7 Maple Ave
Hastings-On-Hudson, New York 10706

Singer, songwriter, and bandleader Talia Billig blends lilting soul and itinerant folk with a steady inkling of jazz. Arriving on the scene at the very moment that the old genre labels are on their way out, she has deftly authored a clear sound that binds together her grace at the piano with the tight motion of her bandmates. Her music sings subtle hope against despair, a generous spirit reinvented in songs that change rhythms, chords, and verbal direction with sophisticated aplomb.

Talia’s musical career began at age three with the discovery of her grandmother’s cobwebbed piano in Washington Heights. A natural ear raised in an encouraging home, Talia learned to play by listening her way through her family’s record collection, a library of genres and textures ranging from late Stravinsky early Israeli pop.

Her formal training culminated at the New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music, where her keen intuition was nurtured by seminars in Middle Eastern Ensemble with Harel Shachal, and non-conventional arrangement under the mentorship of Brazilian Jazz and Renaissance Choral expert Richard Boukas. It was at the New School where Talia found the coterie of young musicians that would grow with her into The Talia Billig Band. Dr. Boukas encouraged the nascent ensemble to explore beyond the established models of the singer-driven combo, and they had soon forged eager partnerships with folk, rock and incandescent pop.

Though she leaves behind category, Talia retains a deep set affection for the holdable album. In February of 2012 the Talia Billig Band will release The Ripple Effect, financed by a successful Kickstarter campaign. The album’s release will be followed by a transcontinental tour, during which they’ve promised to visit the homes of their most generous backers to play live in their living rooms & prepare home-cooked Montréalais meals. The Ripple Effect includes eight tracks, among them the sweetly rambling “Travel On” along with title track and tour de force, The Ripple Effect.

Official Website: http://www.taliabillig.com/performances/

Added by EffectiveImmediately on August 24, 2012