Born in Louisiana, raised between Boston, Los Angeles, Hawaii and Seattle, Layla Angulo began playing the piano at age five, the sax at ten, and was performing in jazz clubs in Boston at fourteen. Layla continued her studies at Cornish College of the Arts learning from and performing with Hadley Caliman (Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard, Mongo Santamaria) and with Julian Priester (Herbie Hancock, Duke Ellington, Max Roach). Since she began on the sax, Layla's biggest influences have been Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, Stan Getz and later on, Paquito D'Rivera. After college she moved to Spain, playing and performing with Spanish and European musicians, appreciating the many eclectic musical styles and influences there, and coming away with an unquenchable desire to make her own music. Layla became more influenced by musical arrangers and composers such as Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, "Machito," to name a few. Returning from Europe, Layla became interested in Afro-Peruvian rhythms. Her study of composers such as Chabuca Granda, Felipe Pinglo, and Susana Baca led to her to writing music that mixes jazz with Afro-Peruvian rhythms. Layla has performed on stage with George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars, George Clinton Jr., James Brown's band, Hadley Caliman, Julian Priester, Paoli Mejias, and the Joe Santiago's Salsa All Stars including Giovanni Hidalgo and others. Most recently, Layla has released two Latin Jazz CDs. With an intensely loyal and growing fan base, Layla and her band create a thrilling musical experience wherever they perform. The fierce enthusiasm and encouragement of her fans keep pushing Layla to reach for even higher musical planes. She is back in the studio recording her next CD with some of the most respected musicians in the business. As one of a handful of women instrumentalists performing in the genre, Layla may very well be the only female saxophonist/composer of authentic Latin and Afro/Peruvian Jazz in the world today.