WITHOUT WORDS

"Without Words" is an all Canadian, all female, bicultural jazz group with a distinct and developed sound. Its members originally come from three different Canadian provinces, speak different languages, and have different musical influences, but when they are assembled as a band, the common language and love of jazz creates a beautiful unity. "Without Words" members (Laila Biali, Karine Chapdelaine, and Tara Davidson) all contribute their own original 

compositions to the band. Biali's compositional influences range from Canadian icon Joni Mitchell, to world-class jazz instrumentalists Don Thompson and Kenny Wheeler, Chapdelaine's from bassist "Slam" Stewart, to Canadian pianist Renee Rosnes, Davidson's from Juno Award winning jazz saxophonist Mike Murley, to Stefano di Battista, and as a result, the group has developed a very layered and unique sound.

When the three founding members of "Without Words" first met in 2001, they represented the Canadian contingent of an international collage that was formed as the International Association of Jazz Educator's 2001 Sisters in Jazz Collegiate All Star Sextet. This particular sextet included three Canadians -Chapdelaine, Davidson, and Biali - one American, one German, and one Parisian. The ensemble's debut performance was before a crowd (at IAJE's 2001 conference in New York City) that included the world's most accomplished performers, educators, and promoters in the jazz music industry. From this performance, such excited interest was generated that they were invited to embark on an international tour that summer, a tour that took them to Washington, D.C. (The Mary-Lou Williams Jazz Festival); Vienna, Austria (Jazzfest Vien); Vienne, France (Jazz a Vienne); Istanbul, Turkey (International Jazz Festival in Istanbul); the Hague, Holland (North Sea Jazz Festival); Vitoria, Spain (International Jazzfest in Vitoria); and Pori, Finland (Pori International Jazzfest). At these seven major jazz festivals, the sextet performed alongside jazz's finest artists and received coverage in each locale's most prestigious journals and newspapers.

Shortly after the sextet returned from their successful European tour, they were approached with several other offers from festival organizers to perform in their international festivals. In April of 2002, the Canadian members of the Sisters In Jazz were afforded the opportunity to travel to Peru to perform in Lima's first international jazz festival. Upon returning from the successful experience there, the Canadians decided to found the "Without Words" jazz ensemble.

"Without Words" has been generating much attention within and beyond the Canadian music scene, particularly following their debut national broadcast over CBC JazzBeat's radio show on June 15, 2003. In the summer of 2003, the group performed at festivals in Brandon, Manitoba; Rimouski, Quebec; and Kingston and Port Hope in Ontario. "Without Words" was also awarded first prize for Karine Chapdelaine's original composition in the Galaxie Rising Stars Competition and second prize in the 2003 Montreal International Jazz Festival's General Motors Competition. In October 2003, "Without Words" headlined a concert that 

is part of the CBC Radio-Canada's nationally broadcast live jazz series held at the Maison de la Culture in Montreal, Quebec. At that time, they also recorded their debut CD, releasing it in December 2003. The CD includes exclusively original material by Biali, Chapdelaine, and Davidson. In February 2004, “Without Words” went on a two-week jazz festival tour in Brazil. The group performed in six different Brazilian cities across the country. They plan to return for a second tour in September 2004.

In March 2004, the jazz ensemble headlined at the prestigious Top O' The Senator jazz club in Toronto, Ontario.