Rutger Mathys is a young harmonica player who dedicates himself to the genre of jazz on the chromatic harmonica. He is playing with great passion and musicality.

Mathys is the winner of the Toots Thielemans Challenge 2022 and is currently completing his jazz studies at the Codarts Conservatory in Rotterdam. His playing is in the tradition of Belgium’s jazz legend Toots Thielemans. However, Mathys has long since gone his own way and repeatedly places the chromatic harmonica in a new musical context.

With his band Shikata Ga Nai, the 24-year-old Belgian transforms elements of jazz, rock, and funk into a lively mixture of sophisticated bass lines, captivating grooves, and a touch of southern warmth. The 70s send their regards – but the compositions of the five friends of Shikata Ga Nai could not be more modern and their joy of playing seems inexhaustible.

presented by The Legacy of Toots Thielemans