This is turning into a bit of a chanteuse series, following yesterday’s post on Jamelia with today’s on Eliane Elias. We’ll have one more soulful female tomorrow.
Elias is a Brazilian pianist who plays both jazz and classical. She has been living in New York City for the last quarter century and was formerly a member of the group Steps Ahead. She is unusual in having released both jazz and classical works at the same time. She began singing on her 1989 album Eliane Elias Plays Jobim.
Her new album Around The City features some of her original compositions, but today I’m featuring two cover versions. Both tracks are produced by Andres Levin (read about him here). First, a cover of Bob Marley & the Wailers’ “Jammin’,” from their 1977 album Exodus. Then, Beck’s “Tropicalia,” from his 1998 album Mutations (which is fittingly about the Brazilian art movement Tropicalismo).
Some of the album seems a little too smooth jazz to me (after all, she’s married to Randy Brecker), but these tracks had enough of a groove to satisfy me. You can hear more on her MySpace page.
Eliane Elias – Jammin’ — BUY
Eliane Elias – Tropicalia — BUY
Tags: Eliane Elias, Bob Marley, Beck, MP3s
One Response
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girish Says:
Ah, among my favorite of contemporary jazz pianists. Her work is quite variable (I haven’t heard this new one, but I see what you mean about the smooth jazz feel), and I personally prefer her doing covers/standards. She has a nice light singing voice (A little Astrud-like, I guess, in its weightlessness) but her piano playing is her real strength. She is much more versatile and virtuosic than any one album would have us believe. The Three Americas and the two Jobim tributes are, for me, her strongest records. Dreamer is really accessible, verging on smooth, but I like it a lot too. And her all-too-brief performance in the terrific jazz film Calle 54 is really good. Thanks for posting these, Pop View.