Award-Winning Jazz Artist Laila Biali’s
Los Angeles Debut
At Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz
On Friday, September 27, 2013

Opening the 2013/2014 Season at the
Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles Performance Space

LOS ANGELES, CA – September 6, 2013 – The performance space at Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles, Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, is pleased to open the 13th season of its public performing arts series on Friday, September 27, 2013 with Laila Biali, the award-winning Canadian jazz pianist, vocalist and songwriter.  Biali is known for taking the best of pop, rock, classical and soul, and informing it with her knowledge of jazz as she weaves together her exquisite musical arrangements.  The event is the Los Angeles stop of Biali’s North American Tour.  This will also be Biali’s Los Angeles debut as a solo performer.  Joining Biali on stage will be Hamilton Price (bass) and Aaron McLendon (drums).  The show will start at 7:45pm and will take place at Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, 10361 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90064 (310.286.0553).  Tickets are $40 for adults and $30 for students and include an opening reception that starts at 7:00pm.  The Consulate General of Canada in Los Angeles and Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles are hosting the pre show reception.  Tickets are available at: https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?m=241d6077b39728479d58e072170e1c6f&t=tix.  For more information on this event please visit TRK’s event page here and the Facebook Event Page here.  To learn more about Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, please visit http://www.theatreraymondkabbaz.com.

Award-winning Canadian jazz pianist, vocalist and songwriter Laila Biali has toured with Suzanne Vega, Chris Botti and Paula Cole, as well as recorded with and supported Sting.  Biali’s music has been presented at prestigious venues spanning five continents including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Tokyo’s Cotton Club, Peru’s El Festival Internacional de Lima, and Carnegie Hall in New York City.  Her latest studio recording, Tracing Light, received a JUNO nomination for “2011 Best Vocal Jazz Album of the Year” and her most recent release, Live in Concert, recorded live in February 2012 in front of a gracious audience at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, captures the spirit of live performance so essential to jazz.  Live in Concert was in rotation at 73 radio stations in North America.

“**** Her best assets are an ability to sing flexible time, phrase cannily and to stretch her somewhat breathless alto voice across bar lines.” – Downbeat Magazine  (Sep. 2013 Live in Concert Review)

Biali is also a member of the all female New York-based neo-classical crossover quartet Rose & the Nightingale, whose members tour with Grammy award-winning jazz bassist, cellist and singer Esperanza Spalding.  Biali’s accolades include “SOCAN Composer of the Year” and “Keyboardist of the Year” at Canada’s National Jazz Awards.  She currently splits her time between New York City and Toronto.

Upcoming Biali projects include two new albums slated for release in 2014: a pop-oriented co-production with her husband, Ben Wittman, featuring original songs fitted for a vast range of instruments from gospel choir to brass quartet, theremin and circus calliope; and a new jazz project debuting original material co-written with Ron Sexsmith, Paula Cole, Marc Jordan, and other award-winning songwriters.

Laila Biali (Photo credit: Edith Maybin / www.edithmaybin.com)

“It is the ultimate task given to the musician, whether as a singer or instrumentalist, to create a unique signature or fingerprint that is instantly recognizable as their own.  What is surprising and delightful in Laila Biali is that both as a vocalist and pianist she accomplishes this with equal aplomb.  She is an exciting and unique talent, and I admire her greatly.” – Sting

Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz –
Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz (TRK) is a non-profit institution dedicated to the promotion of art and culture in the West Los Angeles area.  This 220-seat theater welcomes multidisciplinary and multicultural shows.  TRK’s mission is to be an open window on French and international cultures and to inspire and sustain a lifelong appreciation for the arts.

Links –
Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz – http://www.theatreraymondkabbaz.com
Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Theatre-Raymond- Kabbaz/43864706321?fref=ts
Laila Biali Official Site – http://www.lailabiali.com
Laila Biali on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/LAILABIALIMUSIC

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For more information, photos or to schedule an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.