Mats Gustafsson & Kimmo Pohjonen

New duo with Scandinavian giants that break down barriers like folk, punk, and jazz.

At first glance, they come from very different worlds: saxophonist Mats Gustafsson injected Scandinavian jazz with a hefty dose of punk. Accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen mainly profiled himself as a one-man orchestra at the intersection of folk, classical, and electronics. Yet there is a clear similarity between the two, namely their overwhelming improvisation style. In 2024, they formed a duo for the first time at the invitation of the Druga Godba festival in Ljubljana. Now they are performing in connection with their first duo album Two Balls Are Enough.

The common denominator for Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson and Finnish accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen is passion, for music, saunas, ice hockey, and art, but above all for collaborating with other adventurous musicians. Mats Gustafsson has been a welcome guest on our stage for years with bands like The Thing and Fire! Orchestra. He also played here with free spirits like Peter Brötzmann, Ken Vandermark, and the iconic Dutch formation The Ex. Kimmo Pohjonen is a pioneer in combining live performance with electronics and visuals. He collaborated with, among others, Kronos Quartet and Tapiola Sinfonietta.

Mats Gustafsson saxophone/flute, Kimmo Pohjonen accordion/electronics