Laila Biali, Zach Brock

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

Award-winning Canadian Jazz pianist, vocalist and songwriter Laila Biali has toured with Chris Botti, Paula Cole and Suzanne Vega, and recorded with and supported Sting. She takes the best of pop, rock, classical, world and soul, informs it with her expertise in Jazz, and weaves it into her musical arrangements. Laila has presented her music 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 LightI, received a JUNO nomination for "2011 Best Vocal Jazz Album of the Year" and her most recent release. Live in Concert, recorded live at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, Canada, captures the spirit of live performance so essential to Jazz. Live in Concert was in rotation at 73 radio stations in North America and received an enthusiastic four-star review from DownBeat Magazine. Laila is also a member of the all-female New York based neo-Classical crossover quartet, Rose & the Nightingale, whose members tour with Grammy award-winner Esperanza Spalding. Her accolades include "SOCAN Composer of the Year" and "Keyboardist of the Year" at Canada's National Jazz Awards. She currently divides her time between New York City and Toronto.


“I called the great French violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and I said ‘So, who’s the new cat? Who’s got the stuff? And he said Zach Brock.” – Stanley Clarke

Heralded as “the pre-eminent improvising violinist of his generation,” Zach Brock is an award-winning jazz violinist and composer whose music draws on the traditions of jazz, classical, world, and popular music. The Chicago Tribune recognized Zach’s latest recording ”Perpetuity” as one of it’s “top ten jazz recordings of 2014” and Downbeat Magazine’s 61st Annual Critics Poll named Zach it’s “Rising Star” Violinist of 2013. Zach’s acclaim as a bandleader has grown through appearances at venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York City and festivals like “Tudo é Jazz” in Ouro Preto, Brazil, while his reputation as a sideman has spread through collaborations with legendary bassist Stanley Clarke, Grammy-award-winning super-group Snarky Puppy, and contemporary jazz masters Phil Markowitz and Dave Liebman. In 2012 Zach became the first violinist ever to record for Criss Cross Records in it’s 32-year history and 2015 will see his third release for the acclaimed Dutch label. In addition to touring and recording, Zach has represented the U.S. Department of State as a Musical Ambassador in the Solomon Islands, has been a featured soloist for two Sundance Festival feature film scores, and is currently “Artist In Residence” at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance in Philadelphia, PA.