Photo: Rockie Nolan
Kati Kiilaspea
Latitude 44 and Estonian Music Week are quickly approaching and will be taking place from November 14 to the 17th along with two concerts at the end of the month! Estonian Music Week Culture Club is presenting two shows on November 29th and November 30th where Laila Biali, a fantastic homegrown jazz vocalist, will be performing along with Kadri Voorand, famed Estonian jazz vocalist for nights filled with top tier musicianship and talent. These concerts will be taking place at the Westdale Theatre in Hamilton and at the Royal Cinema in Toronto respectively. Laila was very kind to sit down with me for a short interview to introduce herself to the reader.
Did you grow up with music around your home? When did you first know that you wanted to be a musician?
I grew up in North Vancouver, British Columbia. We had a piano in our home which my mom would play casually – church hymns, Christmas carols, and that sort of thing. She was a busy housewife with four daughters to manage, and I remember well the feeling I would get when she would occasionally go to the piano to play. It filled our home with peace, and I was drawn to the warmth of it. As the age of three and a half, my mom tells me I went up to the piano myself, crawled up onto the bench and started to figure out the theme from Sesame Street, the popular children’s TV show. She knew then that I had an ear for music, and shortly thereafter they enrolled me in piano lessons.
What do you listen to yourself? Who are some of your favourite artists/bands?
I have broad and eclectic taste when it comes to music – everything from Anton Rubenstein’s interpretations of Chopin to Radiohead, Joni Mitchell and Björk.
Who would you say are your inspirations, both musically and just in general?
I love the contemporary singer, bassist and composer Esperanza Spalding. She is creatively fearless. She goes in many different directions, but there is always a cohesion and concept to her music. She’s sophisticated, playful and exciting to listen to. For lyrics, Joni Mitchell is the best. She spins the most incredible stories and narratives, and she has a marvelous turn of phrase – so many rich images and detailed descriptions of life.
Have you ever had the chance to work with Estonians, in any sort of context, before Estonian Music Week? Have you ever been to Estonia?
This will be my first experience working alongside an Estonian musician, and I am very excited it will be Kadri Voorand! (Pikemalt EE # 45 Nov 8, 2019 paber/PDFdigilehes)
