At first sight they come from very different backgrounds: saxophonist Mats Gustafsson infused Scandinavian jazz with a hefty dose of punk. Accordion player Kimmo Pohjonen came to the fore as a one-man-orchestra combining folk, classical and electronic music. However, an obvious similarity between the two is their awe inspiring improvisational style. In 2024 they premiered their duo at the festival Druga Godba in Ljubljana. Now they will perform on the occasion of their first duo album Two Balls Are Enough.

What connects Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson to Finnish accordion player 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 at our stage playing in bands such as The Thing and Fire! Orchestra. He also played here with free spirited players such as 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 has collaborated with, among others, Kronos Quartet and Tapiola Sinfonietta.

Mats Gustafsson saxophone/flutes, Kimmo Pohjonen accordion/electronics