Lils Mackintosh

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Lils Mackintosh in The Hague

Lils Mackintosh (born June 11, 1955 in Amsterdam ) is a Dutch jazz and blues singer and is considered one of the most important artists in the Dutch jazz scene.

Life

Lils Mackintosh is a Dutch singer, composer, actress and writer, the daughter of the Surinamese singer Max Woiski Jr. and granddaughter of the musician Max Woiski sr. At the age of seventeen she had dropped out of vocational training to pursue a career in music. Lils has worked with Oscar Peterson, BB King , Scott Hamilton , Rita Reys, the Rosenberg Trio, Cor Bakker, Madeline Bell , Hans Dulfer, Candy Dulfer, Louis van Dijk, The Beets Brothers, Georgie Fame and The Dutch Swing College Band , among others .

The first years (1972–1990)

As a daughter whose parents worked in the music industry, a career along this path was a logical step. Lils became a professional artist through her role in the musical Hair . She also played a leading role in the Dutch rock opera Ik, Jan Cremer and in the musical Barnum . After this period she played in various rock and hard rock bands and also made several tours, e.g. B. an extensive tour to Sudan, Kuwait and Egypt. This was also the time in her career when she worked with jazz legends like Oscar Peterson and BB King. In 1977 Lils had released her first jazz single: a new version of the Rogers & Hart classic "My Funny Valentine".

The transition to jazz (since 1990)

Winning the Dutch Jazz Concours in Breda led to a great musical change. Lils decided to focus on jazz. She has made many appearances in Europe and the United States and was a regular guest at the North Sea Jazz Festival . Her debut album, It's not perfect to be easy , was released in 1993 . She received recognition for this album with a nomination for an Edison Jazz Award. Two more albums were released during this period: This is the strangest life I've ever known (1994), followed by Seasons (1997).

Her career took a new direction with the founding of the "Lils Mackintosh & The Swing Cats Band" in 1998. This period also marks the return to the theater with the “Jazznacht Theater Tour”, together with The Beets Brothers, The Stylus Horns and the Rosenberg Trio.

Her fourth studio album Black Girl, produced by the renowned saxophonist Hans Dulfer, was a homage to the American blues singer and guitarist Huddie Ledbetter . The album was released in 1999 and made a big impression on the jazz scene.

The album "In the wee small hours of the morning" (2002) was one of the first multichannel SACD albums and received positive reviews from critics and music lovers. In the same year The Beets Brothers released the first Dutch jazz DVD with Lils and Hans Dulfer. The collaboration with the saxophonist Wouter Kiers led to the concept album Comes Love in 2005. All songs dealt with different aspects of love and human relationships.

At the end of the tour through Europe, Lils Mackintosh released the album About Crazy (2008). The album is an intimate portrait of an artist who has seen great ups and downs in her personal life. The sound of the classic Hammond organ is used for a unique, melancholy sound. The album was also the beginning of her collaboration with the Dutch saxophonist Clous van Mechelen.

The album A Fine Romance (2010) is a remastering of their first album. This version is of a very high quality and has an ideal balance between the voice and the band. The album Lils 40 years on stage , released in 2012, offers a retrospective. It was recorded in 2011 in the Sound Vision Studio Arnhem recording studio with musicians Clous van Mechelen and Hans Dulfer on tenor saxophone, George Konings on guitar, Cajan Witmer on grand piano and the Fender Rhodes organ, Harm Wijntjes on double bass, Kim Weemhof on drums.

Master classes

Lils Mackintosh always wanted to share her experience and passion for singing with others. In 1995, she therefore began to give master classes and workshops at jazz festivals and in theaters.

Discography

Studio recordings

  • It's not perfect to be easy (1993)
  • This is the strangest life I've ever known (1994)
  • Seasons (1997)
  • Black girl (1999)
  • Comes love (2005)
  • About crazy (2008)
  • A fine romance (2010)
  • Lils 40 years on stage (SVN 2012)

Live recording

  • In the wee small hours of the morning (2002)

DVD recording

  • Beets Brothers Live in Holland (DVD) feat. Hans Dulfer and Lils Mackintosh (2003)

Collaboration with other artists

  • The Beets Brothers - Live in Holland ( CD , 2003)
  • The Andrew Read Trio - Winter of my dreams (2004)
  • The Dutch Swing College Band - A Happy Dixie Christmas (2005)
  • The Dutch Swing College Band - When You're Smiling (2007)

theatre

  • Hair - rock opera (1972)
  • Hard rose, knal blauw - play (1983)
  • IK, Jan Cremer - Rock Opera (1984)
  • Barnum - Musical (1989)
  • The Jazz Night - theater show with the Rosenberg Trio (1998)
  • Kookrevue - with Joop Braakhekke (2000)
  • LILS-SSST - Talk Show (2007)

Awards and nominations

  • 1983: Werftheaterprijs - production of Hard Rose ("knal blauw")
  • 1990: Vocalistenprijs - Nederlands Jazzconcours Breda
  • 1993: Edison Jazz Award nomination - CD It's not perfect to be easy
  • 2000: Edison Jazz Award - CD Black Girl

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ CD information and review on jazzenzo.nl; April 5, 2012 (Dutch)
personal data
SURNAME Mackintosh, Lils
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dutch jazz and blues singer
DATE OF BIRTH June 11, 1955
PLACE OF BIRTH Amsterdam