LAILA BIALI ON TOUR IN NORTH AMERICA THIS SUMMER
CANADIAN SHOWS IN BC, ALBERTA,
HALIFAX AND ONTARIO
CELEBRATES CANADIAN SONGWRITING COMPETITION WIN
NEW SELF-TITLED ALBUM OUT NOW
Toronto, ON – June 7, 2018 – Summer is just around the corner, and after extensive international touring through the first half of 2018, Laila Biali is ready to hit the road again, sharing the new songs from her beautifully-crafted self-titled album with audiences across North America. Kicking off on June 15th, she will visit BC, Alberta, Halifax, Ontario and more (full details below). Biali is also thrilled to celebrate her win at the Canadian Songwriting Competition in the Jazz category for her track, Satellite.
"It's been nearly 5 months since the new album first released, and a whirlwind of tour dates including 51 shows across 5 countries (Canada, US, Germany, France & the UK) and 41 cities,” reflects Biali. “I'm happy that the summer is a bit more open, though we'll be heading out to a few key cities across North America and working on two new official music videos, including one for Satellite, which I was so excited to see honoured in this year’s Canadian Songwriter Competition!"
Biali released her brand new, self-titled album in January via Chronograph Records in Canada. The record is the culmination of everything the acclaimed songstress has achieved so far. This record is an eclectic-but-focused collection of songs that Biali describes as her most “fully representative” piece of work to date. Catchy, sophisticated, and unlike anything currently on the radio, the album is pop music, but not the kind that can be neatly tagged by an algorithm. Melodies take thrilling left turns and pre-choruses give way to instrumental interludes. It’s pop music, but the experimental, distinctly human variety popularized by Regina Spektor, Rachael Yamagata, and Sara Bareilles.
Biali has toured with Chris Botti, Paula Cole and Suzanne Vega, and recorded with and supported Sting. Her accolades include SOCAN Composer of the Year and Keyboardist of the Year at Canada’s National Jazz Awards. She takes the best of pop, rock, classical, world and soul, informs it with her expertise in jazz, and weaves it into her musical arrangements and original songs. Biali has presented her music at prestigious venues spanning five continents including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Tokyo’s Cotton Club, Peru’s El Festival International de Lima, and Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Her studio recording, Tracing Light, received a JUNO nomination in 2011 for Best Vocal Jazz Album of the Year, and her follow-up album, Live in Concert, was given an enthusiastic four-star review and named one of the Best Albums of 2013 by DownBeat Magazine. In 2015, Biali released her first album of entirely original music, House of Many Rooms – an indie-pop project featuring Lisa Fischer (Rolling Stones, 20 Feet From Stardom), Jo Lawry (Sting, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel), Alan Hampton (Robert Glasper, Andrew Bird), and the Toronto Mass Choir. Her latest recording project debuted at #1 on iTunes Canada and #7 on iTunes Jazz US. It features original songs alongside fan-requested covers of David Bowie, Coldplay and Randy Newman, and “masterfully mixes jazz and pop, bringing virtuosity and unpredictability to songs that are concise and catchy” (Washington Post).
In September 2017, Biali was brought on as the host for CBC Music’s national radio show, Saturday Night Jazz. The associated CBC stream, Jazz With Laila, receives over 100,000 visits weekly.
UPCOMING SUMMER TOUR DATES:
June 15 – Langley, BC – Bez Arts Hub
June 16 – Sunshine Coast, BC – Gibsons Landing Jazz Festival
June 20 – Wilmington, DE – Clifford Brown Jazz Fest
June 23 – Edmonton, AB – Edmonton International Jazz Festival
June 28/29 – Aspen, CO – JAS Café
July 8 – London, ON – Sunfest
July 11 – Halifax, NS – Halifax Jazz Festival
July 20 – Toronto, ON – Roy Thompson Hall “Live on the Patio”
July 22 – Toronto, ON – Beaches Jazz Festival
August 3 – Newport, RI – Newport Jazz Festival
August 15 – Markham, ON – Markham Jazz Festival
August 18 – Sylvan Lake, AB – Jazz at the Lake
DOWNLOAD – hi-res photo | DOWNLOAD – album cover artwork
About Chronograph Records:
Chronograph Records is a boutique record label that works closely with artists who are looking for an insightful and collaborative partnership. Representing some of the best jazz, urban acoustic, and blues artists in Western Canada, Chronograph Records strategically helps develop their roster, allowing the artists to evolve into exactly who they're supposed to be. Since the label's 2004 inception, Chronograph artists have garnered numerous award nominations, most recently culminating in a JUNO Award nomination, multiple Canadian Country Music Awards, a TD Grand Jazz Award, Global Music Awards, a CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award, and Canadian National Smooth Jazz Award winners.