Layla Angulo, born March 12, 1976, and known professionally by the mononym Layla, is an American saxophonist, composer, singer, band director, and recording artist specializing in Latin music. [1]
Layla was born to a Greek mother and an Irish-American father. [2] Her grandfather's upright bass playing inspired her to learn the saxophone at an early age. [3] [4]
Layla's first released album, Live at The Triple Door, was recorded at the noted Seattle theater and released in 2005. [5] The album's first single Que Te Vaya Bien was Top 10 for three months on OurStage [6] and reached semi-finalist position in the International Songwriting Competition (ISC). "La Rumbera"—also from Live at the Triple Door—received ISC Honorable Mention in 2006. [7] The album received warm reviews from Seattle Times [8] and Chip Boaz's Latin Jazz Corner. [9]
Mientras was Layla's second album, recorded in New York with Arturo O’Farrill, Oscar Estagnaro, Tony Escapa, and Dario Escanazi. Released in 2008, Mientras was Editors Pick at Descarga.com [10] and was lauded by critics such as Michael G. Nastos at AllMusic. [11]
Layla moved to New York City in 2009, subsequently spending a year on tour with reggaeton artist Don Omar. [12] Her third album TriAngulo yielded a single, "No Se Como Olvidarte" that rose to #16 on the Billboard Tropical Charts. [13] "Estrella," another song from the same album, reached semi-finalist position in the 2014 ISC. [14] A third song from TriAngulo ("La Pelicula") reached #1 in the National Latin Record Pool. [15]
On March 24, 2015, the International Songwriting Competition announced its 2014 Finalists, including Layla's song Dame Todo. [16]
References
- ^ "About Layla Angulo". MTV. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
- ^ "Layla Angulo: ¨Creo que ofrezco un sabor diferente, especialmente como mujer¨". Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ^ "Saxophonist Layla Angulo Opens Hartford Jazz Festival". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ^ "A new voice for the salsa with US Layla Angulo". Foxnews.com. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
- ^ "CD Review of Layla Angulo - Live at the Triple Door on Independent @". Jazzreview.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-06. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
- ^ "About Layla Angulo". Ourstage.com. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ^ ISC 2006 Winners
- ^ "A sampling of world beats". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ^ "Focusing The Spotlight: A Little More About Layla Angulo". Chip Boaz. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ^ "LAYLA ANGULO Mientras..." Descarga.com. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ^ "AllMusic Review by Michael G. Nastos". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ^ "LAYLA ANGULO EN EL #1 DEL NATIONAL LATIN RECORD POOL". Rumberos.net. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
- ^ Billboard Tropical Chart
- ^ ISC 2014 semi-finalists
- ^ "Alex Diaz & Layla Angulo at Salsa Groove Fridays at SOB's". LatinTRENDS. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
- ^ "LATIN". Songwritingcompetition.com. Retrieved 29 August 2015.