“Bluesette” was composed by harmonica and guitar player Toots Thielemans in 1962, with lyrics later added by Norman Gimbel. Thielemans famously whistled the melody in unison with his guitar. It’s a jazz waltz built on a 24-bar blues form with sophisticated, descending ii-V progressions.
The tune is in Bb, in 3/4 time. The changes descend through a series of ii-V progressions, much like a “Bird blues” but in waltz time, before returning to Bb. The melody is lilting and playful.
Section by section: in the opening bars, outline Bbmaj7 and then follow the descending ii-Vs with guide tones. In the middle bars, where the harmony moves toward Eb, target G (the third). In the final bars, the descending ii-Vs return before the turnaround. Practice phrases that cross the bar lines to keep the waltz feel flowing.
Practice with a jazz waltz play-along. Learn the melody by whistling or singing it, as Toots did.
Transposing tip: Bb instruments read it in C, Eb instruments in G.
Arrangement idea: feature harmonica, guitar or whistling on the melody in tribute to Toots Thielemans. Keep the waltz feel light and bouncy, and end with a short tag.
Practice checklist for the Bluesette Lead Sheet PDF: play the melody from memory, play roots through the form, play guide tones, improvise one chorus of chord tones only, and finally record yourself soloing over a play-along. Listening back is the fastest way to spot what to fix next.
Memorizing the Bluesette Lead Sheet PDF: learn the form in sections, not all at once. Play the first eight bars until you can do them with your eyes closed, then add the next section. Within a week or two you won’t need the page at all, which is the real goal of any lead sheet.
Is it hard to play? It’s intermediate. Recordings to study: Toots Thielemans’s original. Learn more about the composer on Toots Thielemans’s Wikipedia page, and find more jazz waltzes on Minedit.