Guitarist, composer and director Marnix Busstra loves crossing borders. He travels the world with his jazz bands, plays both guitar and bouzouki, writes both jazz and theatre-songs, and co-creates and directs the exuberant theatre shows of his wife, Dutch diva Karin Bloemen. As leading critic Jerry D’Souza noted in All About Jazz: “Busstra is a constant wheel of invention, with technique expanded by his creative urge to find something new, an evolving state that adds immeasurably to his art.” His musical influences are just as multifaceted. Marnix studied jazz guitar at the Amsterdam conservatory, explored both classical Indian music and 20th century western music, and developed the art of translating lyrics into music. The instruments he plays reflect this background; next to the electric guitar, he uses an Irish bouzouki, and a custom built electric sitar. He wrote numerous compositions in a wide range of musical styles. Renowned vibraphonist Mike Mainieri loves playing his jazz work, vocalist Dianne Reeves sang his music, while the classic Dutch song ‘Geen kind meer‘ won the Annie M.G. Schmidt award for best theatre composition.