Singer-songwriter, pianist and CBC Music national radio host Laila Biali has headlined festivals and venues spanning five continents, from New York City’s Carnegie Hall to Beijing’s National Center for the Performing Arts. She earned a 2019 JUNO (Canada’s Grammy award) for vocal jazz album of the year, and was also awarded top prize in 2018 at the Canadian Songwriting Competition in the jazz category.
Laila Biali, who released her eighth album Out of Dust earlier this year, joined us to discuss the albums that shaped her career:
NORMA WINSTONE – SOMEWHERE CALLED HOME (1987): For an album that could both soothe and stimulate, this was the one. The harmonic liberties taken by John Taylor at the piano and Tony Coe on clarinet were thrilling to me as a classically trained pianist newly converted to jazz. They swirl around Norma Winstone’s pure and unpretentious voice, which itself feels like a warm welcome – like home.
BJORK – DEBUT (1993): The video for “Human Behavior,” lead single off of Björk’s Debut album, won me over to the quirky Icelandic wonder. She was child and woman at the same time, in her persona and in her music – with such boundless freedom and play. I felt like she was pulling me into a world where anything was possible, where the fantastical was normal and dreams the stuff of everyday life. For an indie-pop artist, Björk’s appetite for dissonance set her apart from the rest. The production was next level, and her dreamy, driving beats drew me in and kept me inside the music. There was no other place I’d rather be.
JONI MITCHELL – BLUE (1971): My college boyfriend introduced me to Joni Mitchell’s music. One of my older sisters listened faithfully as we were growing up, but I didn’t “get it” until I’d spent several evenings with the ex, pouring over her songs. Initially, jazz players on albums like Mingus and Hejira excited me most. But it didn’t take long for me to recognize the sheer genius of Joni’s unparalleled gift for lyrics and narrative. The obsession was sparked and solidified by my forever-favorite of hers, Blue.
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO NOW: These days, I listen to more podcasts than I do music, but it’s been super fun diving deeper into some of the artists I discover as a national Jazz radio host for CBC Music, like the young saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins. I also love to check out some of my labelmates – other artists with Chronograph Records in Canada or ACT Music in Europe. Nesrine, a French Algerian vocalist, cellist and songwriter who is on the ACT label sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard before.
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