Riitta Paakki Quartet

Riitta Paakki Quartet’s music is irresistibly effortless. The music consists of Paakki’s lucid style of playing, Manuel Dunkel’s powerful and nuanced saxophone sound and a bubbly rhythm section formed by Antti Lötjönen and Joonas Riippa. Paakki’s most speedy compositions include sounds from the prestigious era of bebop, yet her calm ones paint a portrait of a typical melancholic Finnish landscape. The ensemble’s collaboration means total control of the situation and of the composition at hand. RPQ’s album Piste was a nominee for the Best Jazz Album of The Year 2020 at the Emma Awards (“Finnish Grammys”) and received a full five stars in the record review of Helsingin Sanomat. Paakki’s and Dunkel’s longtime collaboration and friendship makes the interaction fluent and captivating for the audience. In the concert you’ll hear wonderful compositions that give clear frames to the musicians’ art of improvising. RPQ will publish a new album, Väri in Spring 2023.

Riitta Paakki – piano
Manuel Dunkel – saxophone
Antti Lötjönen – bass
Joonas Riippa – drums