Eliane Elias

“Elias plays with enough improvisational inventiveness and hard-driving swing to establish her musical credibility without ever singing another note…” -Don Heckman, L.A. Times

Pianist/vocalist Eliane Elias is known the world over for her distinctive musical style which blends her Brazilian roots and her sensuous, alluring voice with her impressive jazz piano chops. She first garnered acclaim from the press and fellow artists for her elegant, intelligent piano playing: her early recordings with artists like Vinicius de Moraes and Steps Ahead are excellent documents of this, and her album of duets with Herbie Hancock was nominated for a Grammy Award.

While the piano is always an important part of her music, she has focused on her singing more recently; her 1990 album Eliane Elias Plays Jobim was followed by her 1998 Eliane Elias Sings Jobim, hinting at a shift of focus. Her lauded Bill Evans tribute record in 2008 was followed by Bossa Nova Stories, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the genre. She will be joined by husband and bassist Marc Johnson, who was one of Evans’ closest friends and bandmates in his later years.

• Eliane puts her unique touch on a Gershwin classic

• “Agua De Beber” with her great trio

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