Club for Five

Finland's favorite vocal quintet Club for Five is known for its lively performances and open-minded approach to singing - sometimes even challenging conventional wisdom about the capabilities of the human voice. Rooted in Nordic music tradition, but strongly influenced by jazz and pop the music of five skilled vocalists - Maija Sariola, Susanna Lukkarinen, Jouni Kannisto, Juha Viitala and Tuukka Haapaniemi - is full of colors and delightful energy. While a big part of their repertoire is in English, when touring outside Finland, Club for Five also loves to bring pieces of Helsinki with them, and include some songs in Finnish. Icy cold winter and the haunting landscapes of the North translate naturally into beautiful jazz harmonies and etno flavors. In 2009 "You’re the Voice", the acclaimed cover album consisting of the singers' own personal top hits, included a startling deep bass solo version of the Dire Straits song "Brothers in Arms". The song has since become one of the signature songs of Club for Five. Nowadays, whether in Europe or in Asia, the audience rarely allows the group to leave the stage without singing this song! Currently signed with Warner Music, the Club for Five has released 6 gold selling studio albums. The ensemble is famous for their high level, expertly crafted studio work, and has received multiple Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARA) nominations. In 2013 Club for Five made Finnish radio history by winning the "Best Sound Production" award in the 2014 Radio Awards. The winning project was an all-vocal soundscape for the radio program "Aamulypsy", the all-time biggest and most popular radio morning show in Finland, incl. sound effects and the theme song. Club for Five is a group that genuinely loves to sing both classical hymns and heavy metal and still always amazes by making it their own and sounding perfectly fluent, no matter what they do. Shifting between or combining musical styles comes naturally to them: being first right at home singing gentle jazz harmonies and then in an instant transforming into a pop group playing tight grooves in a fully fleshed out band sound. The effortless instrumental singing ranges from electric guitars to clarinets, complemented by edgy beats and truly earth shaking bass. "And now, let's bring out the balalaikas!" Audiences are delighted by Club for Fives chameleon-like qualities and tendency to abruptly change direction during the show just to keep it interesting. The band is also known to sometimes fling themselves into daredevil improvisation numbers inspired by stories and requests from the audience. Club for Five has also performed with orchestras. In particular, the premium big band in Finland, UMO Jazz Orchestra has collaborated with the group on many projects ranging from contemporary jazz and Glenn Miller & the Modernaires repertoire to Finnish tango music. In addition to singing full-time, Club for Five works with other groups and singers on all levels giving them workshops, master-classes and lessons as a band and as individuals. Club for Five tours regularly across Finland. With two Christmas albums in their catalogue, a big annual Christmas tour of theirs has become a tradition for many Finns. In 2015 Club for Five has now been entertaining audiences for 15 years. They have toured internationally and earned a reputation as one of the best and most versatile a cappella groups in the world. http://www.clubforfive.fi