Toots Thielemans - Two Generations (2015)

This date featuring harmonica virtuoso Toots Thielemans with guitarist Philip Catherine, pianist Joachim Kuhn, and others is a bit unusual in that almost all of the music was composed by the players, save a Brazilian-flavored take of "Why Did I Choose You." The leader's very popular "Bluesette" features just harmonica and guitar, while his "Be Be Creole" (introduced by Toots as "Blues for Lulubelle") and "Uncle Charlie" are curious blends of jazz, rock, and blues. The remaining works by Thielemans and his friends are not as strong, making this overall a CD that can be bypassed by all except the most rabid Thielemans fans. ~ Ken Dryden