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The Laila Biali Interview

By Jim Dupuis

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JD: --and speaking of jazz trios. They never seem to go out of vogue. Could you tell us why you decided on this format, which is piano, drums and bass and tell us about your band mates.

LB: Wow. I grew up with Brandi. I actually met Brandi Disterheft the bassist at Handsworth, the high school I mentioned where I met Bob Rebligati. We both started to get our feet wet in jazz at the same time and we had an incredible friendship just because we connect a lot of people and that was based partly on our musical connection as well as when in were in our teenage years. What's wonderful is when I got the scholarship from Music Fest, out in Vancouver, and when it was time to go to Humber College to study, she was awarded the scholarship, too. So, we both went out to Toronto and lived together with another girl, Charlotte. Brandi and I were playing together still, but the group was not formally put together until my 3rd year at Humber. I moved back to Vancouver and then moved back to Toronto in August, 2002 and that's when the group started to take flight-not even take flight. That's when we started to get together and rehearse and play the music I created. There were former relationships between all of us; myself, Sly Juhas the drummer and Brandi based on our relationships at Humber. Sly went to Humber and that's where Brandi and I met him. We were playing together in various contexts through school, but only in 2002 did we say, 'Hey, let's play in a band together." We actually played with Tara Davidson in a group called Crossings, which was a collaborative effort. It sort of devolved over a couple of years as I started to write my own music and perform with the trio, which happens to be Sly and Brandi and that started to take over that project. Tara actually joined us as a special guest on the CD and she still performs with us every now and then.

JD: A lovely cut, she's on. The soprano sax is beautiful on "The Good Earth".

LB: Isn't she amazing. That's one of two of my favourite songs I've ever written.

JD: It's hard to pick favourites, isn't it?

LB: It seems odd when you are talking about your own compositions, but that tune is special to me, partly because Tara is very special to me. She's one of my closest friends. She has had a huge influence on me musically and you know it's funny-you talk about the teachers that had a profound influence on your musical personality, you know-but one can't forget-and I often forget to mention-that my band mates are probably the ones that have had the most profound impact on me. So, Brandi, Sly and Tara and other people I played with in so many circumstances, whom I have got to know on a really intimate level musically and otherwise-like personally as well as friends and that's had a huge impact on me for sure.

JD: It's good to have friends and it's nice if you can work with them. That's got to be a plus.

LB: It really is.

JD: What was it like coming back home to Vancouver for the Vancouver International Jazz Festival and opening for Diana Krall in the wonderful Orpheum Theatre?

Laila BialiLB: It was extraordinary. She was amazing. We played a great set. I thought-considering the circumstances. We were quite nervous, of course and it was a huge opportunity. I was overwhelmed with the idea of opening for Diana Krall and potentially meeting her. I didn't think I'd actually get to meet her. She was amazing! She came up on the set break before she started her set. She came up to our "green room", which was separate from hers. She brought along her Dad and introduced us to him. She congratulated me. She was kind and generous. Then when she played her set, she acknowledged us twice while on stage, to the audience. She was incredible! She put on the show of her lifetime. I've seen her live, one other time in Toronto and she was fantastic; but this particular show in Vancouver was one of the best I've ever seen. It was so amazing and the crowd was right there with her! She got a standing ovation. We just felt honoured to be a part of that. She really was so generous with us. There was no attitude... nothing Diva-like about her.

JD: No not at all. I'm saying that, because I saw her the previous evening. I got my tickets back in December before your show was announced, so unfortunately I missed you, but it was the same. She was very complimentary to her opening act, the Brad Turner Trio and was very generous to the other performers in her band. They had plenty of solos and it was a wonderful night.

LB: Yes.

JD: Well Laila, what would we find in your CD player these days other than "Introducing the Laila Biali Trio."

LB: (laughs) Oh gosh-you wouldn't find that in my CD player. I hate to say it, but most musicians don't listen to their own records, a lot. They hear it so much in post production (laughs) so that's not one I listen to these days. I find that I'm so busy these days that I often listen-because I have these projects-I'm doing a gig tomorrow with different Divas from Toronto, so at this very moment I've got Eliana Cuevas, an amazing local singer on.

JD: She was here, last year.

LB: Was she?

JD: Ya, she was great!

LB: ...and Emilie-Claire Barlow, she's also on the gig. In terms of what I bought recently and listened to-ok I'm such a Joni Mitchell fan, so I bought the record "Travelogue". It's a double CD. The arrangements were done by Vincent Mendoza, who is an incredible jazz arranger. I was just eating it up while I was playing at the festival in Kaslo, BC (Jazz, Etc. Festival). It's a ten hour drive and I listened to it on repeat for all ten hours. I just couldn't get enough of that CD. Otherwise, my boyfriend actually is a musician and he's into certain mainstream groups like U2 and Coldplay, so I've been getting into that kind of stuff as well. In terms of jazz, it's always changing. I always seem to gravitate towards the same albums time and time again. I love Kenny Garrett's record Songbook and I love Kenny Kirkland's playing. I'm a huge Sting fan because of Kenny Kirkland's playing on Sting's records, plus the music is just great. Oh, I could go on and on (laughs). I'm now starting to get into some of the stuff that most people get into during the outset of their exposure to jazz like Miles Davis, Coltrane. I feel like I'm a later bloomer in that regards. I'm starting to check out that stuff and Wayne Shorter, but otherwise I listen to contemporary players like Brad Mehldau and Terence Blanchard, Branford Marsalis and Joey Colderazzo. I love the music of local players like Mike Murley, Kelly Jefferson. I think they are great.

JD: That's great. You are really immersed in the music and it shows in your playing and your selections.

LB: Thank you.

JD: I was just wondering. You chose 2 standards for your CD. You chose "Softly as the Morning Sunrise" and "Body and Soul." They are just darn good songs, but what was your criteria for choosing them?

LB: Well actually there is also "Samba de Uma Nota So" ( One Note Samba) which could be seen as a Brazilian jazz standard, so there's three that are not originals. It's kind of funny, because I'm somebody who still has a regular gig at the Pilot, which is a little club in Yorkville.

JD: I remember it well from many years ago.

LB: You do! I love The Pilot. We're so lucky to be able to play there every couple of weeks on Sunday afternoon, as the house band, which is a new thing and basically in order to keep the band fresh I was wanting to pick songs that people recognize and arrange them-almost like my own compositions, but using the melody that would be familiar to the listener and the lyrics. I have a lot of fun doing it because I feel like it showcases who I am as a composer, but also preserves the history of the music as far as jazz standards are concerned and gives people something they can relate to. Even though they might think that an original composition is very beautiful and they might prefer that to a standard there are people that just really want to hear something familiar so you can go "Hey, here's something you're going to recognize and you're going to enjoy tapping your toes to because you recognize it." Any of us knows that's true. Most of us can identify with the desire to awaken something and when you've been offered to show that using raw skill it shows in your composing and arranging skills. That's why I chose to include standards.

JD: That's good. I just love "Body and Soul." I could just keep listening to it. I don't want it end. It's "the song" to me.

LB: It's such a good song, isn't it? Ya, ya, ya!

JD: Laila, I know you are so busy and I'd like to thank you for taking the time to speak with us. The CD is available at lailabiali.com and I hope everybody orders one.

LB: My pleasure. Thank you so much Jim. Goodbye.

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