Juki & Round 5

Juki Välipakka, vocals
Riitta Paakki, piano
Antti Lötjönen, bass 
Joonas Riippa, drums
Tuomo Dahlblom, guitar

Round 5, led by Juki Välipakka, offers you swinging, peaceful, clear, easy and from time to time even brisk vocal jazz. The repertoire of the band consists of standard tunes and originals by Välipakka.

Vocalist Juki Välipakka is quite a rare phenomenon in Finland, a male jazz singer. He has won the critics poll of the magazine Jazzrytmit on the years 1996-99 and 2001-2003. Last time the amount of the votes he got was more than doubled compared to the  next male singer on the list. Juki controls the many areas of jazz vocals sovereign way. He is capable of doing scat, mellow moods rich in nuances, falsetto and different kinds of vocal-improvisations. Due to his wide range he is more than just a mere jazz singer: he has sung rhythm & blues (he plays harp and guitar, too) and has composed music for dance-theatre productions. On Ad Lib Quintet's cd Jump there is his joik-influenced composition Karhu, and he has even got he's hands (or vocal cords) on ambient/ethno-vocal improvisation in the company of British guitar-player Jason Carter. 

The name of the group, Round 5, is based on the fact that this is Juki Välipakka's fifth jazz-combo. Musically one of the central factors in the repertoire of this band are the peaceful ballads that suit Juki's voice perfectly. Still, there are both lyrical melodies and storming swing to dig.

Pianist Riitta Paakki, who has made two cd´s with her own trio, supports Juki's interpretations with her playing in an excellent way.

Antti Lötjönen has in a few years sprung among the leading bass-players in Finland: he plays for example in Ilmiliekki-Quartet, which won the title of young artists in Finland Festivals on 2004.

The drumming art of Joonas Riippa is very subtle, and he is quick in his reactions, so it is no wonder that nowadays the art of this young drummer can be heard in many bands.

Tuomo Dahlblom is a versatile guitarist who is able to play with all the different styles possible. He brings a good deal of solistic power in to the band.