Belgian-born of Italian descent, Mimi Verderame developed an early passion for playing the drums and was learning the basics from the age of six! At fourteen, he began studying music at the Academie de Musique in Liege where he developed a second passion, the guitar, that he learnt to play listening to the great jazz legends.
He later returned to the drums and at seventeen made his jazz debut, playing alongside the great saxophonist Jacques Pelzer. His talent immediately won him recognition among fellow jazz musicians and he went on to play with, amongst others, Steve Houben, Toots Thielemans, Nathalie Loriers, Philip Catherine, Paolo Fresu, Larry Schneider and Maurane.