Brasiliansk himmelflugt på Montmartre – Copenhagen, Denmark
By Kjeld Frandsen
March 15, 2012
Det er ikke bare publikum, der kan få sig en unik oplevelse, når kunstnere, som almindeligvis optræder på de store koncertscener, kommer inden for i varmen på et intimt spillested. Oplevelsen kan tydeligvis gå begge veje. Det var i hvert fald tilfældet onsdag aften, hvor den brasilianske pianist og sangerinde Eliane Elias bare strålede af glæde og spillelyst ved nærkontakten med publikum i det københavnske jazztempel.
Eliane Elias, der i næste uge fylder 52 år, har fortsat sit indtagende udseende med sig, og så sandelig også sit håndelag. Og skulle man – som jeg – bære rundt på en erindring om, at hendes seneste koncerter i København – begge på Gamle Scene på Det Kongelige Teater – tog sig ud som en pligtaflevering og/eller en blandet landhandel, ja, så blev den erindring da øjeblikkeligt slettet af lystavlen. Med “Chega de Saudade”, en klassiker fra Eliane Elias’ navnkundige landsmand, Antonio Carlos Jobim, blev der lagt mere end godt ud i den ”klassiske” trio-jazz-tradition, hvor den virtuose, veloplagte og barfodede pianist fik den rette support sin ægtemand, den amerikanske bassist Marc Johnson, og den unge brasilianske trommeslager Rafael Barata.
Og så kørte musikken ellers af sted med et fint, nuanceret repertoire, jævnligt med Eliane Elias i rollen som vokalist – på såvel portugisisk som engelsk, og her er det værd at fremhæve fortolkningen af George & Ira Gershwins ”They Can’t Take That Away From Me”, som i et dejligt medium tempo gav nyt liv til de udødelige ord og toner, og som udover det fint afdæmpede vokalforedrag bød på et jazzklaverspil af sjældent fantasifuld og melodiøs beskaffenhed. Også i klaverlegenden Bill Evans’ skæve ”Five” blev der budt på jazzmusik på højniveau, og da Eliane Elias i klubbens baglokale netop havde set et billede af den store bebop-pianist Bud Powell, som optrådte på lokaliteten for 50 år siden, ja, så afleverede hun da lige et lille, men forrygende, Bud Powell-medley – til stor fryd og til stor overraskelse for såvel publikum som medmusikere.
Intensiteten holdt sig – og lidt til – gennem aftenens anden afdeling, som omfattede populære Antonio Carlos Jobim-værker som ”Garota de Ipanema”, “Desafinado” og “So Danço Samba” og hårdtprøvede jazzklassikere som ”Autumn Leaves” og ”You And The Night And The Music” – alt afleveret i et sprudlende, ærligt og ikke sjældent himmelflugtslignende regi.
Og glemmes skal det ikke, at Marc Johnson nok engang viste formatet som en af nutidsjazzens betydeligste bassister, og at Rafael Barata ikke blot viste sig som en mesterlig trommeslager, men i endnu højere grad en mesterlig trommespiller. Og så indtraf et af aftenens særligt mindeværdige stunder, da Eliane Elias rejste sig fra flyglet og fra scenekanten diverterede med den brasilianske sangskriver Dorival Caymmis muntre sang ”Rosa Morena”, inden det atter blev tid for unikt klaverspil og råswingende triojazz. Og – helt klart – Eliane Elias og hendes håndgangne mænd nød hvert et øjeblik, og det samme gjorde publikum. Andet var næppe muligt.
source link: http://www.b.dk/koncerter/brasiliansk-himmelflugt-paa-montmartre
Eliane Elias, Ronnie Scott’s, London
By Mike Hobart
February 24 2011
Eliane Elias has not so much blended the rhythmic complexities of her native Brazil with the piano jazz traditions of New York, as laid bare the equal influence of both.
She darts from the gentle cadences of classic bossa nova to rich clusters of impressionism, and from supple Brazilian rhythms to rolling gospel shouts at the drop of a hat. Expressive, slightly lived-in vocals add charm, while fluent self-accompaniment adds dazzle. It is a warm, highly personal mixture that has long guaranteed headline status.
Elias usually references bossa nova’s heyday, but this gig had more of a historical bent than most. After a sprightly opening samba, Gilberto Gil’s “Ladeira de Preguiça”, Elias told us “we don’t have a bass yet”. While it was being fixed, she doled out snippets of biography – touring with the Brazilian lyricist/poet Vinicius de Moraes as a teenager; a lucky break soon after arriving in New York in 1981 aged 21 when the president of the Steinway Corporation, having heard her trying out pianos in his showroom, offered her one.
A year later, Elias joined the fusion band Steps Ahead, but for this performance she referenced earlier times with a transcription of the original introduction to “Chega de Saudade”. Antonio Carlos Jobim wrote bossa nova’s founding statement in 1958, and Elias’s in-style vocals and Ricardo de Almeida Vogt’s lightly strummed acoustic guitar captured the style perfectly. A slight acceleration tightened mood, guitar dropped out, and Elias spun the fluent runs and close harmonies of modern jazz piano over a hard-nosed swing.
Both sets applied Brazilian lilt to songbook standards – “Tangerine” in the first set and “Light My Fire” in the second – and added jazzy workouts to Brazilian classics – “Rosa Morena” and “Desafinado” stand out. Here, authentically delivered, deceptively light Brazilian rhythms were a staging post for powerful two-fisted tremolos, urgent swing and lush impressionism. Marc Johnson was a fluent foil on counterpoint bass.
Elias has long used Gershwin’s “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” as a vehicle to showcase her jazz credentials. This gig’s unaccompanied performance rampaged through modern jazz styles and showed off her rhythmic independence and harmonic fluency. It bordered on the classic.
source link: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/e847d0a6-4040-11e0-9140-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1F1Y0Z2XX
Eliane Elias at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola
The Wall Street Journal
WILL FRIEDWALD
JUNE 3, 2011
Single guys take note: This Brazilian pianist-singer is a great act to bring a date to hear, and Dizzy’s is easily the most romantic-looking music venue in town.
Even the uninitiated could dig Ms. Elias. Her music is very similar to the breakthrough bossa nova albums of João Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Astrid Gilberto, with Ms. Elias playing all three roles by herself. Her new release, “Light My Fire,” combines originals with North American and South American standards from both the jazz and pop sides of the fence; she’s written a set of lyrics to trumpeter Kenny Dorham’s “Stay Cool,” and given the Doors’ title track and Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour” a Brazilian waxing.
She also tackles “Take Five.” I was trying to figure out if she could actually play a bossa nova in 5/4, but I was enjoying myself so much that I kept losing count.as her tour dates are continuously updated.
source link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303745304576361642517402216.html?mod=ITP_newyork_5
The Exquisite Eliane Elias: the “Light My Fire” CD Launch Concert
[Q] On Stage
Susan Freedner
I had the extreme good fortune of receiving a press invitation to attend a performance by, followed by a meet and greet, with the amazingly gifted musician/singer Eliane Elias.
Due to my ardent interest in this extraordinary pianist, and scheduling conflicts of other writers, I was able to attend the 7:30 p.m. show at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, on June 2, as part of the Jazz at Lincoln Center series. There was a palpable buzz in the room by the SRO crowd, as most of the people were not novices to the incredibly talented Eliane Elias and were eager and expectant to hear selections from her newly released CD, “Light My Fire,” which promised a return to her bossa nova roots.
Her appearance, upon entering, brought to mind the image of Anita Ekberg standing in the fountain in the film “La Dolce Vita,” which increased the expectant excitement in the room. She has a relaxed, engaging, warm and personable manner of introducing a song and, since she was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, her charmingly accented English adds to her aura. She truly casts a spell on her audience: when she plays and sings softly, the audience instantly quiets to a hush and listens intently when, just a few moments before, they were foot tapping and hand clapping along with her driving, rhythmic left hand on the piano. Great talent attracts great talent and she always has a remarkable group of musicians, whether at a live performance or on her recordings. This was my fourth live performance by her, at various sites, with different combinations of musicians.
This group at this concert, billed as the Eliane Elias Quartet, consisted of Marc Johnson on bass, Rubens de La Corte on acoustic guitar, Rafael Barata on drums, and Marivaldo dos Santo on percussion. When each of them riffed a solo in the true jazz fashion, it was spellbinding. They are truly musicians and interact with her and each other creating musical magic. A renowned bassa nova guitarist, from the album, attending the performance, sat in to play and it was a lightning-in-a-bottle moment. Romero Lubambo played an improvisational conversation with Elias, on a song from the CD called “Samba Maracatu.” Elias wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the music with Gonzaguinha.
Elias, a trained classical pianist, puts her astonishing talent and skill to excellent use, seamlessly shifting gears from Brazilian bossa nova to covers of pop standards, as well as iconic jazz favorites.
She commands her stage with an incredible presence even when not playing. She stood in front of the piano and described a song from the CD, entitled “Rosa Morena,” as a brunette woman with a flower in her hair dancing the samba, and she began to sway and sing to the Bahian percussion and totally enthralled the audience.
Another delightful, intriguing description of a song, written by Gilberto Gil, “Toda Menina Baiana,” told of mixing boogie woogie with samba, Uncle Sam with Brazil, chewing bubble gum while eating bananas, and included noteworthy bass, percussion, and drum solos.
Another song from “Light My Fire,” “Bate Bate” (What About the Heart), with music and words by Elias, she described as beat, beat, like the heart. She played alone at first, then the combo joined in, then she sang, in both Portuguese and English, and finally everyone played. I would call that very significant multi-tasking.
In addition to writing some of the music and lyrics, playing exceptional piano, singing softly and sensuously, Elias also co-produced and arranged all the songs on this new disc, and it is a must-have, as anyone would be thrilled to see/hear her perform. She tours throughout the world and will be appearing in June at the Saratoga Jazz Festival, in Saratoga, New York, as well as at the Toronto Jazz Festival, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She will be in Europe in July and South America in August, and returning to the west coast of the United States in September, followed by a stint in Boston, Massachusetts, so check out her website, www.elianeelias.com, as her tour dates are continuously updated.
Eliane Elias at Dizzy’s Coca-Cola
New York Observer
Rex Reed
June 08, 2011
The New York cabaret season is humming to a close, but before waxing that bikini line and heading for the beach, take note: The big rooms are saving the best for last.
Smoldering like an ember on a rainy night, the peerless Brazilian singer-pianist Eliane Elias has been packing them in at Dizzy’s Coca-Cola, New York’s best jazz club and the only room in town where the food is as great as the music. With a voice as smoky and warm as a dark Creole roux, she is currently celebrating her new Concord Jazz CD, “Light My Fire”—and boy, does she ever. Accompanied by a tumultuous Brazilian jazz combo headed by her husband, Marc Johnson, on acoustic bass (“He’s from Omaha, Neb., but he has a Brazilian heart”), she provides some of the most sensual, un-gimmicky sounds in our digital world. Swinging in chords is always a thrill and she really knows how. The CD has three duets with the unsurpassed Gilberto Gil, and even outside the recording studio, she plays around with tempos like she’s mixing cocktails.
Maybe it’s the Portuguese, but Brazilian singers seem to make more sounds with their vocal chords than anyone else. Shapely and ladylike at first, when she kicks off her heels and goes to work on the pedals in her nylons, she really heats the gumbo. Think of Ellen Barkin playing a chanteuse on a nightclub stage owned by gangsters in an old black-and-white Hollywood musical, and you get the visuals. From familiar favorites like the Dave Brubeck theme song “Take Five” and Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour” to her original composition “Bate Bate” (pronounced “Batchi-Batchi,” what the beat of the human heart sounds like in Rio), the sambas overflow in a throwback to the surprising, infectious rhythms that started the bossa nova craze 50 years ago. But Eliane Elias is also fresh, contemporary and sexy, taking classics by João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim in a whole new direction. There really is nobody like her, and you owe it to yourself to catch her while the mic is still hot. Buy “Light My Fire”—it will cool your summer.
source link: http://www.observer.com/Cabaret-Claire-Martin-Richard-Rodney-Bennet-Oak-Room-Elaine-Elias-Dizzys-Coca-Cola
ALL ABOUT JAZZ
Eliane Elias: New York, NY, June 2, 2011
All About Jazz
ERNEST BARTELDES
June 16, 2011
Eliane Elias Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola New York, NY June 2, 2011
Pianist/vocalist Eliane Elias opened her set at New York’s Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, in celebration of Light My Fire (Concord, 2011) with “Ladeira,” a Gilberto Gil-penned instrumental samba with a very syncopated drive. The tune was more like a warm-up, where her solid band—drummer Rafael Barata, percussionist Marivaldo Santos, acoustic guitarist Rubens de La Corte and bassist Marc Johnson—seemed to stretch its muscles for what was to come. Elias immediately followed with Ary Barroso’s “Isso Aqui o Que E”—a tune celebrating the virtues of Brazil and the happiness of its people—initially accompanied solely by de La Corte and Santos (on shekere). The remaining members gradually joined in, with Elias and Barata taking accomplished solos.
Among the highlights of the set was a bossa nova arrangement of George and Ira Gershwin’s “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” Elias demonstrated a percussive approach to her instrument, hitting the keys with strength that added brightness to each note. Joao Donato’s “A Ra” was also enjoyable, with Elias highlighting the composer’s unique pianistic approach—using the right hand in a samba format, while employing the left provide a Latin flavor. She also featured a handful of Antonio Carlos Jobim numbers, including “Por Causa de Voce” and “So Danco Samba,” the latter of which served to showcase the ensemble’s individual talents, including a dexterous solo from de La Corte.
There was one unexpected moment during the set, when Elias acknowledged the presence of guitarist Romero Lubambo in the audience. He got up, walked to the stage and asked if he could sit in. De La Corte promptly handed him the guitar, and Lubambo proceeded to improvise around one of the tracks he played on Elias’ record. He then switched gears and started playing around a simple chord progression, with Johnson and Elias following him, and then it was a feast of snippets, which included Luis Gonzaga’s “Asa Branca,” amongst other songs.
The set closed with “Chiclete Com Banana,” a Brazilian classic originally recorded by Jackson do Pandeiro, whose lyrics criticized the Americanization of Brazilian music in the late ’50s. The arrangement was a blend of samba, Afro-Cuban music and straight-ahead jazz, giving Johnson an opportunity to deliver his only solo of the entire set. He played very subtly, responding to the percussionists’ groove and to Elias’ left hand.
Elias balanced the music between more classic Brazilian numbers, bossa nova and straight-ahead jazz. Lubambo’s unscheduled appearance was also a great surprise, and of course the entire ensemble was in great shape, which made for quite a few greatly entertaining moments.
source link: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=39717
Eliane Elias Shows a Captivating Charm to Merge with Monster Musical Talent
RJ on Jazz
R.J. DeLuke
July 16,2011
Eliane Elias was a fantastic pianist when she came from her native Sao Paulo to New York City in 1981. She’s already worked with some of the best Brazilian musicians as a teenager. Her early albums show a pianist with monster chops, but with the ability to display delicate beauty. Passion and emotion.
She did a vocal album of Antonio Carlos Jobim music (Eliane Elias Sings Jobim, Blue Note, 1998) but admits she was a bit tentative with her singing. Since then, her soft, sensual voice has become more of a mainstay in her work. Dreamer (Bluebird, 2004) was a delight, as was and Boss Nova Stories (Blue Note, 2008). More surety in the vocals. With Brazilian music, she’s obviously at home and nails the material, but other songs she selects come joyfully to life.
Now there’s Light My Fire, out this year on Concord. It’s not that dissimilar in content to her recent vocal outings, but her masterful piano has a strong presence, her singing seems to grow stronger. Her band is tight. It’s a record that’s jumped up the musical charts. In support of it,. She’s on a huge tour that takes her and her sparkling band around the world. Not too many artists can boast of such an itinerary. It’s warming to see a performer of such class, style and talent get the support of fans and the music industry.
An fans, she has in large numbers. Her live concerts are always enchanting because the musicianship is so high. At Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival in Saratoga Springs, NY, in June, the band was full of energy. She did songs from the new CD, as well as some from past albums. Romero Lubambo joined on guitar. Marc Johnson, one of the finest bassists out there, is still at the hub of the rhythm and percussionist Marlvaldo dos Santos adds a great layer to the sound. The band sizzles and Elias‘ voice adds the charm and sensuality
“I’m truly very excited with this album,” she said after the concert at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center… and the way it’s being received by critics, by the people … You saw the show. You see how people love it. There’s such energy. We’re very happy about it.”
It’s a joyous event when this band plays. So much that the superior musicianship might slide under the radar. But listen closely and see what’s at work. Fantastic music, great piano.
The band had been in South America and from SPAC was off to Canada. The Europe, South America again, Central America, to the United States and back to Europe. Then the U.S. and Asia. So much of the world will get to see it.
“I always brought different elements of Brazilian music, but I’ve done a lot of albums that were more instrumental. This is a vocal album that still has a lot of piano. But this album, with the vocals has more of a variety of elements of Brazilian music, than just the bossa nova. There’s some music from the north of brazil, from Bahia. And some Afro-Brazilian rhythms. Then we have percussion added,” she said. “It’s a very special album and it has an aspect to it that is different than the others. It has some very sexy moments. It has moments that are very cool, vibey. But also a lot of rhythm, groove and romance. It has different things that worked so nice together.”
Elias has found a way to get everything to work together.
Though she says her first love is jazz, having been influenced by the greats like Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett, she also loves the music of Brazil and puts a stamp on it that is now her own. It’s intimate and joyous. And her playing still smokes. Don’t be surprised if more hard-core jazz albums emerge as Elias’ career continues its growth. This is a first-rate musician whose accolades, and awards that have been amassed along the way, are well deserved.
In concert, it’s invigorating.
source link: http://rjonjazz.blogspot.com/2011/07/eliane-elias-shows-captivating-charm-to.html
Full House At Anthology For Eliane Elias
By Robert Bush | Posted September 17, 2011, 7:08 p.m.
Anthology filled to capacity for the Sept. 14 Eliane Elias show. Even on the third level, where there is limited sightlines to the bandstand, waiters were having to drag extra tables to accommodate the ever growing numbers of her fans. While her rhythm section of husband Marc Johnson on solid-body upright bass, and fellow Brazilian drummer Rafael Beratta vamped, Elias made a grand entrance in a “little black dress”, something she wears to great effect. Sitting at the piano, she laced that vamp with bluesy, gospel inflections that indicated how much American jazz has imbued her consciousness since arriving in the US in the 1980s. This was a point that would surface many times in the show.
She announced the Antonio Carlos Jobim standard, “Chega de Saudade” as the next piece, and though it began with the familiar Bossa Nova groove, Elias and company quickly turned it into a swing fest after erupting into double-time on the second chorus. Johnson let fly with a multi-note solo with frequent excursions into the cello register of his instrument, sounding uncannily like Gary Peacock a good deal of the time. Maybe it’s their shared association with the late Bill Evans, at any rate, every time Johnson got the spotlight, he wowed the listener with his use of velocity, creative repetition and well timed double stops. Toward the end of the piece they traded a series of eights, fours and twos with Baratta, a superb drummer who shares many of the attributes of Pat Metheny sideman Antonio Sanchez. Both share intricate ride cymbal patterns with an astonishing integration of multiple cowbell strikes and cross-sticking tom-tom poly-rhythms. Further supporting her love of the Great American Songbook, Elias leapt into Gershwin’s “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” with obvious affection. She’s got a huskier mid-range, but much of the same pure vulnerability as the great Brazilian songbird Astrud Gilberto who came to fame with Stan Getz in the 1960s.
Showcasing the title tune from her latest release, Elias’ arrangement of the rock standard “Light My Fire” was a bird of a different color, to be sure. Performed with a throbbing, slow pulse which allowed for her accented articulation of “few-neh-rahl pyre”, the singer transformed the piece into even darker, more mysterious and languid territory–offset by serpentine strands of piano adventure.
The highlight moment came with her interpretation of “You And The Night And The Music,” a standard from her Bill Evans tribute album a few years back. Attacking the tune with a wild swing abandon, Elias whipped out layers of overlapping ideas with intricate force and melodic invention. Johnson’s solo began from the opposite aesthetic–it almost seemed as if the song had ended, and he was inventing a deliberate, measured response. Using a touch of digital delay, Johnson began building ideas that repeated as he elaborated, and altered their meaning.
The concert came to a close with a treatment of the Jobim classic “Desafinado”. Once again the familiar Bossa Nova groove was re-invented into a swinging 4/4, featuring extended solos for piano, bass and drums. After several minutes of standing ovation, Elias, Johnson and Beratta returned for a pitch-perfect excursion on “Girl From Ipanema”, the song that began America’s fascination with the Bossa Nova in 1964.
source link: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/jam-session/2011/sep/17/full-house-at-anthology-for-eliane-elias/
SAN FRANCISCO – Eliane Elias casts Brazilian spell on Yoshi’s audience
David Becker, September 17, 2011
So what’s your excuse for not being in Monterey, the center of the jazz universe right now?
Yeah, obligations can be a pain, but we Bay Area stay-at-homers have a fine consolation prize this weekend in the form of dynamic Brazilian pianist-singer Eliane Elias. Opening a weekend run at Yoshi’s San Francisco, the blond whirlwind was a breath of fresh, tropical air.
Certainly anyone who’s paid much attention to Elias — who’s been making brilliant connections between straight-ahead jazz and Brazilian styles for more than two decades — knows she can take just about anything and turn it into bossa nova magic. Exhibit A on Friday was Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour,” a highlight from Elias’ new album, “Light My Fire.” With Elias caressing the lyrics with her breathy, seductive style, you had to pay attention to note the keyboard wizardy she was performing at the same time, slyly injecting the tune with bouncy rhythmic undertones.
The legendary Gilberto Gil’s “Bananeira” was textbook slice of Latin jazz magic that highlighted the supreme flexibility of the bossa nova style. What in Gil’s hands would be simple guitar-and-voice tune full of folkish charm was for Elias a grand opportunity to let her improvisational jazz instincts run, referencing piano influences ranging from Art Tatum to McCoy Tyner.
More curious was the new album’s title tune, delivered in a form that made little reference either to The Doors’ swaggering original or Jose Feliciano’s flamenco remake. For Elias, it was an opportunity to turn Jim Morrison’s sweaty come-on into a jasmine-scented seduction, followed by a raucous instrumental coda (including a positively heroic run by bassist Marc Johnson) that told you everything you needed to know about what happens once the fire is lit.
source link: http://www.examiner.com/jazz-in-san-francisco/eliane-elias-casts-brazilian-spell-on-yoshi-s-audience#ixzz1YPdmKocg