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Kimmo Pohjonen

Finnish accordion adventurist Kimmo Pohjonen’s singular mission is to expand the capabilities, sound, scope, performance and experience of the accordion to levels never before attempted, seen or heard. Accordion, voice, effects, surround sound and light show combine to make a unique and captivating performance event.

A visionary of boundless energy, Pohjonen’s roots go back thirty years in all forms of accordion music including folk, dance, classical, rock, experimental, theatre music and more. His studies in the progressive and innovative Sibelius Academy Folk Music Department were a critical factor in Pohjonen’s transition to the boldly creative and versatile musician / performer he is today. Currently, Pohjonen is simultaneously involved in numerous projects:

-Kimmo Pohjonen / Samuli Kosminen Kluster featuring sampling genius Samuli Kosminen (also known from work with Icelandic band MuM). Kluster appeared at the MIDEM 2006 music convention in Cannes on a main stage showcase performance. Their album is released in Europe via Rockadillo and Westpark, the duo has toured througout Europe in folk, jazz, world, classical, contemporary and rock music festivals.

-KTU (pronounced ”K2”) is the new band featuring Pohjonen with Texans Pat Mastelotto and Trey Gunn from King Crimson. The KTU album 8 Armed Monkey is released in Europe on Rockadillo and Westpark, in North America on Thirsty Ear and in Japan on Besection. Concerts in Helsinki, Moscow, Tampere, Tallinn, Moers, Jena and Tokyo have been resounding successes with the highlight being FMM Festival in Sines, 2005, for an audience of 7000. 2006 concert successes include Wien Accordion Festival, Ljubljana Slovenia, FIMAV in Victoriaville, Canada, Nattjazz in Norway and SPOT Festival in Denmark, followed by their North American tour in March 2007.

-Kluster meets Kronos Quartet in the Uniko project featuring music composed by Pohjonen and Kosminen, commissioned by Kronos. Concerts in Helsinki, Moscow and Molde Jazz Festival were major successes. US premiere of Uniko is set for October 3,5,6, 2007 at Brooklyn Academy of Music.

-Pohjonen’s latest solo adventure is called Animator featuring live computer designs by multi-media artist / designer Marita Liulia and live video mix by Antti Kuivalainen. Successful concerts took place in Helsinki, Wien, Dusseldorf and in the late 2005 tour of Portugal.

-Pohjonen works in an improvisation duo with French drummer, Eric Echampard. Their album Uumen was released by Rockadillo and Westpark and they have performed in Finland, France, Estonia, Norway and Netherlands.

-Pohjonen has composed music for a Swedish dance performance premiered in October 2006 by choreographer Lisa Torun..Pohjonen also collaborated in Paris in June 2006 with dancers /choreographers Tero Saarinen and Carolyn Carlson.

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1
Live Review

Kimmo Pohjonen & Eric Echampard al Teatro Manzoni di Milano

Read "Kimmo Pohjonen & Eric Echampard al Teatro Manzoni di Milano" reviewed by Paolo Peviani


Aperitivo in concerto Teatro Manzoni -Milano -08.02.2015 Le modalità con cui la fisarmonica è entrata a far parte della tradizione musicale finlandese sono sconosciute. Certo è che, come riporta il sito del festival internazionale Sata- Häme Soi, la fisarmonica è lo specchio dell'anima finlandese. Crea felicità, gioia, e una buona atmosfera. Sicuramente, alla diffusione dello strumento ha contribuito la passione che il popolo finlandese nutre per il tango. Sia nella sua ...

11
Interview

Kimmo Pohjonen: A Very Cool Instrument

Read "Kimmo Pohjonen:  A Very Cool Instrument" reviewed by Nenad Georgievski


Certain instruments have yet to place themselves beyond how the public and most musicians perceive them, but that hasn't stopped some musicians from distinguishing themselves by taking a different path with them. As Jimi Hendrix is to the electric guitar, so is Finnish musician Kimmo Pohjonen to the accordion: a conceptualist and master improviser who has boldly taken his instrument beyond what has previously been thought possible.The use of electronics in any genre is potentially the most exciting ...

11
Film Review

Kimmo Pohjonen: Soundbreaker

Read "Kimmo Pohjonen: Soundbreaker" reviewed by Nenad Georgievski


Kimmo PohjonenSoundbreakerKoskela Art and Media2013In the hands of avant-accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen, the mechanical intricacies of his instrument become agents of a great musical power, grace and expression. An instrumental virtuoso, Pohjonen has exploited the complete potential of the keys, buttons, and air beneath his fingers by stretching both his instrument and personal performance capabilities. He has been stretching boundaries and defying expectations for more than a decade, with mind-blowing concepts and visual ...

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Interview

Kimmo Pohjonen: Accordionist Extraordinaire

Read "Kimmo Pohjonen: Accordionist Extraordinaire" reviewed by Anthony Shaw


To claim that behind every successful man is a strong woman is clearly twaddle. To say that behind every successful (read busy!) Finnish musician is, in one form or another, the Sibelius Academy, is much closer to the mark. Accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen served his time in both the classical Helsinki Conservatory and then the Academy's Folk Music Departments, before stepping out on his glittering solo career in 1996.

From that first concert on, and with the aid of ...

213
Album Review

Kimmo Pohjonen: Kluster

Read "Kluster" reviewed by Matthew Wuethrich


You know that old accordion your grandfather has sitting around from his days in the Old Milwaukee Polka Band? Well, Kimmo Pohjonen has dragged it from the attic, dusted it off, hooked it up to a Fender tube amp and proceeded to pull, push, pound, scrape and bend every note conceivable from it. Pohjonen hails from Finland, but he travels far beyond the borders of Finnish folk music. With the help of Samuli Kosminen, who samples and then processes Pohjonen's ...

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127

Recording

The Kronos Quartet Performs "Uniko" with Kimmo Pohjonen and Samuli Kosminen

The Kronos Quartet Performs "Uniko" with Kimmo Pohjonen and Samuli Kosminen

Source: Gapplegate Music Review by Grego Edwards

There are musical works that come along now and then that go beyond what categorical pigeonholing comfortably handles. Such music is all-the-more welcome in the sense that it expands the boundaries of possibility for music as we understand it in the present tense. Such is most assuredly the case with the new Kronos Quartet offering Uniko (Ondine 1185-2), featuring the music of Kimmo Pohjonin and Samuli Kosminen. First of all, this neither sounds like or is a typical string quartet-chamber ...

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Interview

Accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen Interviewed at AAJ

Accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz

To claim that behind every successful man is a strong woman is clearly twaddle. To say that behind every successful (read busy!) Finnish musician is, in one form or another, the Sibelius Academy, is much closer to the mark. Accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen served his time in both the classical Helsinki Conservatory and then the Academy's Folk Music Departments, before stepping out on his glittering solo career in 1996.

From that first concert on, and with the aid of added microphones, ...

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Award / Grant

Kimmo Pohjonen Nominated for BBC Radio 3 Planet Award

Kimmo Pohjonen Nominated for  BBC Radio 3 Planet Award

Source: All About Jazz

We at Thirsty Ear are pleased to announce this honorary acknowledgement for KTU's (also featuring Trey Gunn and Pat Mastelotto from King Crimson) Kimmo Pohjonen!

At the WOMEX world music expo in Gateshead/Newcastle, UK, 26-30.10, Kimmo Pohjonen was nominated for the BBC Radio 3 Planet Award. The category is Culture Crossing and the other nominees are: Kronos Quartet and Asha Bhosle (USA/India), Yasmin Levy (Israel) and Nitin Sawhney (India /UK). This is Pohjonen's second nomination for the BBC award, the ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Quiver

RockAdillo
2009

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Kluster

RockAdillo
2002

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