“I strongly feel that why even practise this profession if not for trying to make a difference for the better?” Read our interview with accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen, who will perform at Pakkahuone with saxophonist Mats Gustafsson.
What’s happening?
I had the premiere of my new solo work 60 Zone at the Cologne Philharmonie in the spring. It’s always a big effort to perform a new solo work in a way that you are relaxed and in control. In August, I turned 60. To mark the occasion, I have had some ‘anniversary concerts’ where I have played slightly larger unities, both old and new. These two things have caused a lot of work, but fortunately, it’s nice work. The icing on the cake was to set up this new duo with Mats Gustafsson in the spring, and now we are coming to Tampere. It will be a great opportunity to develop this duo further.
You have performed in many different contexts, but less often at jazz events or with jazz musicians. What is your relationship with jazz, whether it is mainly composed or mainly improvised jazz? Does jazz have a place in your life?
I have played a surprising number of international jazz festivals, especially solo, for example at the London Jazz Festival, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Moers Jazz Festival, Saalfelden Jazz Festival, Macau Jazz Festival and Bergen Jazz Festival. Finnish jazz festivals have been less frequent experiences. I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of these foreign festivals, as I have no jazz background. Of course, there is always improvisation in my live performances, but I don’t call it jazz improvisation because my contact with jazz improvisation is almost non-existent.
I have also played for several years with jazz drummer Eric Echambard in fully improvised concerts. I don’t label them jazz either, I call them improvised music. I have a background in folk music, having studied at the Sibelius Academy, but I no longer consider this genre my own either. I have avoided any kind of categorisation in my listening and my work. That is why I am following this path of music, which is genre-free and hopefully surprising both for myself and for the audience. It has taken me to many different venues and cross-genre festival appearances over the years.
You have boldly thrown yourself into different kinds of musical projects, playing with drummers, dancers, vintage tractor engines and more. But in Tampere, you will play together with a saxophonist for only the second time. How do the accordion and the saxophone fit together, or is it your and Mats Gustafsson’s musical personalities, your ways of thinking, that is at the heart of this performance?
I have never been a big fan of the saxophone. When I first heard Mats 20 years ago at a festival in Ljubljana, I immediately fell in love with his way of producing sound and energy.
When this collaboration was proposed to me last year, it was easy to say yes. Then we briefly met the night before the first concert, again in Slovenia, and I felt our personalities, mindsets, and energies being close enough. The next night on stage we both experienced wonderful vibes and decided to form a new duo. So now we are performing in Tampere as a follow-up to this show in Slovenia last spring.
According to a recent study by the University of Jyväskylä, “the tempo of music released by artists and bands slows down as they get older – increasing until around the age of 30 and then starting to decline”. Have you noticed your own music slowing down or changing as you age? You turned 60 in August, and it’s been 25 years since you released your first album Kielo.
My solo career started 30 years ago. Since then, solos have been my laboratory for everything I do, searching for new expression and a meaningful way to play this strange instrument called the accordion. To answer this question, I checked the tempos of my first solo 30 years ago compared to my new solo Zone. It’s almost the opposite of what happened in this study. The tempos of many of the compositions had even doubled or accelerated.
What’s going to happen?
I’m constantly composing new music, and they go out to different projects that come up. The way the world is going these days is so blatantly unequal that I feel compelled to comment more and more on the things that are bothering me through my music. I strongly feel that why even practise this profession if not for trying to make a difference for the better?
Mats Gustafsson & Kimmo Pohjonen
Friday 1st November at 21.45, Pakkahuone
Photo: Radu Nichie
