Ufo Mustonen & Banda

Singer-songwriter Ufo Mustonen first became known to a wider audience as a violinist (Hearthill, Kingston Wall, J. Karjalainen, and Riki Sorsa). His debut solo album, released in 1997, marked the beginning of his career as a songwriter. Since then, Ufo has written songs for other artists as well, including Samuli Edelmann, Jani Wikholm, and Rajaton. In January 2026, Ufo will release his fourth solo album.

The story of Ufo & Banda goes back about ten years. Mustonen and Peter Engberg, who have been playing together since their teenage years, gathered a group of brilliant musicians to join them: pianist Seppo Kantonen (who has played on all of Ufo’s albums), bassist Jarno Karjalainen, and drummer Marko Timonen. The band’s broad musicianship and open curiosity toward different musical worlds have created a distinctive and original sound. Their released songs have received extensive radio airplay (including “Sinuna olisin hiljaa,” “Muistatko hauskaa,” and “Tyhmä tyhmä”).

At the Ylläs Jazz Blues Festival, Ufo & Banda will perform material from their brand-new album as well as carefully selected pieces from earlier releases. Life-inspired stories intertwine with beautiful melodic expression and the band’s deeply intuitive musicianship — pop, folk, and brass jazz flavors travel through Africa and Portugal, straight to the pepper mill and onto your plate. Bon appétit.

Ufo Mustonen – vocals, violin, guitar
Peter Engberg – guitars (Sakari Kuosmanen, Samuli Edelmann, Pepe Willberg…)
Seppo Kantonen – keyboards (over 200 recordings, Yrjö Award, UMO…)
Jarno Karjalainen – bass (Dave Lindholm, Ismo Alanko, Kaihon Karavaani…)
Marko Timonen – drums & percussion (Ismo Alanko, Perko Pyysalo Poppoo, UMO…)