"... delicate, witty, fierce and warm by turns and sometimes all at once." - AllMusic.com "... listening to something this beautiful, it's easy to believe that myths are rooted in truth." - Popmatters.com Kaiku is a world music ensemble based in New York City and led by two Finnish vocalists - Jaana Kantola, and Paula Jaakkola. Kaiku's sound combines stirring vocals, lush accompaniment and heart-beating percussions which engage and enrapture the imagination. Their critically-acclaimed album, "Täällä tanssivi/Here We Dance" and their current roster of live performances are a mix of re-mastered Finnish folk and an eclectic array of original songs which soar through and beyond world music genres. Kaiku's blend of refined talent and sheer entertainment has gotten them, among others, performances at The Detroit Institute of the Arts and Celebrate Brooklyn, and a special commission from the Artistic Director Isaiah Sheffer at New York City's Symphony Space to write music to the poems of James Joyce. Finlandia Foundation named them "National Performer of the Year" in 2006 and they were the subject of a 2007 documentary, Tosi Tarina: Kaiku New Yorkista - which broadcasted in prime time television in their native Finland. Jaana and Paula founded Kaiku in the fall of 2004 as a continuation of their two year stint with a Finnish a cappella group called Akkapella. As lead singers, they hone their crystalline voices until they reach perfect harmonies and invite their fellow band mates to collaborate on the instruments. One riotous song in particular, "Ukko akka/Old Man, Old Woman", is sung in both Finnish and English and puts the audience smack in the middle of Finland's rich deep roots. Songs like this pop and crackle and inspired adulations from, among others, Bob Bannister of Time Out New York. In his glowing review, he wrote that Paula and Jaana are "reminiscent of a pair of forest witches in a Grimm's fairy tale." Though Kaiku still relies heavily on Finnish folk, the world of music inspires Jaana and Paula to make Kaiku a band in constant evolution. At any given performance, fans are taken on a journey beyond folk and through melancholic soliloquies or foot-bouncing Latin fusions such as "Tieni vie/ My Road Takes Me", "Piks paks/Eeny Meeny", "Hei sisar/Hey Sister". These two founders deliver an unabashed and easy interaction with their audience and the two seem made for each other's sense of humor. However, their success can be partially attributed to their unique personalities; Jaana Kantola loves sultry jazz and has a strong choral background having started singing at the age of 8. After moving to New York, Jaana studied Jazz Music in City College of New York under teachers like Sheila Jordan, had a long gig at Grace Church in Harlem and sang with Barry Harris and Max Roach. Paula Jaakkola, on the other hand, grew up on Finnish pop rock, sang in rock bands and studied Ethnomusicology in Finland until she moved to the U.S. Here she continued her years of musical studies at the New School University in Jazz Vocals and put out her own solo album before she and Jaana devoted themselves to Kaiku. Kaiku plays regularly in the New York City music scene. Accompanying Jaana and Paula are accomplished and inventive musicians who contribute their own styles to their compositions and arrangements. Two musicians in particular were early influences in Kaiku's music: Rob Curto - an accomplished accordionist known for his melodic dexterity and Scott Kettner - a rolling, rumbling percussionist who infused Kaiku with Brazilian rhythms. You can find them both playing on Kaiku's album "Täällä tanssivi/Here We Dance" available through their website www.kaikumusic.com, cdbaby.com/cd/kaiku2, and iTunes. Jaana and Paula are now planning on putting out Kaiku's second album and are organizing a tour to Finland this summer. Kaiku is truly a band that gives its all in live shows, and for a chance to attend one in New York City and beyond, visit them at: www.kaikumusic.com or www.myspace.com/kaiku.