| Brazil's Eliane Elias Finds Her Voice |
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| 2004 - April 2004 |
| Thursday, 01 April 2004 08:54 |
 Eliane Elias is known
for her distinct musical style, which blends
her Brazilian roots with her impressive jazz and classical skills.
Born in São Paulo, Elias' musical talents began to show at an
early age. She started studying piano at age seven. At age 17,
she was working with Toquinho and Vinicius de Moraes.
Aside from Dreamer marking Elias's first full-vocal album, it's also her first full-English project as well as the first time she has recorded with a full orchestra. Elias will support her new CD with a select-date tour, which she'll kick off with a performance at The Hollywood Bowl, in Los Angeles, California, on July 21st. Elias is known for her distinct and recognizable musical style which blends her Brazilian roots with her impressive jazz and classical skills. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Eliane Elias' musical talents began to show at an early age. She started studying piano at age seven and at age twelve was transcribing solos from the great jazz masters. By the time she was fifteen she was teaching piano and improvisation at Brazil's prestigious school of music, CLAM. Her performing career began in Brazil at age 17, working with Brazilian singer/songwriter Toquinho and the great poet Vinicius de Moraes who was also Antonio Carlos Jobim's co-writer/lyricist. Considered one of the great interpreters of Jobim, Elias has been featured on numerous Jobim concert tributes and has recorded two albums dedicated to the works of the composer, Plays Jobim and Sings Jobim. Dreamer is a lush mix of classic bossa nova and American songbook as well as two exciting originals. Paying homage to classic American music, such as "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" and Johnny Mercer's "Tangerine", Elias returns to her roots with covers of such well known bossa novas as "So Nice" ("Samba de Verão") and an upbeat version of "Doralice"—in which Elias pays tribute to saxophonist Stan Getz, who recorded the song with João Gilberto. Elias was featured in the Thelonious Monk Institute's televised Second Annual "Celebration of America's Music" at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra, the JVC Festival with Sting, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, and Caetano Veloso at Lincoln Center in New York, the televised Piano Grand, a Gala celebration for the 300th Anniversary of the piano in Washington DC. The Brazilian musician makes her home, with her husband and daughter, in New York City. The Lyrics Doralice Doralice eu bem que lhe
disse Doralice eu bem que lhe
disse Um belo dia você
me surgiu Eu bem que não
queria me casar contigo Doralice, I told you well
Doralice, I told you well A pretty day you appeared
to me I very much don't want
to get married Summer Samba (So Nice) Someone to hold me tight
So nice, life would be
so nice Someone to cling to me
Oh yeah, that would be
so nice Someone to love me right
Someone to cling to me
Oh yes, that would be
so nice David Wilson is Director of Publicity at Oui 2 Public Relations in New York. He can be contacted at david@oui2.com Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
Arguably Brazil's best known female instrumentalist, Eliane Elias, will release
her first full vocal CD, Dreamer, on May 4th, 2004. An artist of uncompromising
skill and vision, Elias has been hailed "as a composer and soloist of
growing conviction and individuality" (Los Angeles Times), "a
fresh inventive performer" (Associated Press), "one of the
most poetic young pianists in jazz" (Chicago Tribune), and "among
the major jazz pianists of our times" (San Francisco Examiner).