RIK MOL

Rik Mol was leading a band before he had a driver's licence. Getting a group of experienced musicians to follow him was apparently no problem. Getting himself to the gig was a different story.

By eighteen, he had already stepped into Jarmo Hoogendijk's trumpet chair in saxophonist Ben van den Dungen's quintet. Around the same time, he was sharing the stage with Piet Noordijk, one of the Netherlands' most celebrated bebop saxophonists.

So yes, his jazz roots ran pretty deep.

But jazz was only half the soundtrack to his youth.

The other half was filled with hip-hop beats, infectious pop melodies and grooves that had little to do with traditional jazz. And Mol never understood why he should have to choose between them.

That attitude became hard to miss when he recorded his debut album, What's On Tonight?!

The unwritten rules for a young jazz trumpeter seemed fairly straightforward: make a serious jazz record, put on a respectable suit and preferably have your picture taken in black and white.

Mol showed up in a T-shirt with shiny gold letters.

Whether his dress sense has improved is up for debate. He wears a suit with the Metropole Orkest. With his own band, the T-shirt is still in the running.

With only enough money for two studio days, he bought software, taught himself how to use it and started shaping the recordings himself. Not because he had some revolutionary plan to change jazz forever. He simply had music in his head that he wanted to hear, and he wasn't interested in waiting for permission.

That first album was only the beginning.

More records followed, including Funk On Me, The Space Place and Infinite Mirrors. The music kept evolving, moving between jazz, funk, soul, electronic textures and whatever else sparked his imagination.

Meanwhile, his trumpet was taking him around the world: tours across Europe, Asia and South America, performances with the Metropole Orkest, collaborations with international artists, sessions and concerts that rarely stood still.

But somewhere between rehearsals, airports, hotel rooms and other people's music, he kept coming back to his own ideas.

A melody that appeared out of nowhere. A groove that wouldn't leave him alone. His laptop gradually became a collection of sketches and unfinished pieces, many of which now find their way into the studio with producer Dutchflower.

They share a fascination for grooves, sound and the endless possibilities of combining live instruments with electronic production.

Sometimes the result arrives fast. Full Moon grew out of a few chords, a programmed beat and a melody that didn't need much more. Other pieces take their time, with elaborate arrangements and enough horns to keep a small orchestra busy.

Mol seems equally comfortable with both approaches.

And along the way, something else shifted.

After years of building his technical abilities on the trumpet, he became fascinated by something deceptively simple: playing less.

Finding a handful of notes that really mean something can be harder than playing a hundred.

And that's where the Rik Mol Group comes in.

Imagine a band driven by deep grooves and melodies that stick, played by musicians fluent in jazz but not interested in staying inside its boundaries.

At the centre is Mol's trumpet, often taking the role of lead singer. No lyrics, but plenty to say.

Improvisation is essential, but it always serves the music. No one has to play a ten-minute solo just because it's their turn.

On stage, the Rik Mol Group is about the journey as much as the destination. Songs can open up, take a sharp turn or drift into an unexpected adventure.

Mol will often share a story or two between tunes — sometimes funny, sometimes personal, occasionally taking a detour of its own.

Underneath all that freedom lies something deliberate. For Mol, a great concert isn't about how many notes you can play or how complicated a piece becomes. It's about taking an audience somewhere — creating a feeling that pulls people in, surprises them, makes them smile and maybe sends them home humming a melody.

After years of weaving his own projects around a busy international career, he wants to bring that experience to more stages with the Rik Mol Group.

Not because he's suddenly figured out what kind of music he wants to make.

He's been making it all along.

He just wants to share it with more people.

And these days, at least he can drive himself to the gig.