Keep (it) Swinging: Max Woiski's Nescafé Coffeeboatsong

Max Woiski's Nescafé Coffeeboatsong ( English) Max Woiski - Echte koffie - Nescafé ( Nederlands)

A selection of Dutch post war promo records
MAX WOISKI'S NESCAFÉ COFFEEBOATSONG
Hans Koert

Max Woiski sr. in the music Top 40? - The Top-40 of Dutch advertisement and promo records? I’m sure he will. I voted for his 1957 advertisement card board record, titled Nescafé Coffeeboatsong ( one word) ( Coffee Boat song ) at the online voting site of the ReclameArsenaal, the site to preserve the Dutch advertisement and promo records - de plek voor het erfgoed Nederlandse reclame.

Onder warme tropenzon
– Is waar NESCAFÉ begon
– Bomen geven rijpe vrucht
– Met hand geplukt en gedroogd met lucht.

Van tropenland over grote zee
– Beste koffie neemt bootje mee
– Bootje, busje, hup 1, 2
– Echte koffie …. NESCAFÉ

Nescafé Coffeeboatsong - Max Woiski ( 1957)

Max Woiski was born in Domburg in Suriname, a small country north of Brazil, February 1911. Suriname was then a colony of The Netherlands. He came to Holland in 1936 and became a sought after musician playing popular music, labelled as Latin or Cuban music. During the Second World War he was the manager of a café La Cubana at the Amstelstraat, later in the Leidsestraat, in Amsterdam, where he performed as José Barretto, together with his wife Alma Woiski-Braaf as Lolita Mojica.

Part of the reverse of the card board record.

Although he was from Suriname most people believed that he was a Cuban musician and thanks to that and his rather light coloured skin he could survive the German occupation as a "white" musician. Some other Surinamese musicians from that period were, of course, clarinet and alto saxophone player Arthur Parisius ( aka Kid Dynamite) and tap dancer – trumpet player Theodorus Gustaaf Kantoor, better known as Teddy Cotton.
Probably Steve Boston on percussion.
After the war he recorded a tune with his La Cubana Orkest that became a hit: B.B. met R. ( or Bruine Bonen met Rijst) ( = Kidney beans with rice). In the 1950s Max started to play Surinamese music, which became popular thanks to the fact that the number of Surinamese immigrants was increasing. In 1956 his orchestra was to be seen in the first Dutch colour movie Jenny. In 1957 he played with his band at a Nescafé promo film, titled Nescafé Coffeeboatsong, which was presented at the Film Festival of Cannes and the Filmdag in Amsterdam (1958). The Nescafé Coffeeboatsong (sic) was released by Phonopress, Heemstede ( The Netherlands) as a card board card, with the song impressed into the surface On the card a colourful “tropical” image of a band playing Latin music. It wouldn’t surprise me if the photo was from the 1957 Nescafé promo film, as I found a copy on the internet of another Max Woiski advertisement record, also made as a promo for Nescafé , released for the German market, titled Calypso Nescafe. This photo was made at the same location.

Johnny de Miranda on the conga's
On the Dutch Nescafé Coffeeboatsong you can find Max Woiksi sr. in the centre playing the flute and probably Steve Boston on percussion and Johnny de Miranda on the conga. Johnny de Miranda celebrated his 84th birthday recently. The bass player is unknown to me. On the German record Max seems to play the guitar and Johnny the maracas. And the flute player might be Max sr.'s son, Max Mackintosh ( aka Max Woiski jr.).

Sing along .........
In the 1960s Max Woiski moved to Spain and started a night club ( also named La Cubana ) in Mallorca. After some successful years, he had to stop and retired in Porto de Andriatx. In January 1981 he passed away in Hoogeveen, a city in the eastern part of The Netherlands.
His son, Max Mackintosh ( aka Max Woiski jr.) and grand daughter Lils Mackintosh both followed in their (grand)father’s footsteps.

The German Max Woiski advertisement record for Nescafé: Calypso Nescafé.
In 1961 Sonopresse, a Dutch firm from Rotterdam, started to distribute thin plastic advertisement records, who were sent by (snail) mail to promote a product. I remembered these thin ephemeral klankdrukken, soundsheets, from the 1960s and 1970s, when I was in my teens, in a previous contribution, titled Soundsheets. These flexi-discs have been neglected for years by serious record collectors, but that’s all over now. Thanks to Dolf Hell and Frits Jonker a selection of these klankdrukken have now been listed and described in a book, titled De muzikale verleiding, ( = The musical temptation), subtitled Nederlandse reclame op 45 toeren ( = Dutch advertisement records on 45rpm) and will be released later this month. The book will contain two CDs with 40 selected tracks, een aanstekelijke mix van naoorlogse muziek – a fascinating mix of post-war music.

Max Woiski at the guitar ( on the German Nescafé single).
You can select your own Top 3 of favourite advertisement records on their website and win a free copy of the book. You can make your own choice up to the 16th of September 2009, 11.59 a.m. If you understand the Dutch language you can enjoy the texts of the 100 selected records and listen to each record ( also the Nescafe Coffeeboatsong of course).

Johnny De Miranda on maracas, prob. Max Woiski jr. on flute and Max Woiski sr. at the guitar. (German Nescafé promo)
Well, it won’t surprise to you, that I selected the Nescafe Coffeeboatsong sung by Max Woiski sr. and, when you have

studied my early contribution Soundsheets you’ll understand that Het Lelijke Eendje is also in my Top 3 selection. Unfortunally, the Everybody Likes Milk and the Milk Shake Twist, sung by Donald Jones of the M-Brigade, was not in their selection, so I had to make an alternate choice …………. What about ……. Corrie Brokken and the BP Super Mix Song or the Solexlied by Max Van Praag or the Goederenlied by Drs. P. or Ay, ay, ay die Caballero by the Leedy Trio ………… oh boy – I can’t make my choice.

I hope I can offer you a review of the book De muzikale verleiding – Nederlandse reclame op 45 toeren by Dolf Hell and Frits Jonker, released by Nijgh & Van Ditmar later. ( ISBN 978 90 388 9286 3 )

Thanks Jerry with your help searching for discographical information.

Hans Koert
keepswinging@live.nl