The versatile artist Mike Boddé won a number of notable awards. Soon he will come to Drenthe for two jazz concerts.

Mike Boddé won the Groninger Cabaret Festival years ago. Many will now know him as a pianist in the TV show Stage Classic . And soon the versatile artist will play jazz during two different concerts in Drenthe.

The love for jazz started early: ,,At the age of five I was already improvising and playing songs. My piano teacher picked that up well. She said: I’ll teach you to read music a bit and especially work on your hearing to develop improvisation.” It led to a jazz study at the conservatory, including a year in America.

He then formed a cabaret duo with Thomas van Luyn. They won the Groninger Studenten Cabaret Festival in 1991, among other things. Later they presented the musical entertainment quiz on television The Mike & Thomas Show , for which they received the Sound & Vision Award. Meanwhile, Boddé also became known as an impersonator in the program Tacks . In recent years he can be seen and heard every Sunday at Stage Classic .

And now back to jazz. First as a duo with harmonica player Hermine Deurloo. “When we first played together, there was an instant click. She is therefore one of the best players on that instrument.” The program is called Jazz of the Low Countries . ,,We bring music from Dutch jazz greats such as Rogier van Otterloo, Ronald Snijders, Misha Mengelberg and – of course – Toots Thielemans. Many people don’t realize that we have such good composers in the Low Countries.” Among them, therefore, ‘free spirit’ Misha Mengelberg? ,,Of course. But we did choose a more accessible number. The music lover can rest assured: it will not be too ‘free’. And we also play some classical. It’s very varied. But it won’t be a cabaret.”

Another atmosphere is The Lotus Club , with singer Beatrice van der Poel. “Think of a somewhat dirty nightclub from the 1930s and the mix of old jazz, blues, whiskey and opium. Beatrice is Miss Bee and together we are a couple that has been together way too long. It’s funny, but that’s mainly in the songs and the way we bring the music. Jazz can be a bit serious sometimes. We try to put some humor in it.”

Speaking of humour. Mike Boddé’s biography also features some special prizes, such as the ‘Tinnen Polecat van Appingedam’ and the ‘Kartonnen Pilaar van 2e Emmer Compascuum’. ,,Yes! They put me on the international map. That Polecat, in particular, got me to Broadway…”

Here comes the comedian again, right? Bodde sighs. ,,I just can’t manage to take myself too seriously.” He says that he recently wrote some cabaret songs again and performed at the Comedy Club for the first time in a long time. But with this difference: ,,I used to make jokes and play some music. Nowadays I play music, and I make some jokes with it.”