Eliane Elias, Piano and Vocals
Pianist-singer-songwriter Eliane Elias is known for her distinctive and immediately recognizable musical style that blends her Brazilian roots and sensuous voice with her impressive instrumental jazz, classical, and composition skills. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Eliane started studying piano at age seven and by 12 was transcribing solos from the great jazz masters. By the time she was 15, Eliane was teaching piano and improvisation at one of Brazil's most prestigious schools of music. Her performing career began in Brazil at age 17, working with Brazilian singer-songwriter Toquinho and the great poet Vinicius de Moraes. In 1981, she headed for New York and within one year landed a spot in the acclaimed group Steps Ahead.
Her first album, Amanda, was a collaboration with Randy Brecker in 1984. Shortly thereafter, her solo career began, spanning 20 albums to date—15 of them on Blue Note Records. In her work, Eliane has documented dozens of her own compositions, her outstanding piano playing and arranging, and her beautiful vocal interpretations. All of her recordings have garnered a great deal of critical praise and all have topped the Billboard and jazz radio charts.
While her 2007 release, Something for You: Eliane Elias Sings & Plays Bill Evans, showcased Eliane's prowess on the piano—buoyed by lively swing, balladic romanticism, and studied virtuosity—her most recent recording, Bossa Nova Stories, puts the spotlight on her marvelous vocal talent while also highlighting her unique pianistic mastery of Brazilian and Latin rhythms. This celebration of the 50th anniversary of Bossa Nova features Eliane accompanied by a stellar rhythm section and strings recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.
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