By Diane Saarinen
“Finnish women are kind of known for having strong character, “ says Jaana Kantola, one of a trio of female Finnish singers in the New York-based band Kaiku. Nowhere is this more evident than when Kaiku performs Laulajan Messu (see photo below), an assertive rant based on traditional lyrics from the Kanteletar where the artists demand to get paid for their art.
Kaiku (meaning “echo”) consists of Kantola, fellow vocalists Paula Jaakkola and Erja Vettenranta, as well as musicians Christopher Hoffman on cello, accordionist Rob Curto, and percussionist Scott Kettner.
Although the lyrics are based on poems such as the Kalevala as well as traditional lyrics that the women found while searching the libraries and internet, the sound is unique. In Musta Poika Mulleroinen, a song about a cockroach, the musicians back up the singers with a Brazilian beat. It is this off-beat trademark sound that has gotten them booked at such diverse New York City venues as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Satalla: The Temple of World Music, and the Cornelia Street Café.
It was just less than a year ago that Kaiku was formed. Paula Jaakkola and Jaana Kantola were already performing together in a trio called Akkapella, when they met singer Erja Vettenranta. With Jaakkola and Kantola doing the composing and arranging as well, they formed Kaiku with the group of local musicians.
Jaakkola says the choice for using the folk poetry was easy: “I thought, ‘What do I have to give to the world?’ So Finland is what I know best. The Kalevala and Kanteletar have amazing poetry there.”
Vettenranta credits the male musicians for the distinct world music sound, “That’s the guys in the band – they play a lot of Brazilian and it’s their own addition. The guys are adding the sound,” she says.
When asked what kind of audience the band attracts at the live shows, Jaakkola says, “Oh, everybody – a combination. Finnish people, friends of ours. We’ve been lucky to have so many gigs. This is all very exciting for us.” Not just adults appreciate Kaiku’s music. Kantola notes, “Children also like our music. It’s nice and a surprise, but children really enjoy it.”
Kaiku recently performed for the 100th year anniversary celebration of the Finnish-American newspaper Raivaaja in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It turned into a fun road trip for the trio: “It was a wonderful experience. We had rented a car but had some trouble finding our way there,” says Vettenranta. “There were about 100 people in the audience at least. And the reception was just wonderful.”
Vettenranta also remembers meeting a particular couple that made the trip memorable: “I am from a real small town in Finland (Jurva). So there were two people – a married couple – who were from that same town. They kind of adopted me as their child or something,” she says warmly.
These creative women don’t just sing Finnish poems, either. When Isaiah Sheffer of Symphony Space was planning his Bloomsday on Broadway XXIV event, featuring the work of James Joyce, he approached the trio about performing for the event. “’I would love you to sing the poems of James Joyce,’” Jaakkola recounts Sheffer saying to them. “’But how could I find someone to compose those songs for you?’” Jaakkola stops to laugh. “And Paula and I were just looking at him, and finally said, ‘We will!’” And all this was done with Sheffer picking out his favorite poems, and the singers composing and practicing their performance in about three weeks’ time.
What’s next to expect from this dynamic group? More original compositions including some original lyrics, and yes, even a tango or two. Referring to how quickly the band is finding new gigs, Kantola remembers, “I’ll never forget the phone call from Paula where she said to me, “’I think this is all the aria – the prelude to where we are going.’” It seems the sky’s the limit for this talented band with the roots in the past and the thoroughly modern sound.
photo by Gustavo Campos
Kaiku CD
Kaiku’s first CD, named simply Kaiku, features the vocals of Jaana Kantola, Paula Jaakkola and Erja Vettenranta interspersed with American musicians Rob Curto on accordion, Scott Kettner providing percussion, and Christopher Hoffman playing the cello. The result is traditional Finnish songs often played with a Brazilian beat, as Kaiku weaves an exotic tapestry of sophisticated sound.
Kaiku also weaves a magical spell as the honey-sweet harmonies in Musta Poika Mulleroinen makes the listener forget he or she is listening to a traditional Finnish tune about a cockroach. Its eminently danceable cousin Musta Poika Mulleroinen: Remix definitely wins hands down as the best – and catchiest – cut on the CD.
In Puhurin Poika, the women sing acappella in a song that evokes the cold landscape of Finland in the winter. Laulajan Messu is a boisterous rant based on an old poem from the Kanteletar about getting paid for one’s art that is sure to get your attention as the women make their demand, punctuated by Kettner’s percussion as a sharp exclamation point. Alternatively smooth and aggressive on this track, the band shows its versatility.
Paha Mieli is a song about banishing a bad feeling that seems to want to hang around. There is almost a poignant nostalgia associated with this song, as if the singer isn’t ready to release her negative mood. And the ballad Yksi Ruusu on Kasvanut Laaksossa – one rose has grown in the valley – is beautifully accompanied by cello and accordion, creating an almost dream-like atmosphere.
With three strong Finnish women singing traditional folk songs and a world beat to back them up, the comparisons to Värttinä are inevitable. But Kaiku clearly shows it has a personality of its own on this debut CD. Suffice it to say, however, that if you like Värttinä, you will love Kaiku.
The Kaiku CD is available at www.kaikumusic.com. To book them for a concert call (646) 662-6084.
Coincidence department: Diane Saarinen interviewed Erja, Paula, and Jaana at Scandinavia House in NYC. One of the photos that she took of them happened to have the Marimekko fabric named "Kaiku" in the background. Photo by Diane Saarinen.
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