Hohner 7538 48 Toots Mellow Tone Chromatic Harmonica Chromatic Harmonicas

These top of the line professional instruments are entirely hand built and represent the pinnacle of HOHNER craftmanship. The components are perfectly matched and each instrument is individually set up to ensure optimal airtightness and accuracy of tuning. Thicker reed plates ensure remarkably full, rich tone.

Biography

Jean “Toots” Thielemans was born in Brussels, Belgium on April, 29 1922. He played accordion at the age of 3 and started playing harmonica as a hobby. His first guitar, won on a bet. During the German occupation he got hooked on Jazz or as he says himself, “contaminated” by the jazz virus. His first idol was Django Reinhardt and very early he was influenced by Charlie Parker. He got his nickname “Toots” after Toots Mondello and Toots Camarata. First international break through was when he joined Benny Goodman on an European Concert tour in 1950. Immigrating to the USA in 1952, he became a member of the Charlie Parker’s All Stars in Philadelphia and worked for 6 years with the George Shearing Quintet.

Toots originated a new sound by whistling and playing the guitar in unisono which he did for commercials. The best known is “Old Spice”. In 1962 he composed “ Bluesette”. He was asked as harmonica soloist for many filmscores such as, Midnight Cowboy, The Getaway, Sugarland Express, Cinderella Liberty, Turks Fruit, Jean de Florette… Toots played concerts and made recordings with musicians like George Shearing, Ella Fitzgerald, Quincy Jones, Bill Evans, Jaco Pastorius, Natalie Cole, Pat Metheny, Paul Simon, Billy Joel… You can hear him as a soloist on the TV theme of Sesame Street. Until two years ago he was the perennial winner of Down Beat readers and critics poll in the category “miscellaneous instruments”.

In 2001 the King of Belgium, Albert II the King honored him with the title “ Baron”. That same year he received the title Professor Honoris Causa at the 2 universities of Brussels, Belgium. Also receiving from Gilberto Gill in 2006 the title “Comendador da Ordem do Rio Branco”, a very high distinction in Brasil.
In 2008 the National Endowment for the Arts honored him with the NEA 2009 Jazz Master Award, the highest distinction for a Jazz musician in the USA.

Toots Mellow Tone

”Feel best in that little space between a smile and a tear.“

The grand old man of harmonica jazz Jean ‚Toots‘ Thielemans is one of the most widely recorded artists on the chromatic harmonica. He has also composed numerous pieces for the instrument. Conceived as an homage to the elder statesman of harmonica jazz and designed in close cooperation with the master himself, the two models of this series reflect the musical demands of the discerning jazz chromonica player.

Features

• Pearwood comb, optimized for improved response in the upper register

• 48 Classic chromonica reeds

• New reed plate mensur and reed profiles for better response and longer reed life

• 1.05 mm chrome plated brass reed plates

• Short slide action

• Chrome plated brass covers with Toots signature embossing

• Hard shell case

• With serial number!

• Available in C-major

• Full, warm tone for ballads and classical pieces

• Made in Germany

Specifications

• item name Toots Mellow Tone
• type chromatic
• Key C
• tuning chromatic
• Number of hole 12
• Reeds 48 brass
• Cover surface stainless steel
• Reed plates 1,05 mm brass
• Reed plate surface nickel
• Mouthpiece surface chrome
• Slide construction straight
• Comb pearwood, brown
• Length 15,5 cm

  Tuning chart Blow C4 E4 G4 C5 C5 E5 G5 C6 C6 E6 G6 C7   Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Slide Out Draw D4 F4 A4 B(H)4 D5 F5 A5 B(H)5 D6 F6 A6 B(H)6                               Blow Db4 F4 Ab4 Db5 Db5 F5 Ab5 Db6 Db6 F6 Ab6 Db7   Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Slide In Draw Eb4 F#4 Bb4 C5 Eb5 F#5 Bb5 C6 Eb6 F#6 Bb6 D7