It’s rare to see two performers playing with such perfect synchronicity as when French duo NoSax NoClar,

Bastien Weeger and Julien Stella, took the ACO On The Pier stage for a 70-minute set for Sydney Festival.

I’d have to go back 18 years to when jazz greats Gary Burton on vibes and Chick Corea on piano played with uncanny telepathy alongside the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

The duo from the Loire Valley formed six years ago and their name says it all – just alto or soprano sax from Weeger and clarinet and beatbox from Stella. But such is their artistry that it is hard to believe that it’s just the two of them producing such a varied and unique sound.

Bastien Weeger and Julien Stella: NoSax NoClar. Photo © Victor Frankowski

Their music – all of it original – is not easy to categorise, and thankfully so. Weeger is obviously an accomplished and experienced jazz musician – his John Coltrane-inspired cascading and athletic runs on the soprano sax attest to that – while Stella started off as a beatboxer, becoming a French champion at an early age.

Together they share a fascination for all...