Biography short
Jazz singer Ilse Huizinga is one of the most distinguished in the Netherlands and has achieved acclaim across Europe.
Previously nominated for the prestigious Edison Award awarded by jazz critics, she recently completed her sixth album
‘intimate jazz sessions’. On it she sings 23 well-known and much loved jazz classics, accompanied by piano only.
As the name of the album indicates;’intimate jazz sessions’ offers an intimate and stylish, sexy and joyful atmosphere.
Ilse’s ultimate feel-good album!
A graduate in Public Administration, Ilse regularly took part in vocal sessions at the famous jazz club Casablanca,
in the heart of the Amsterdam Red Light District. Then and there she decided to follow her heart and become a
professional jazz singer. Appearances on radio and television connected her to a diverse and broad audience.
Ilse has
performed in many countries in Europe.
Ilse went on to study at the Amsterdam Music Conservatory and performed in many
venues in the Netherlands.
On stage she met pianist and composer Erik van der Luijt, whom she married in 1998.
Together they produce Ilse's albums. Ilse and Erik have a daughter, Ellen, born in 2000.
Photo: Patricia Steur
Biography extended
Ilse Huizinga (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) is considered one of the most distinguished of a new generation of jazz singers.
From the very beginning of her career, media and audiences have spoken highly of her interpretations of the Great American
Songbook. Numerous articles, interviews and appearances on radio and television followed and connected her to a diverse
and broad audience. She performs in many countries in Europe.
History
Ilse Huizinga was born in Beverwijk, The Netherlands and grew up in Nijmegen.
It was an old piano given to her family at the age of six, which first drew Ilse to music. Subsequently she fell in love with the allure
of old Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Holiday and Abbey Lincoln albums, her fascination further caught when she watched Betty Carter sing
at the North Sea Jazz Festival. At the age of 17, she took her first singing lessons.
She regularly took part in open mike nights at the notorious jazz club Casablanca, in the heart of Amsterdam's Red Light District.
However, music did not feature heavily on her career ladder until she spent a year in Australia and finished a degree in Public
Administration at the University of Amsterdam. Ilse subsequently studied at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Sylvi Lane,
including master classes by Dianne Reeves and Margriet Eshuis. She has toured in Spain, Turkey, Switzerland and France,
and regularly performs in the United Kingdom. She has represented The Netherlands at the international jazz festival in Vienne, France.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines selected Ilse's debut album Out Of A Dream for its in-flight entertainment programme.
The Dutch Jazz Archive called it a revelation. On Voices Within she skilfully recorded her own voice five times, resulting according
to critics "some of the best close harmony for decades". In 2001 Ilse Huizinga recorded an album exclusively devoted to the songs
of Richard Rodgers, entitled The Sweetest Sounds. It was met with instant acclaim by the critics and nominated for Holland's most
prestigious music award, the Edison. Voted Album of the Week on Dutch radio, it can regularly be heard on specialist jazz radio
stations across Europe.
There are several albums featuring selections of jazz standards: Easy to Idolize (2003) and Beyond Broadway (2005) find Ilse on
form in selections of the Great American Songbook, accompanied by a stellar lineup of European jazz musicians.
On Ilse’s newest release Intimate Jazz Sessions she is accompanied by her husband on grand piano only. “I intensely enjoy singing
these songs in the most intimate and purest setting.”
Voice
Her voice is described as "warm and sexy", "clear and pitch-perfect", "a voice of which other singers only dream;
full, clear and sensitive." (Nouveau). Her classical training shines through in genuine coloratura, whereby "she manages to fit entire
octaves into a single syllable - great that the poignant lyrics meanwhile never suffer." (De Volkskrant)
In interviews, Huizinga has said that the death of her father and her pregnancy have deeply affected her singing. "I used to be totally
focused on technique. Now I'm no longer such a perfectionist, no longer focused on pretty singing. Emotions and the deeper meaning
behind the lyrics have become much more important to me.”
Collaborations with other jazz artists
Ilse's most celebrated collaboration is with her husband, the pianist, composer and arranger Erik van der Luijt.
Together they made seven albums to date and continue to perform live around the globe.
Other notable collaborations include vibraphonist Frits Landesbergen, saxophonist Ferdinand Povel en legendary double bass player
Ruud Jacobs, who is said to have been coaxed out of retirement for Huizinga's 1999 album Voices Within.
It was Jacobs who suggested dubbing Huizinga's voice five times to create a close harmony sound on this album.
Media
Huizinga makes regular guest appearances on European radio and television. Her albums are frequently played on Jazz Radio Berlin,
Swiss Radio Jazz, the BBC and Dutch radio. Interviews and features in Dutch magazines and newspapers have brought her to the
attention of a wide audience, that ranges from the U.S. to Japan.
Personal life
Ilse Huizinga lost her father to cancer at the age of 22, which made her determined to follow her dream of persuing a singing career.
She met the pianist, composer and arranger Erik van der Luijt when her regular pianist fell ill and he stepped in at the last moment
before a performance in Amsterdam. They married in Leiden in 1998. Their daughter Ellen was born ten weeks prematurely on April 1,
2000 after Huizinga suffered from pre-eclampsia.
Discography
2006 - Intimate Jazz Sessions 2 CD (Brilliant Jazz/Foreign Media Music)
2006 – The Club Sessions (exclusively available in Japan as a single album)
2005 - Beyond Broadway (Maxanter Records)
2003 - Easy to Idolize (Challenge / Daybreak)
2001 - The Sweetest Sounds - the songs of Richard Rodgers (Challenge / Daybreak)
1999 - Voices Within (Own production)
1997 - Out of a Dream (Own production)