Eliane Elias' new CD, "Light My Fire," set to be released on May 31 in the USA

CD of the Day
Eliane Elias: "Light My Fire" (Concord Picante) 2011

In the late 80s and early 90s -- soon after her days with Steps Ahead and a splendid fusion group co-led with her then-husband Randy Brecker (documented on their overlooked 1985 electrified & electrifying "Amanda" album, dedicated to their daughter Amanda Brecker, now a well known singer in Japan) -- Eliane Elias emerged as one of the best pianists in the contemporary jazz scene. Check such splendid albums as "Illusions" (1987, to which Arnaldo DeSouteiro translated Bill Milkowski's liner notes after he arranged for EMI to release the LP in Brazil) "Cross Currents" (her 1988 masterpiece) and "Eliane Elias Plays Jobim" (praised by the late Leonard Feather, jazz's greatest historian ever, and to which DeSouteiro provided the press release) and you'll listen to a piano player on the top of the game, in the heights of her powers, associated with the best sidemen she ever had (Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette), playing 100% better than any other pianist at that time, and much better than Jason Moran and Brad Mehldau "together"...

But then, once upon a time, there was a Japanese A&R of Toshiba's Somethin' Else label that had the trrible idea to "suggest" Elias to record a "Sings Jobim" album. Despite the controversial results, it went to the top of the Asian jazz charts. Since then, despite occasional instrumental projects, Elias' focus became her career as a singer/pianist. She has been trying to become a latin-tropical version of Diana Krall, and it's clear that she is enjoying it a lot. In this process, however, after a long stint with Blue Note Records, having big boss Bruce Lundvall as her artistic godfather, she's been jumping from label to label - signed with RCA, returned to EMI-Blue Note, and now debuts on Picante (Concord's subsidiary for "latin" artists or projects).

This new album, to be released in a few days (May 31), is her deepest dive into the territory of Brazilian pop music -- not into her real Brazilian roots, otherwise it would have been focused on Hamilton Godoy's fabulous Zimbo Trio style, the group led by the great teacher-master-guru during her childhood and teenage years in Eliane's native São Paulo, when Godoy (a true virtuoso and till today Elias' main "piano influence") provided a solid artistic foundation that she was able to develop and create her own style, absorbing elements from such American jazz artists as Bill Evans, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett.

Several songs on "Light My Fire" are associated with "Gilbertos." Both Ary Barroso's "Isto Aqui O Que É" (aka "Sandália de Prata") and the album opener, Dorival Caymmi's "Rosa Morena" were written by two of João Gilberto's favorite composers, who introduced these songs to American jazz audiences longtime ago. João's wife in the Sixties, Astrud Gilberto, recorded "Light My Fire" during her glorious Verve days, with Airto Moreira on percussion. The former Brazilian Minister of Culture, Gilberto Gil, guests on three tracks and is the composer of three songs that may sound new to younger American critics-fans but are actually very old: "Aquele Abraço" (a big hit - in Brazil, of course - in the early 70s), "Toda Menina Baiana" and "Bananeira." This latter was originally composed & recorded, under the title "Villa Grazia," by Brazilian pianist João Donato back in 1963 (for a great bossa nova LP titled "A Bossa Muito Moderna de Donato e Seu Trio"). After Gil added lyrics in 1975, the song was retitled "Bananeira" ("Banana Tree") and included on Donato's "Lugar Comum" album, as well as recorded here in the U.S. by Raul de Souza on his best-selling album ever, "Sweet Lucy."

My personal favorite track is Kenny Dorham's "Stay Cool," to which Elias herself added lyrics, with Randy Brecker appearing on flugelhorn. You don't need to be Herculano Quintanilha to predict that this album -- beautifully engineered by Joe Ferla, co-produced by Elias and her husband Marc Johnson, Bill Evans' last bassist btw, and featuring gorgeous pics by Bob Wolfenson on the booklet -- will reach the top of the jazz charts, selling very well and receiving heavy airplay on jazz radio stations. A Grammy nomination is difficult, but a Latin Grammy nomination may be an easier task.
Tracklist:
1. Rosa Morena 4:18
2. Stay Cool 4:03
3. Aquele Abraço 5:18
4. Light My Fire 5:38
5. Isto Aqui O Que É (Silver Sandal) 4:00
6. My Cherie Amour 4:31
7. Toda Menina Baiana 4:24
8. Bananeira 3:28
9. Made In Moonlight 5:12
10. Turn To Me (Samba Maracatú) 3:39
11. Take Five 5:13
12. What About The Heart (Bate Bate) 4:46

Press-Release:
Since the mid-1980s, pianist/vocalist Eliane Elias has grafted various elements of jazz, pop, soul and other styles to her deep Brazilian roots to create a hybrid groove that exists comfortably on any hemisphere. Borrowing from an array of sources and singing in a variety of languages, Elias consistently forges a sound that appeals to listeners of every geographic locale and cultural persuasion. Her new album, Light My Fire - wields this universal sound to explore the various corners of the human heart - from romance and passion to the shared joy of being alive and embracing everyone into the dance of life. Along with four compositions written or co-written by Elias herself, the album also includes covers of familiar works by songwriters as diverse as Jim Morrison and the Doors, pop icon Stevie Wonder and jazz saxophonist Paul Desmond. Elias weaves it all together into a cohesive whole by injecting each of the twelve songs with distinctly Brazilian grooves that alternate effortlessly between the fiery and passionate to the cool and sophisticated.

"Some of the tunes are cool and laid back, but others are quite rhythmic and joyful," says Elias. "And they have some different grooves. I tend to gravitate toward romance - beautiful melodies, beautiful harmonies and rhythms with a great feel. But more than anything else, I'm singing about love on this record in its different aspects and dimensions. I've made more than 20 records in my career. I'm proud of all of them, but I'm especially excited about this one. It feels like it has a life and an energy all its own. With very few exceptions, nearly all of the songs were first takes. Everybody in the studio was so focused, and it was such a fun record to make. The music was really flowing, and we all felt very relaxed. From the very first day, not a note was wasted by anyone. It was an amazing experience."

Backing Elias on Light My Fire is a crew of twelve high-caliber players, including special guests guitarist/vocalist Gilberto Gil and trumpeter Randy Brecker. The rhythm section - which has accompanied Elias on several of her most recent recordings - includes guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves, bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Paulo Braga. Also on hand to sing with Elias and Gil on "Toda Menina Baiana" is Elias' daughter, singer-songwriter Amanda Brecker. New to Elias' team is percussionist Marivaldo dos Santos, drummer Rafael Barata, guitarists Romero Lubambo and Ross Traut, and flutist Lawrence Feldman.
Pianist/vocalist/composer/arranger Eliane Elias (pronounced eh-lee-AH-neh eh-LEE-ahs) has grafted various elements of jazz, pop, soul and other styles to her deep Brazilian roots to create a hybrid groove that exists comfortably on any hemisphere. Borrowing from an array of sources and singing in a variety of languages, Elias consistently forges a sound that appeals to listeners of every geographic locale and cultural persuasion.

Her new album, Light My Fire – set for a May 31, 2011, release on Concord Picante, a division of Concord Music Group – wields this universal sound to explore the various corners of the human heart – from romance and passion to the shared joy of being alive and embracing everyone into the dance of life. Along with four compositions written or co-written by Elias herself, the album also includes covers of familiar works by songwriters as diverse as Jim Morrison and the Doors, pop icon Stevie Wonder and jazz saxophonist Paul Desmond. Elias weaves it all together into a cohesive whole by injecting each of the twelve songs with distinctly Brazilian grooves that alternate effortlessly between the fiery and passionate to the cool and sophisticated.

Backing Elias on Light My Fire is a crew of twelve high-caliber players, including special guests guitarist/vocalist Gilberto Gil and trumpeter Randy Brecker. The rhythm section – which has accompanied Elias on several of her most recent recordings – includes guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves, bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Paulo Braga. Also on hand to sing with Elias and Gil on “Toda Menina Baiana” is Elias’ daughter, singer-songwriter Amanda Brecker. New to Elias’ team is percussionist Marivaldo dos Santos, drummer Rafael Barata, guitarists Romero Lubambo and Ross Traut, and flutist Lawrence Feldman.

“I’ve made more than 20 records in my career,” says Elias. “I’m proud of all of them, but I’m especially excited about this one,” says Elias. “It feels like it has a life and an energy all its own. With very few exceptions, nearly all of the songs were first takes. Everybody in the studio was so focused, and it was such a fun record to make. The music was really flowing, and we all felt very relaxed. From the very first day, not a note was wasted by anyone. It was an amazing experience.”

That sense of effortlessness is evident from the opening bars of “Rosa Morena,” a song whose lyrics ask: “Where are you going? Why don’t you come and join us?” One of many songs on the album sung in Portuguese, the song is essentially an invitation for everything that is to follow. “It starts with a little bit of light percussion,” says Elias, “then gradually builds, adding layers of instruments until the end. A couple songs were arranged in this way, where I varied the density of the sound within the same tune. I was mindful of treating each song with somewhat different levels of transparency, which I think has a way of inviting the listener in and holding one’s interest. Joe Ferla, my recording and mixing engineer, further enhances this intention with his beautiful 3D mixes.”

The stirring “Aquele Abraço,” written by Gilberto Gil and inspired by his political exile in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, is a song about being willing to send love out to everyone and everything despite challenging circumstances. “Gilberto was first put in jail for months, and then he was sent out of the country,” says Elias. “When he was leaving, he wrote this song, recalling Rio de Janeiro and those he left behind.”

The intriguing covers include the title track, a slow and sexy Brazilian version of the Doors’ churning 1967 rock hit; a sensual take on the classic Stevie Wonder ballad, “My Cherie Amour;” and a slinky vocalese rendition of saxophonist Paul Desmond’s jazz classic, “Take Five,” first made famous by the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1959. “I didn’t just follow the original version note for note,” Elias says of the Desmond tune. “I created another section, a development section to replace the traditional ‘blowing chorus.’”

“Isto Aqui O Que É” reveals Elias’ beautiful voice in its most intimate setting on the album. “The song says, ‘This here is a little bit of Brazil, a Brazil that sings and is happy, and its people are not afraid, and they do not give up in the face of hardship.’ The song is a kind of anthem. The arrangement builds slowly, and the song eventually grows into a full sound. It’s so representative of what the lyrics say and what the Brazilian people are about.”

“Turn To Me (Samba Maracatú)” was co-written in 1988 by Elias and popular Brazilian composer Gonzaguinha, who passed away a few years later in 1991. In the world premiere of this song, Gilberto Gil, who was highly influenced by Gonzaguinha’s father, Luiz Gonzaga, steps in and shares the vocals as a tribute to the revered composer.

“What About the Heart (Bate Bate),” another of Elias’ original compositions, relates one person’s desire to rekindle the passion and romance in a relationship that has become routine and complacent. “‘Bate Bate’ (pronounced ‘baht-chi baht-chi’) is the sound of a quietly beating heart,” says Elias. “It asks the question, ‘What about the heart?’ In the end, it’s all about the heart.”

Says Elias, “I’m very excited about the music on this album. I think it’s cool, sexy and fun. This recording is the truest expression of what I’m doing right now, and it represents very closely what people hear me doing live in concert. I hope this music brings some romantic, joyful and heartfelt moments to those who hear it.Upcoming Tour Dates
All dates with Brazilian Quartet except when indicated
July 14 2011 - Aarhus Jazz Festival, Aarhus, Denmark
July 18 2011 - Jardines de Sabatini, Madrid Jazz Festival, Madrid, Spain
August 20 2011 - Capbreton Festival, France
August 25 2011 - Teatro Mayor J.M. Santodomingo, Bogota, Colombia
August 26 2011 - Teatro Mayor J.M. Santodomingo, Bogota, Colombia
August 27 2011 - Bogota, Colombia
September 1 2011 - Curaçao North Sea Jazz, Brakkeput Mei Mei, Curaçao
September 8 2011 - Seattle Jazz Alley, Seattle, WA(tickets)
September 9 2011 - Seattle Jazz Alley, Seattle, WA (tickets)
September 10 2011 - Seattle Jazz Alley, Seattle, WA(tickets)
September 11 2011 - Seattle Jazz Alley, Seattle, WA(tickets)
September 14 2011 - Anthology, San Diego, CA
September 15 2011 - Zipper Hall, Los Angeles, CA
September 16 2011 - Yoshis, San Francisco, CA (tickets)
September 17 2011 - Yoshis, San Francisco, CA(tickets)
September 18 2011 - Yoshis, San Francisco, CA(tickets)
September 19 2011 - Private Event, San Francisco, CA
September 25 2011 - State Theater, New Brunswick, NJ (Quintet)(tickets)
September 30 2011- Scullers, Boston, MA (Quintet)
October 1 2011- Scullers, Boston, MA ( Quintet)
October 5 2011 - The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (with Toots Thielemans, Marc Johnson, Airto Moreira & Oscar Castro Neves)
October 26 2011 - Shanghai Concert Hall, Shanghai, China
October 29 2011 - Flagey, Brussels, Belgium (with Toots Thielemans, Ivan Lins, Marc Johnson, Airto Moreira and Oscar Castro Neves)
October 30 2011 - De Roma, Borgerhout, Antwerp (with Toots Thielemans, Ivan Lins, Marc Johnson, Airto Moreira and Oscar Castro Neves)
November 1 2011 - Antwerp Private Concert (with Toots Thielemans, Ivan Lins, Marc Johnson, Airto Moreira & Oscar Castro Neves)
November 4 2011 - Barcelona, Spain
November 5 2011 - Arc en Scènes Théâtre La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
November 12 2011 - Le Chatelet, Paris, France with special guest Toots Thielemans
November 17 2011 - Schloss Elmau/Oberbayern, Germany
November 29 2011 - Iridium, NY
November 30 2011 - Iridium, NY
December 1 2011 - Iridium, NY
December 2 2011 - Iridium, NY
December 3 2011 - Iridium, NY