Keep (it) Swinging: Rik Mol receives a cultural award of the city of Goes

Rik Mol krijgt Goese Cultuurprijs ( Nederlands) (tomorrow) Rik Mol receives a cultural award of the city of Goes ( English)

Rik Mol performs in Het Beest in Goes (The Netherlands)
RIK MOL RECEIVES A CULTURAL AWARD OF THE CITY OF GOES
Hans Koert

On Saturday the 19th of December, 2009, Rik Mol received in Het Beest the Culturele Prijs 2008 from the local authorities of Goes.

Rik Mol ( December 2009 - Het Beest - Goes) ( photo courtesy: Hans Koert)

As a kid, born and raised in 's Heer Arendskerke in Zuid-Beveland, in the province of Zeeland in the far southwest part of The Netherlands, Rik was fascinated by his father's trumpet. Marlize Laport hands Rik the work of art that belongs to the Culturele Prijs (December 2009 - Het Beest - Goes) ( photo courtesy: Hans Koert)

At the meeting in Het Beest in Goes, in which he received the Culturele Prijs 2008 of the city of Goes, Jan Hut, location manager of the Zeeuwse Muziekschool ( regio Oosterschelde) (= school of music) remembered how Rik's father presented him for the music class to introduce him to the trumpet. We zijn er trots op dat hij bij ons die basis heeft gelegd, (= We are proud that we could help him to lay the foundation of his musical career), Hut said. When he grew older he visited the special prepatory-department for young talented children at the Conservatory of The Hague. Nowadays he is a sought after trumpet player in the jazz scene - national and internationally. Rik Mol and his group ( December 2009 - Het Beest - Goes) ( photo courtesy: Hans Koert)

Last year Rik Mol surprised with his first album, titled What's On Tonight and, at the small concert after the prize-giving ceremony, Rik and his group, presented a few of the new tunes for his new album to be released next year.

Rik Mol ( December 2009 - Het Beest - Goes) ( photo courtesy: Hans Koert)

This Culturele Prijs isn't his first award, Sophie Van't Westeinde, alderman for cultur of the local authority mentioned, he also received awards at the European Trumpet contest in Berlin and in 2004 he won the Prinses Christina concours, Last year the Stimuleringsprijs of the Prins Bernard Cultuurfonds Zeeland, was handed him in Porgy en Bess jazz club - an important cultural regional award. Rik Mol just returned from France, where he gave some concerts in Paris and in September he joined some Colombian jazz festivals in Bogota, Calin and Medellin. Later this month he will perform in the Amsterdam Krasnapolsky hotel with the well known DJ Maestro.

I'm looking forward to hear his next album.

Hans Koert
keepswinging@live.nl

If you like stories about Dutch jazzmen, like the one today, or about people searching for their roots, like in the Bas Robert contributions earlier this month or the research about long forgotten artist like the Paull Sisters, then you might have enough reasons to be informed with the free newsletter. Please register