Hands down, one of the finest and strongest jazz pianists touring and recording today is Eliane Elias. In addition to being a spectacularly gifted player, she has enormous charm, is admirably sensitive and has a lovely singing voice. The added bonus is she’s Brazilian, so warmth and charisma come second nature when performing. She has won two Grammys and two Latin Grammys with more on the way, I’m sure.
Her new album, Ao Vivo (Live) (Candid Records), combines all of this in one neat package—playing, singing, bossa nova and an audience. It was recorded live in San Francisco, at the SFJAZZ Center, Miner Auditorium, on October 21, 2023.
By her side is Marc Johnson, the brilliant bassist and Bill Evans Trio member in the late 1970s. Backing them are Leandro Pellegrino on guitar and Rafael Barata on drums. Together, they routinely bring audiences to their feet at the end of club sets and theater concerts. Eliane feeds on adoration, which only transforms her encores into an even more powerful experience.
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Eliane began piano lessons at 7. Within 10 years, she was performing with Brazilian singer-songwriter Toquinho and touring with lyricist Vinicius de Moraes. Also at 17, she was so impressive that she was invited to tour with singer-songwriter Antônio Carlos Jobim.
Eliane provided me with more detail on her experience with Jobim when I first interviewed her in 2017, for a Wall Street Journal column I was writing then called Playlist. Here’s what Eliane had to say:
When I was growing up in São Paulo, in the 1960s and ’70s, my entire world was music. From the time I was 7, I played piano and was enchanted by the singer Elis Regina. I used to watch her on TV until my mother moved me along to bed. At 13, I saw Elis sing “Waters of March,” and the song swept me away.
Antonio Carlos Jobim wrote “Waters of March” the year before, in 1972 when he was 45, as an uptempo response to feeling that his career might be over—which, of course, it wasn’t. March is when the heavy rains come to Brazil and wash away all the old debris.
Jobim’s lyric expresses this, equating the debris with aging and the natural passage of time. Here’s a lyric line in English: “A stick, a stone / It’s the end of the road / It’s the rest of a stump / It’s a little alone.”
In 1974, Regina and Jobim recorded the song together on the album “Elis & Tom.” When my mother first played the record at home, it felt so joyous and free, like the wind.
The recording opens with acoustic guitar, bass and Jobim’s piano all seeming to simulate a ticking clock and dripping water. Regina takes the first verse and is then joined by Jobim, at which point they switch off on the lyric lines. Their vocal was so playful.
I knew Jobim from the time I was 17. I worked in Brazil with his co-writer, Vinicius de Moraes. After I moved to New York in 1984, I visited Jobim at his Madison Avenue apartment.
We both sat at the piano and played lots of things together for fun. I took the left side while he handled the melody on the right.
At some point, we played “Waters of March.” His voice, by then, was a bit gravelly but warm, and his sound on the keyboard was like a fingerprint. The clarity of his notes and that delicate touch and time—it could only be him.
The experience was quite moving. To be shoulder-to-shoulder with Jobim again and to hear the simple beauty of his choices on the song—I wanted to cry.
Her new album was brilliantly recorded. The fidelity is so pure and clear that you’ll think Eliane and the group are in the room with you. Hats off to audio recording engineer Masanori Yura and audio mixing and mastering by Pete Karam.
The tracks:
Brasil (Aquarela do Brasil) (Ary Barroso)
Você (Roberto Menescal, Ray Gilbert, Ronaldo Bôscoli)
Sambou Sambou (João Donato)
Você e Eu (You and I) (Carlos Lyra/Vinicius de Moraes)
Eu Sambo Mesmo (I Really Samba) (Janet de Almeida)
Bahia Medley: Saudade da Bahia/Você Já Foi à Bahia (Dorival Caymmi)
Esta Tarde Vi Llover (Armando Manzanero)
At First Sight (Eliane Elias)
A Felicidade (A.C. Jobim, Vinícius de Moraes)
Só Danço Samba (A.C. Jobim, Vinícius de Moraes)
If Eliane is appearing near you, go. The music is spectacular and her personality is so endearing that you’ll feel you’re seeing a friend you’ve known for years. As for her new album, try to remember that the woman who is improvising so superbly is also the same woman singing as she plays. And it’s all done to make you as happy as she is to be there playing for you. I can’t wait to see her and the group again in New York in September.
To listen and/or buy, go here.
For Eliane’s tour schedule, go here.
Here’s Bahia Medley: Saudade da Bahia / Você Já Foi à Bahia…
And here’s what greatness looks like—Eliane, Marc, Leandro and Rafael playing Sambou Sambou at SFJAZZ in San Francisco in 2023. Dig the energy, the synergy among the musicians, Eliane’s extraordinary jazz improvisation (and how she slyly slips in salsa chords), the strength of her attack and how the music is meant to enliven everyone in the audience. Trust me, my hand has been in hers; she’s very strong. Dig Marc here—his time and improvisation are tremendous. And Leandro on guitar Rafael on drums are alive and kicking. Breathtaking music. There’s only one Eliane Elias…
Bonus: How marvelous is Eliane? Here she is with Chick Corea playing a duet on There Will Never Be Another You at Yamaha Artist Services in Manhattan in 2018. My jaw drops every time I listen to it…
She is the living exponent of the Brazilian traditions who is performing and accessible to people everywhere. As you say, don’t pass up an opportunity to hear her. I caught her and Marc a few years ago, and as you describe, the performance swells the more the audience reacts. Learning that Marc plays Scott LaFaro’s bass made the experience all the more magical.
Also a wonderful Fender Rhodes player. Bandcamped this new release.