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Throughout her illustrious 16-year recording
career as a leader, Eliane Elias has documented
her passion for jazz as well as explored the music of her
Brazilian homeland in a jazz context. Born and raised in São
Paulo and based in New York, the pianist / vocalist / composer
has performed in a range of settings, from straight-ahead jazz to
free-style improvisation, and has offered distinctive renditions
of a variety of Brazil’s music, including intricate bossa
nova and moving interpretations of classic tunes by her
country’s great songwriters. The Grammy-nominated Elias is
heralded as one of jazz’s finest pianists who, as MusicHound
Jazz: The Essential Album Guide so aptly puts it, "not
only understands how to make great music, but has [the] wisdom,
confidence and perseverance to keep it happening."
After recording a series of fine albums for Blue
Note Records, Elias makes her Bluebird Jazz debut with the
sumptuous Kissed by Nature, a 13-track collection
comprised of ten original vocal and instrumental compositions, a
medley of two tunes by Brazilian songwriter Djavan and two bonus
track remixes produced by the popular Brazilian DJ team
BossaCucaNova. She expands her musical vision by adding new
textures, colors and shapes to her compositions, while at the
same time continues to exercise her prowess as a pianist and
vocalist. "This time, instead of creating an album of
pianistic virtuosity, I set out to create music that is beautiful
as well as artistically engaging."
The result is a CD of coolly romantic and
reflective ballads and swinging upbeat cookers that accentuate
soul over dazzle, sublime beauty over showy technique. Infused
with Brazilian music influences and buoyed by the leader’s
command of jazz improvisation, Kissed by Nature features
Elias’ highly personal and expressive piano playing combined
with her soft, sensuous vocals that complement her instrumental
phrasing. "I wasn’t planning to sing as much as I
do on this record, but that’s the direction the album took
while I was writing," says Elias, who notes that many
of the numbers were inspired by nature. "I wrote most of
these songs when I was at my home in country. I’m in the
woods, close to the beach. It is a beautiful setting. The tunes
reflect that."
Elias says that her sixteen years working with
Blue Note were artistically and personally rewarding. But when
her contract expired, she decided to explore other recording
possibilities. She opted to sign with the RCA Victor Group
earlier this year. "I liked the idea of recording for
Bluebird Jazz because it’s a boutique label that has a great
history and catalog," says Elias, who adds that she
knew both David Weyner, RCA Victor Group’s Executive Vice
President/General Manager, and Stephen Ferrera, who works in
RCA’s A&R department, when they were at other labels. "We
were interested in working together on some new projects."
One of the ideas discussed while Elias was working
on Kissed by Nature was developing some electronic
remixes. "I said I’d have to see if I liked what
the DJs came up with," she says. "I listened
to a couple of records by BossaCucaNova and I liked their
approach. Then when I heard their remixes of two of my songs,
afterwards I thought that maybe I should have written more of
those types of tunes. They’re so good." The two
vocal remix tracks The upbeat title number and the equally
rhythmic "Balancê" with sophisticated rhythm-drive
grooves. "I’m very pleased with what they
did."
Elias began playing the piano at an early age,
immersing herself in the music of her country as well as studying
the works of jazz icons and the classical piano literature. She
performed in local jazz and bossa nova clubs, taught piano and
master classes while simultaneously continuing her music studies.
Her introduction to the international music world came when, at
the age of 17, she started working with two of the most respected
artists in Brazil, Toquinho and Vinicius de Moraes.
Inspired by the jazz scene in the U.S. and
encouraged by jazz bassist Eddie Gomez whom she met in Paris,
Elias moved to New York City in 1981. In 1983 she became a member
of the jazz-fusion group Steps Ahead and then
launched her solo recording career in 1986. Over the years Elias
has received numerous jazz poll awards (including the "Best
New Talent" in the 1988 Jazziz poll) and garnered a Grammy
nomination for "Best Solo Jazz Performance" (for her
1995 album Solos and Duets with Herbie Hancock, which was described by Musician magazine as
"a landmark in piano duo history").
Recently Elias was a featured performer in Calle
54, director Fernando Trueba’s documentary film on Latin
jazz. The soundtrack album was nominated for a 2001 Grammy in the
Best Latin Jazz Album category. In the same year, Elias was also
nominated for a Grammy in the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
category for her album Impulsive! with Bob Brookmeyer and the
Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra.
People Magazine has applauded her career, noting
that "she is the rare vocalist who is even stronger as an
instrumentalist and is crossing boundaries with increasing
elan." MusicHound Jazz notes that Elias is "a powerful
two-handed linear pianist whose fleeting lines are punctuated
with chords and varied by altering dynamics, diverse phrasing
ideas and a wide range of moods and emotions." She is also
renowned as one of the foremost interpreters of the Antonio
Carlos Jobim songbook (documented on her two albums Eliane
Elias Plays Jobim and Eliane Elias Sings Jobim).
On Kissed by Nature, Elias has assembled a
solid support team: bassist Marc Johnson (who also co-produced the album with her),
drummers Joey
Baron and Paulo Braga
(who both contribute percussion) and, on a couple of tracks, the
horn team of trumpeter/flugelhornist Randy Brecker and tenor
saxophonist Rick Margitza. "Marc is an exceptional
bassist. We work really well together and have great musical
affinity. I like playing with Joey because he’s so unique,
so sensitive, so creative. And Paulo is one of Brazil’s
greatest drummers. He brings a special authenticity and
sensitivity to the music."
Elias says that many of the songs came ready-made.
"I love those moments when the inspiration is there and
the tune just comes," she says. "Kissed by
Nature" was one such gift (and was one of the last songs she
composed for the album), as was the gently percussive,
whispered-vocal number "A Volta", which translated from
the Portuguese means "waiting for a return." "It’s
a love song, just like most of these tunes. It came to me while I
was returning home one gorgeous winter day."
There are several reflective gems on the CD,
including the ballad "Apareceu", the lyrical
"Where Did You Go", the sobering "October"
(featuring Brecker on dramatic muted trumpet) and the bucolic
"September" (with Brecker playing the flugelhorn
with a hushed feel) songs composed a couple of years ago for a
quintet project in Denmark. The more groove-oriented tunes
include the soulful "Luar" with its bossa nova/choro
feel, the wordless-vocals beauty "Pererê" and the
joyous medley of Djavan’s "Fato Consumado" and
"Dobrado" (which represents the first time she has
recorded the Brazilian songwriter's material).
Other highlights include the rhythmic
"Balancê" from Bahia who caresses the waves that
features Elias’ alluring piano harmonies and her sultry
vocals her home spiced by clapping rhythms and Braga’s
percussion. "I wrote this song with my mother over the
phone while she was in Brazil and I was home in New York,"
Elias says. "We wrote it without the piano, just singing
the melody and words together back and forth. I love it because
of its simplicity, its message of hope and endurance and of
course the fantastic Brazilian groove."
A triumph from the first tune to the last remix, Kissed
by Nature not only ups the ante in Eliane Elias’ career
as a top-notch jazz musician but also introduces her to a new
generation of listeners.
September 2002
Throughout her illustrious 16-year recording
career as a leader, Eliane Elias has documented
her passion for jazz as well as explored the music of her
Brazilian homeland in a jazz context. Born and raised in São
Paulo and based in New York, the pianist / vocalist / composer
has performed in a range of settings, from straight-ahead jazz to
free-style improvisation, and has offered distinctive renditions
of a variety of Brazil’s music, including intricate bossa
nova and moving interpretations of classic tunes by her
country’s great songwriters. The Grammy-nominated Elias is
heralded as one of jazz’s finest pianists who, as MusicHound
Jazz: The Essential Album Guide so aptly puts it, "not
only understands how to make great music, but has [the] wisdom,
confidence and perseverance to keep it happening."
After recording a series of fine albums for Blue
Note Records, Elias makes her Bluebird Jazz debut with the
sumptuous Kissed by Nature, a 13-track collection
comprised of ten original vocal and instrumental compositions, a
medley of two tunes by Brazilian songwriter Djavan and two bonus
track remixes produced by the popular Brazilian DJ team
BossaCucaNova. She expands her musical vision by adding new
textures, colors and shapes to her compositions, while at the
same time continues to exercise her prowess as a pianist and
vocalist. "This time, instead of creating an album of
pianistic virtuosity, I set out to create music that is beautiful
as well as artistically engaging."
The result is a CD of coolly romantic and
reflective ballads and swinging upbeat cookers that accentuate
soul over dazzle, sublime beauty over showy technique. Infused
with Brazilian music influences and buoyed by the leader’s
command of jazz improvisation, Kissed by Nature features
Elias’ highly personal and expressive piano playing combined
with her soft, sensuous vocals that complement her instrumental
phrasing. "I wasn’t planning to sing as much as I
do on this record, but that’s the direction the album took
while I was writing," says Elias, who notes that many
of the numbers were inspired by nature. "I wrote most of
these songs when I was at my home in country. I’m in the
woods, close to the beach. It is a beautiful setting. The tunes
reflect that."
Elias says that her sixteen years working with
Blue Note were artistically and personally rewarding. But when
her contract expired, she decided to explore other recording
possibilities. She opted to sign with the RCA Victor Group
earlier this year. "I liked the idea of recording for
Bluebird Jazz because it’s a boutique label that has a great
history and catalog," says Elias, who adds that she
knew both David Weyner, RCA Victor Group’s Executive Vice
President/General Manager, and Stephen Ferrera, who works in
RCA’s A&R department, when they were at other labels. "We
were interested in working together on some new projects."
One of the ideas discussed while Elias was working
on Kissed by Nature was developing some electronic
remixes. "I said I’d have to see if I liked what
the DJs came up with," she says. "I listened
to a couple of records by BossaCucaNova and I liked their
approach. Then when I heard their remixes of two of my songs,
afterwards I thought that maybe I should have written more of
those types of tunes. They’re so good." The two
vocal remix tracks The upbeat title number and the equally
rhythmic "Balancê" with sophisticated rhythm-drive
grooves. "I’m very pleased with what they
did."
Elias began playing the piano at an early age,
immersing herself in the music of her country as well as studying
the works of jazz icons and the classical piano literature. She
performed in local jazz and bossa nova clubs, taught piano and
master classes while simultaneously continuing her music studies.
Her introduction to the international music world came when, at
the age of 17, she started working with two of the most respected
artists in Brazil, Toquinho and Vinicius de Moraes.
Inspired by the jazz scene in the U.S. and
encouraged by jazz bassist Eddie Gomez whom she met in Paris,
Elias moved to New York City in 1981. In 1983 she became a member
of the jazz-fusion group Steps Ahead and then
launched her solo recording career in 1986. Over the years Elias
has received numerous jazz poll awards (including the "Best
New Talent" in the 1988 Jazziz poll) and garnered a Grammy
nomination for "Best Solo Jazz Performance" (for her
1995 album Solos and Duets with Herbie Hancock, which was described by Musician magazine as
"a landmark in piano duo history").
Recently Elias was a featured performer in Calle
54, director Fernando Trueba’s documentary film on Latin
jazz. The soundtrack album was nominated for a 2001 Grammy in the
Best Latin Jazz Album category. In the same year, Elias was also
nominated for a Grammy in the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
category for her album Impulsive! with Bob Brookmeyer and the
Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra.
People Magazine has applauded her career, noting
that "she is the rare vocalist who is even stronger as an
instrumentalist and is crossing boundaries with increasing
elan." MusicHound Jazz notes that Elias is "a powerful
two-handed linear pianist whose fleeting lines are punctuated
with chords and varied by altering dynamics, diverse phrasing
ideas and a wide range of moods and emotions." She is also
renowned as one of the foremost interpreters of the Antonio
Carlos Jobim songbook (documented on her two albums Eliane
Elias Plays Jobim and Eliane Elias Sings Jobim).
On Kissed by Nature, Elias has assembled a
solid support team: bassist Marc Johnson (who also co-produced the album with her),
drummers Joey Baron and Paulo Braga (who both contribute percussion)
and, on a couple of tracks, the horn team of
trumpeter/flugelhornist Randy Brecker and tenor saxophonist Rick
Margitza. "Marc is an exceptional bassist. We work
really well together and have great musical affinity. I like
playing with Joey because he’s so unique, so sensitive, so
creative. And Paulo is one of Brazil’s greatest drummers. He
brings a special authenticity and sensitivity to the music."
Elias says that many of the songs came ready-made.
"I love those moments when the inspiration is there and
the tune just comes," she says. "Kissed by
Nature" was one such gift (and was one of the last songs she
composed for the album), as was the gently percussive,
whispered-vocal number "A Volta", which translated from
the Portuguese means "waiting for a return." "It’s
a love song, just like most of these tunes. It came to me while I
was returning home one gorgeous winter day."
There are several reflective gems on the CD,
including the ballad "Apareceu", the lyrical
"Where Did You Go", the sobering "October"
(featuring Brecker on dramatic muted trumpet) and the bucolic
"September" (with Brecker playing the flugelhorn
with a hushed feel) songs composed a couple of years ago for a
quintet project in Denmark. The more groove-oriented tunes
include the soulful "Luar" with its bossa nova/choro
feel, the wordless-vocals beauty "Pererê" and the
joyous medley of Djavan’s "Fato Consumado" and
"Dobrado" (which represents the first time she has
recorded the Brazilian songwriter's material).
Other highlights include the rhythmic
"Balancê" from Bahia who caresses the waves that
features Elias’ alluring piano harmonies and her sultry
vocals her home spiced by clapping rhythms and Braga’s
percussion. "I wrote this song with my mother over the
phone while she was in Brazil and I was home in New York,"
Elias says. "We wrote it without the piano, just singing
the melody and words together back and forth. I love it because
of its simplicity, its message of hope and endurance and of
course the fantastic Brazilian groove."
A triumph from the first tune to the last remix, Kissed
by Nature not only ups the ante in Eliane Elias’ career
as a top-notch jazz musician but also introduces her to a new
generation of listeners.
September 2002
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