Laila Biali - From Sea To Sky (2007)

Personnel
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Guido Basso - trumpet, flugelhorn
Don Thompson - piano, vibraphone
Rob Piltch - bass guitar
Phil Dwyer - soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
Laila Biali - vocals, piano

Release Notes:
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Laila Biali's first album, Introducing the Laila Biali Trio, took the Canadian jazz world by storm. That album included vocals and piano but the emphasis seemed to be on her piano playing. She won two National Jazz Awards and proceeded to play at many of the big jazz festivals across Canada, including opening for Diana Krall at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver. She added saxophone player Phil Dwyer to the trio for a live recording at the CBC on Laila Live. With this project her vocals moved to centre stage, but there is no denying that she is still a wonderful piano player. Many wondered if she would be going the route that Ms. Krall has travelled. Recently, I reached her in Vancouver where she was recovering from a brief illness. Laila is wonderful to speak with and I enjoy conversing with her, but for a while I think she had a hard time getting a word in. A colleague accused me of gushing during this interview rightfully so. What can I say? I'm a fan. Our main point of focus was her latest release Sea to Sky. For this project she has enlisted some of Canada's best jazz musicians to help her cover some of the best Canadian composers, mostly from the world ofdare we say pop! Given a chance to let loose from the constraints of mainstream vocal jazz, she has flowered. Her interpretations of songs by the likes of Feist, Leonard Cohen, and Bruce Cockburn rock! Laila recently completed a tour playing keyboards for Paula Cole and then, with hardly a break was back on the road playing for Suzanne Vega. Is the jazz world's loss going to be the pop world's gain or can she straddle both worlds …?

TRACKLIST
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01. Ice Cream 05:47
02. Secret Heart 04:50
03. Tears Of Hercules 06:46
04. Radiance 05:48
05. Calling All Angels 05:55
06. Woodstock 05:24
07. I'll Never Smile Again 05:49
08. Stolen Land 05:11
09. Mushaboom 04:57
10. Autumn Leaves 06:02
11. Anthem 06:56