Laila Biali: Wintersongs
Laila Biali

Don't confuse Laila Biali's Wintersongs with Franz Schubert's Winterreise. The titles might be similar but his sombre, even gloomy song-cycle is worlds removed from the Canadian singer-songwriter's embrace of the season's splendour. Her so-called “musical love letter to winter” originated out of a two-week residency at Alberta's Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, an inspiring locale she's visited for more than ten years. During a late 2021 writing retreat, she wrote the music for the album at a cabin surrounded by snow-capped mountains and the wind blowing through the trees. As she admired the sunrises and sunsets and breathed in the natural beauty of the setting, the album gradually took shape. A year and a half after the release of her Juno-nominated jazz standards album, Your Requests, Biali's tenth recording as a bandleader is a stellar addition to her discography (listeners might also know her as the host of the CBC Music's weekly radio show, “Saturday Night Jazz”).

There are jazz elements in play, but Wintersongs might best be described as a suite of chamber “art songs.” The album impresses on multiple counts. First, the songs are a splendidly contrasting mix of intimate ballads and dynamic numbers. Second, brilliant arrangements enhance the impact of the songs, with some ensemble-oriented and others elaborately ornamented with either the Venuti String Quartet or a nineteen-member Chamber Orchestra. Third, the performances are inspired, with Biali's material elevated by the contributions of upper-tier musicians such as woodwinds player Jane Bunnett, trumpeter Kevin Turcotte, and violinist Drew Jurecka.

But the number one reason why Wintersongs registers so strongly is because of Biali's singing. She possesses one of those remarkable instruments that swoops between registers with uncanny ease, and the warmth and purity of her voice consistently enraptures. Every expression is thoughtfully considered and every line delivery arresting, be it a gentle hush or high-volume declamation. It's hard to resist gushing when presented with vocal artistry of such a high order. Complementing that distinguishing talent are her gifts as a songwriter and pianist (interestingly, as a young girl she dreamt of becoming a classical concert pianist, but a car accident when she was fifteen forced her to amend her goal and shift her focus to jazz and singing).

Augmenting the core trio of Biali, bassist George Koller, and drummer Ben Wittman and the aforementioned Bunnett and Turcotte are harpist Lori Gemmell, Hammond B3 organist Sam Yahel, and vocalist Wade O. Brown. Rob Mathes contributed string arrangements to four songs and also conducted the Chamber Orchestra. Wintersongs casts its spell quickly when “Drifting Down Ice” opens with sparkling piano arpeggios and vocalise by Biali that's lustrous and soulful. After cymbal washes and shimmering strings evoke the majestic beauty of the winter outdoors, “Rocky Mountain Lullaby” brings magic of its own when her transfixing vocal is joined by Bunnett's trilling flute, the enveloping textures of the string orchestra, and the relaxed lilt of the ensemble. After the caress of a strings-only prelude, “Outside” brings epic dynamism to the album when Biali pairs with the Detroit-born singer Brown and trumpeter Turcotte for one of the set's most glorious tracks, an ecstatic celebration of outdoor pleasures.

While the string orchestra wraps itself around Biali's voice for the lyrical ode “Snow,” the muscular “Keep on Moving” exudes the kind of oomph Biali's fellow Canadian singer-songwriter Serena Lauren Ryder delivered in her own hit “Stompa.” Bunnett shines a second time, now on soprano sax, in the wailing dynamo “Dance of the Pines.” Two instrumentals cap the release, the first, “Winter Waltz,” a new treatment of a French chanson Biali co-wrote with Sonia Johnson and issued last year as “Belle nuit de Noël.” Described as a nod to Vince Guaraldi and his beloved A Charlie Brown Christmas, the lilting waltz is highlighted by bandoneon playing by Jurecka and beguiling melodies. Wintersongs ends on a rousing note with a cover of the seventeenth-century carol “Jesus, He Is Born” that serves as a splendid vehicle for Turcotte's soloing prowess and Biali's wordless accompaniment.

November 2024