Here's to Maya Angelou

Ilse Huizinga

Label: Daybreak
Format: CD
Barcode: 0608917459128

Catalog number: DBCHR 75223
Releasedate: 12-02-16

- all 12 songs on this album were written by pianist & composer Erik van der Luijt, to the poetry of Maya Angelou

- vocals by Ilse Huizinga, whose voice is often described as ’warm and sexy’, ’clear and pitch-perfect’

- Press quotes:
’a voice other singers only dream about: full, clear and sensitive’. (Nouveau)
’she manages to fit entire musical scales into a single syllable - great that the poignant lyrics meanwhile never suffer’. (De Volkskrant)

When American writer & poet Dr. Maya Angelou passed away in 2014, I discovered her extensive work of poetry. The mood, the tone and the strength of her poems touched me deeply and many of them seemed like natural lyrics to me. Maya Angelou found the words we seek to express and depict love, loss, hope and confidence. Her poems center on themes such as racism, identity, travel and love. The power of her words are still very perceptible and relevant to all of us, it seemed to me.
I began to collect the poems that resonated with me and that I felt most connected to. Within a few days, I asked Erik van der Luijt to put Maya's words to music for me. The result of our journey is here. I hope you will enjoy our efforts!

Ilse Huizinga

Ilse Huizinga
Amsterdam based singer Ilse Huizinga is one of The Netherlands’ renowned jazz singers. After recording six critically acclaimed albums - featuring selections of jazz standards – she just issued her seventh album presenting entirely new compositions by Erik van der Luijt.
The album marks a new path for Ilse, as this is the first time she recorded new material exclusively.

Ilse and Erik’s story is not just a story of music. They met in Amsterdam, in 1995, during a vocal jazz session in De Heeren van Aemstel, when Ilse soon needed a replacement for her regular pianist, who fell ill. Erik filled the position right away. The two have not parted since. They married in 1998 and their daughter, Ellen, was born in 2000.
Ilse’s talent almost remained a secret to the outer world. If it weren’t for her parents, who gently urged her to sign up for an education in Public Administration at the University of Amsterdam, she wouldn’t have found the way to the stage at night club Casablanca. It was there that she realized more than ever that music was her destiny and after finishing her degree, without hesitation she continued to study at the Amsterdam Conservatory.

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