Bluesette

For the unrelated Curtis Fuller album, see Blues-ette.

Bluesette is a jazz standard, composed by Toots Thielemans. First recorded by Toots Thielemans in 1962, with lyrics added by Norman Gimbel, the song became an international hit.^[1] It has since been covered by over one hundred artists.^[2]

"Bluesette"
1964 7" vinyl single cover
Single by Toots Thielemans
from the EP The Main From The Mountain
B-side	"The Mountain Whistler"
Released	1963
Recorded	1962
Label	ABC-Paramount Records
Songwriter(s)	Toots Thielemans

Thielemans received Grammy Award nominations for Best Instrumental Theme in 1964 and Best Jazz Instrumental Solo in 1992 for the song.^[3][4]

In 2000, Bluesette was inducted in the Radio 2 Hall of Fame.^[5]

Selected cover versions

Instrumental version

• Chet Atkins – for his album Progressive Pickin' (1964)
• Tito Puente and his orchestra – (1966)
• Ray Charles – for his album My Kind of Jazz (1970)
• Tony Mottola – included in the album Tony Mottola's Guitar Factory and released as a single (1970)
• Hank Jones – included in the album Bluesette (1979)
• Bobby Enriquez – in the album Live! in Tokyo (1982)

Vocal version, with lyrics by Norman Gimbel

• Vikki Carr – for her album Discovery! Miss Vikki Carr (1964)^[6]
• Sarah Vaughan – a single release in 1964^[7]
• Chet Atkins – for his album Progressive Pickin' (1964)
• Johnny Mathis (1965) (The Complete Global Albums Collection#Singles and Unreleased, Vol. Two)
• The Four Tops – for the album On Top (1966)
• Billy Paul – a single release in 1969
• Sue Raney (1969) – later included in the compilation album Breathless (1997)^[8]
• Quincy Jones  – for his album Mellow Madness (1975)
• Mel Tormé and Buddy Rich – for the album Together Again: For the First Time (1978)
• Nicole Croisille (1987) – included in the album Jazzille/Jazzy
• Connie Evingson – included in the album Some Cats Know (1999)^[9]

Source:^[10]