era. When he was 20 he bought his first record, Louis Armstrong and that's how it started, he says.

[sunno666]

@landztranz and at the end of the interview he talks about young (jazz)talent in Belgium but also states that it is very hard for Belgian musicians to make it big, especially in Jazz because according to him, the US is still the place where there's still a larger jazz-scene. He mentions that he's probably the only one from belgium who actually got to do that. (i.e. perform in America).

That's about it.

[landztranz]

@sunno666 Very kind of you to fill me in! I love Toots (who doesn't?) and want to hear everything he plays - and says!

Thanks fo much!

[ardiesken]

@PhuckHue2

he probably came in every state of the USA, so he knows better America then a regular american:) thx for the nice comment

he is a legend