BLACK AND WHITE, VOL.2
Standing ovation at London Jazz Festival 2022
Julia Biel (c) Jenna Foxton
Opening for Bob Dylan
Live Session for ‘Live From The Church’
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”Julia Biel irradie d’une lumière discrète mais profondément naturelle, instinctive - celle des chanteuses-nées, des guérisseuses. TÉLÉRAMA [pandemic editorial] + [END OF YEAR BEST OF LIST]”
“‘solidifying Biel’s unending talents as a vocalist, songwriter, producer and musician, and her dynamic, all- encompassing approach... an inimitable and exquisite vocal coupled with intricate penmanship that can be as sharp and cutting as it can be warm and affectionate’ ***** ”
Following the critically acclaimed release of ‘Black and White, Vol.1’ (pre-pandemic, 2020), the solo piano and voice series from the awarding-winning artist Julia Biel is set to continue with Volume 2 to be released in 2023.
One woman and one instrument, ‘black’ and ‘white’ both, this is an artist meeting genre and racial expectations placed on both her and her instruments with a singular vision that rewrites the rule book of what it means to be a ‘jazz vocalist’ or a ‘singer-songwriter’ or a ‘soul-jazz act’ in the present day. This is an artist giving herself permission to be her whole nuanced self in the face of a societal and music landscape that seeks to constrain her, a force of nature fully liberated to resonate with her entire being, improvising on both piano and voice simultaneously for extended passages - whether that means issuing forth thunderous sonority with total abandon, grooving hard or soothing herself and the listener with passages of meditative calm or alighting on one of her original songs.
As well as being fully comfortable freely improvising with her own brand of spontaneous songwriting allied with free composition and spoken word, this is an artist whose original songwriting has been praised by some of the best in the business - her poetic lyricism and melodic flair has won her such fans as Bob Dylan who invited her to open for his gala concert in Stuttgart 2019 at his request, Jamie Cullum who regularly features her work on his BBC Radio 2 show and Ben Watt (of Everything But The Girl) with whom she has twice collaborated.
Nina Simone-meets Alice Coltrane-meets Joni Mitchell is the word from promoters, journalists and audience members alike - those who have experienced her unmistakable voice and earthy and organic artistic vision first-hand, speak of a spell-binding and engrossing experience that treats the audience and the room almost as band members, so responsive is she to the mood and the vibe. With each concert a seamless flow of free improvisation interwoven with in-the-moment renditions of her original songs - each performance is a journey to its own unique destination.
““Too often female jazz singers appear virtually indistinguishable from each other - impeccable technique, pretty voice, cutely packaged but without a single ounce of artistic flair to animate their own true and vital existence. Against this backdrop, Julia Biel is simply jaw-dropping. There is absolutely nothing conventional about her approach. In terms of jazz, the principle lesson she says she learned from Billie Holiday and Nina Simone is the simplest of all: to be herself.””
“‘Her impressive voice and melancholic sensuality captivated the audience from the first note and did not let go during an impressive and hypnotising performance lasting almost an hour and a half.’ ”
“Herausragendes Beispiel was Stimme, Ausdruckskraft, Phrasierung und Intonation betrifft ist Julia Biel. Die Sängerin vereint auf sehr individuelle Weise vieles von dem, was wir von Ella Fitzgerald bis Sarah Vaughan, von Nico bis Amy Winehouse, von Billie Holiday bis Feist kennen. Bitte nicht falsch verstehen: Julia Biel klingt nicht wie einer diese vokalen Diven. Ihr neues Album „Black And White“ ein absoluter Hochgenuss an verbindlicher Musikalität. Dabei handelt es sich nicht unbedingt um todtraurig machende Balladen. Julia stimmt hingegen nachdenklich, schafft Songs, die unter der Oberfläche intensiv brodeln, die von einem inneren Feuer gespeist werden und sich doch durch Zurückhaltung auszeichnen. Sollte man Vergleiche anstellen, was ja im Grunde immer nicht ganz fair ist, dann fällt im Moment nur Prince posthum erschienenes Album „Piano & A Microphone 1983“ ein. Es ist beseelt, intim und verletzlich, zugleich aber stolz und kämpferisch. Es ist Musik, wie für unsere Zeit gemacht. ”