ELIANE ELIAS

Rave reviews from Eliane’s summer tour!

Here are some highlights:

“Simultaneously powerful and fragile, Elias played with joy and fervor, and her group was not far behind in power. Leaning on her piano, chords throwing in ‘staccato’, as in Dorival Caymmi Rosa Morena (version she did ‘Rosa blonde’) tearing to dance while singing. Who can sing a song while dancing wasting sexy sensuality, and then sit at the piano and play a solo that would rival McCoy Tyner? Elias could be the best example of the music of Brazilian jazz.” ~San Javier Jazz Festival/laopiniondemurcia.es

“The Eliane Elias Quartet’s Jobim-tribute was carried by the interaction between the musicians on the stage, their connection with the audience, empathy, the generous and joyous play, as well as the audience’s presence and their spontaneous applause. Eliane Elias did not only play and sing with sincere joy, but she also happily involved her audience generously with her own musical (hi)story and especially the history she shares with Jobim.” ~ Copenhagen Jazzfestival / Gaffa

“Bossa nova does not get much more beautiful than when Eliane Elias sits at the piano or holds the microphone…” ~ Copenhagen Jazz Festival / Politiken

“Who else can sing a sexy song, dance a sexy dance, and then sit down at the piano and play a solo to rival McCoy Tyner?” ~ Rochester Jazz Festival / City Newspaper.

Rochester International Jazz Festival Live Review

Rochester City News

Eliane Elias wowed the crowd at Kilbourn Hall Wednesday night in a show filled with sambas and bossa novas from her native Brazil. For decades Elias has been known as a formidable pianist; in recent years her singing has become an equally important part of her music. She sang songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim and others in the original Portuguese. Only on “Call Me” and on the bridge in “The Girl From Ipanema” did she sing in English.

But there was no language barrier. She knew all of the songwriters personally and was very funny in her descriptions of their lyrics, especially when they related to sexy women. And speaking of sexy women, at the age of 52 Elias is blonde and beautiful. She was wearing a low-cut black dress and, at one point got up to dance while singing a song about a blonde dancing. Who else can sing a sexy song, dance a sexy dance, and then sit down at the piano and play a solo to rival McCoy Tyner?

Her band was excellent throughout, but only on the last tune did her bassist (and husband), Marc Johnson, and drummer, Rafael Barata, unleash fantastic solos. After a standing ovation, the group came back and played two more songs.

BY RON NETSKY