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Juno award-winner Laila Biali is one of the headliners for this year’s Medicine Hat JazzFest.
@medhatjazz
LAILA BIALI
Sometimes an artist comes along who just seems to have that something that can’t be put into words. There’s something about the writing, the arranging, the sound of the voice, the energy that just gives you a feeling that you are in the presence of something unusual.
Laila Biali is just such a person.
Winning the 2019 Juno award for best jazz vocal album of the year didn’t come as any surprise for those following this burgeoning career, despite the fact that she was up against the likes of Dianna Krall.
Add to that the role of hosting CBC’s Saturday Night Jazz radio program, which puts her voice at the apex of one of the country’s hubs for jazz in this country and around the world, and you begin to get the picture.
Biali works tirelessly. She travels the globe constantly, and never steps on stage without bringing her full energy and vivacious personality to everyone present. She is just genuinely a nice person. The kind of person you will not forget once you have met her.
Biali has toured with Chris Botti, Paula Cole and Suzanne Vega. She has recorded and supported Sting. With several stints of living in New York, Laila has made the choice to make Canada her home again, despite compelling offers being sent her way to remain in the Big Apple.
With a classical music background, and some serious jazz study at Humber College, she is at the point in her career now where all of that back-ground is merging into a space where she can genuinely express and explore her own voice. And that voice dabbles in a lot of spaces that do not lend themselves to simple genre definition. With strong jazz sensibilities merged with pop and contemporary music influences, the result is emerging as truly Laila Biali.
The recent self-titled album explores a wide range of expressions, from funky to soaring vocals to heart-felt ballads.
This is a concert that will be enjoyed by a wide-range of musical tastes and ages. Biali Biali is one of those people you will tell your friends about, and remember hearing her for years to come.
Biali performs on June 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Esplanade Theatre. She is also presenting a concert for school age children on June 26. Seats are still available for the 11 a.m. set in the Esplanade Theatre. Seats can be reserved for this performance by emailing office@medicinehatjazzfest.com.
Tickets as well as full festival passes are available through all Esplanade ticket outlets. You can listen to all JazzFest artists on the Spotify Playlist called Medicine Hat JazzFest 2019. JazzFest can be followed on Twitter and Instagram @medhatjazz and Facebook and YouTube by searching for Medicine Hat JazzFest. Brochures can be found at the Esplanade, the tourist centre, the public library and coffee shops around the city.
Lyle Rebbeck is the executive producer of JazzFest.
