Laila Biali

Honoured as both SOCAN Composer of the Year and Keyboardist of the Year at the 2005 National Jazz Awards, Laila has already showcased her original music at world-class venues spanning five continents, including New York Citys 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 - evidence that her compositions, playing, and singing are garnering not only national attention but world-wide recognition as well. Her musical versatility has won her touring engagements with top-tier artists over the past few years, from jazz trumpeter Chris Botti to sophisticated singer-songwriter, Paula Cole, and platinum recording artist, Suzanne Vega. Lailas latest project, From Sea to Sky, was released in June 2007 to rave reviews. The Toronto Star named it a surefire winner (four out of four stars); the Montreal Gazette called it an exceptional recording by an extraordinary talent with cause for celebration and recognition (five out of five stars Instant Classic); and the Vancouver Province claimed this screams Juno. It even whispers Grammy. Superb. Aside from her very active performing schedule, Laila is also frequently invited to join the faculty for the widely-acclaimed Stanford Jazz Workshop at Stanford University, where she has spent several summers teaching and performing. In response to her expanding international presence, Laila has recently moved to New York City, and she is currently working on material for her two new recording projects. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.