I've had the good fortune to meet, book and perform with a wide variety of musicians and it's always a treat to work with someone who is talented as a musician but also a wonderful person. Laila Biali is one of those people: an outstanding talent and possibly one of the most modest, down-to-earth people you could meet.
Laila's accomplishments speak for themselves: SOCAN Composer of the Year and Keyboardist of the Year at the 2005 National Jazz Awards; performances at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, the acclaimed North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands, the International Jazz Festival in Lima, Peru and the Cotton Club in Tokyo, Japan; and work with other outstanding artists including Chris Botti, Paula Cole, Suzanne Vega and even Sting.
So what is it exactly that has led Laila to these successes? Frankly, she's really good at what she does. I met her when she was a piano student at Humber College in Toronto, where she quickly earned a reputation for being a talent to watch for both her piano playing and her composing. A few years later, when I was working at The Royal Conservatory, she performed as part of a series of jazz concerts. I couldn't quite figure out why she had a microphone so close to the piano...but when she started singing, I knew we were in the best kind of trouble: she has a fantastic voice to compliment her pianistic abilities. Here's Laila getting into the spiritual "Down to the River and Pray":
What especially appeals to me about Laila's playing is her choice of repertoire. On her website she lists a variety of influences; what I hear most though are her classical and jazz training, her incorporation of pop music, and her use of spirituals and gospel music. As a result, she is a musician who is comfortable in almost any style, and with any size of ensemble. It's a pleasure to hear a singer getting away from the usual standards. Check out this version of Jane Siberry's "Calling All Angels" - she's taken the original, added a bit of a jazz feel (and one beat per bar) and turned it into a gorgeous interpretation:
I thought I'd wrap up this post with a great version of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock":
Josh
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