Toots Thielemans

“Today jazz is still very much alive. Everywhere I go there's a new generation of musicians.”

“And if I have a strong point, it's that I like to believe it's not cheap or schmaltzy sentimentality.”

“Well, being a jazz musician is not a rose garden!”

“The harmonica is a great instrument.”

“You can be in Tokyo or Alberta at four in the morning in your hotel and you can still practice if you feel like it. A trombone cannot do that at four in the morning.”

“My father bought me a little cardboard accordion, and when I was three I got this little machine.”

“My parents had a pub and each Sunday there was an accordionist. They have told me that when I was in my cradle, I already was imitating the gestures of the musician.”