Marc Johnson – Shades of Jade
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Eliane Elias collaborates with Marc Johnson on the ECM recording “Shades of Jade” released September 13, 2005. Eliane ‘s compositions and piano are featured in this critically acclaimed recording produced by Eliane Elias and Manfred Eicher. “Shades of Jade” was featured in TIME MAGAZINE , October 17 issue “5 CDS THAT REALLY SWING”, as one of the five top jazz releases of the year. It was selected by the Chicago Tribune as one of the 10 best Jazz recordings of 2005 and also received the “Danish Music Award” for Best Foreign Release in 2005.

“Shades of Jade”, a mature jazz album, with a classic, timeless feel, makes sense of the range of Johnson’s experience, and stresses his compositional skills. It also features one of the most melodically-inventive pianists in modern jazz in Eliane Elias, the CD’s other primary composer. Restlessly-inventive drummer Joey Baron rounds out the core trio; tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano adds his own inimitable shading and solos of profundity, and guitarist John Scofield, always an exciting player, renews acquaintances 20 years after recording on Johnson’s “Bass Desires.”

… Elias contributes four introspective compositions that showcase her idiosyncratic jazz vocabulary, which draws on both North American and Brazilian music. (Elias has also recorded ‘classical’ repertoire from Bach to Chopin and Ravel for EMI Classics). The Elias compositions “Snow” and “All Yours” – which features a stately solo by Johnson – are piano trio settings for her haunting melodies, harmonic sense, and exquisite touch. The pianist sounds more self-assured than ever before. “She’s so versatile, and so deep a talent,” Johnson says. “She can do just about anything, and do it really well. We’ve been playing together for so long that there are little subtle things between us that you can’t even measure; a chemistry from playing for so many years. And writing together means the record really has Eliane’s stamp on it.”

“Shades of Jade” gives an index of Johnson’s versatility, from ballads and blues to piano trio jazz and chamber music. His chemistry with Elias and Baron is undeniable…

Personnel: Joe Lovano: tenor saxophone, John Scofield: guitar, Eliane Elias: piano, Marc Johnson: double-bass, Joey Baron: drums, Alain Mallet: organ

Amanda Brecker – Here I Am
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Singer /Songwriter Amanda Brecker is Eliane’s daughter whose debut cd for Birds Records was released on July 23, 2008 in Japan. Amanda sings several of her original compositions as well as covers. Eliane is featured on Amanda’s song “Novo Lugar” along with Amanda’s father, Randy Brecker on trumpet . “Novo Lugar” is sung in Portuguese and English and was chosen as the theme for the Japanese TV series “Giants of Beauty.” Amanda was featured on the Japanese Fashion Magazine “Miss” talking about her music and showing some of her favorite places in New York City, her birth city and where she resides. “Here I Am” has received the “Gold Disc Award” by Swing Journal, Japan in July 2008 and was the #1 Best selling Jazz Vocal Cd in Japan in July-August 2008. Amanda performed at the Ginza International Jazz Festval in Tokyo and at the Billboard Club in Osaka in November 2008. She received the “Best New Talent Award 2008″ by Swing Journal, Japan. Amanda also won the following awards in Japan: “Best New Talent Award 2008″ by Swing Journal, “New Star International Prize” by ADLIB Awards 2008, and “2008 New Star Award” by Swing Journal. Eliane is a very proud parent! Congratulations, Amanda!!!

Link: myspace.com/amandabrecker

Various – Portrait of Bill Evans
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Eliane joins fellow pianists Dave Grusin, Herbie Hancock, Bob James and Brad Mehldau in a tribute to the late Bill Evans released by JVC Music. Eliane’s tracks feature Marc Johnson, Bill Evans’ bassist in the last years of his life and Jack DeJohnette on drums, another Bill Evans alum, on two wonderful and respectful arrangements of “Come Rain or Come Shine” and “If You could See me Now.” This album is available through amazon.com as an import.

Denyce Graves – The Lost Days
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While it’s tempting to call acclaimed diva Denyce Graves’s exploration of Latin classical influences a crossover project, that label’s pop lightweight connotations don’t do justice to the powerful, often uncompromising performances contained herein. Indeed, Graves leans heavily on her collaborators (who include contemporary composers-arrangers-pianists Eliane Elias, Chucho Valdes and Jose Maria Vitier, as well as arranger-pianist Pablo Ziegler) for both material and stylistic inspiration, creating a collection that’s more concerned with true musical synthesis than it is with commercial exploitation. Eliane Elias composed “Haabia Tupi” specifically for Ms. Graves and made a special arrangement of the folk song “Estrela e lua nova” as well as “Can ao do poeto do seculo XVIII” for the project. These tracks feature Marc Johnson on bass, Satoshi Takeishi on drums and the cello virtuoso Borislav Strulev. Even the works of Latin classical standard-bearers like Argentina’s Carlos Guastavino, Brazil’s Villa-Lobos, and Tango master Astor Piazzolla are cast in stark, contemporary arrangements that underscore both Graves’s dramatic mezzo voice and the dusky, rhythmically charged dynamics of her quartet of confederates. If the listener is only familiar with the better-known Latin classical repertoire, this collection may open up some inviting new horizons.

Steps Ahead – Holding Together
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Eliane’s first joined the group Steps Ahead when she came to the US in the early ’80′s. She recorded one album with the group and then began her solo recording career. In 1999 she joined the group for a reunion tour with some of the original members. Holding Together, a new 2 CD set of live performances from the 1999 European summer tour was just released and has received great reviews. The line up is terrific! Eliane joins Bob Berg, Saxophone; Marc Johnson, Bass; Peter Erskine, Drums and the bandleader Mike Mainieri, Vibes. Needless to say, the music is great. The CD features two of Eliane’s original compositions, “The Time Is Now’ and “Bowing to Bud,” as well as some jazz standards and a few gems out of the Steps songbook i.e. Pools, Uncle Bob and Young And Fine. A must for Steps fans!

Calle 54
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A film by Oscar winning director, Fernando Trueba documenting latin jazz artists has been released. Eliane Elias beautifully represents Brazil in the film and on the recording on Blue Note Records. This film was selected as the 3rd best film of the year by the NY Times , and is being considered one of the most important documentaries to be made about Latin/Jazz music. It is critically acclaimed receiving rave reviews. It was offcially released in the United States in April 2001. Gene Seymor wrote a review at New York Newsday ending with:

MY GOD, WHAT ARE YOU DOING READING THIS REVIEW? GO SEE THE MOVIE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE!

Similar reviews were written by Elvis Mitchell for the New York Times.

Toots Thielemans – The Brasil Project
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This popular set matches the brilliant harmonica player Toots Thielemans with such top Brazilian performers as Ivan Lins, Djavan, Oscar Castro-Neves, Dori Caymmi, Ricardo Silveira, João Bosco, Gilberto Gil, Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso, Luiz Bonfá, Edu Lobo and Eliane Elias, in addition to bassist Brian Bromberg, keyboardist Michael Lang, trumpeter Mark Isham and Dave Grusin.

Toots Thielemans – The Brasil Project 2
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Guitarist, harmonica player, and whistler Toots Thielemans’ followup to the critically acclaimed Brasil Project doesn’t stray far from its predecessor’s path. There are 13 nice Afro-Latin selections with Thielemans backing such top Brazilian vocalists as Milton Nascimento, Gilberto Gil, Ivan Lins, Caetano Veloso, Dori Caymmi, Eliane Elias among others, and guitarists Oscar Castro-Nieves and Lee Ritenour assisting Thielemans with delicate shadings and accompaniment.

Steps Ahead – Steps Ahead
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The debut domestic recording by Steps Ahead features the 1982 version of the group: vibraphonist Mike Mainieri, tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker, pianist Eliane Elias (a young unknown at the time), bassist Eddie Gomez, and drummer Peter Erskine. The music is essentially high-quality funky fusion, with Brecker typically blowing up a storm, Mainieri often playing the synthivibe, and Elias showing some early individuality. Best known among the seven originals are Don Grolnick’s “Pools” and Mainieri’s “Islands.”