Eliane Elias at Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, NY, USA

Fantastico! Brazilian singer, songwriter, composer, Jazz pianist and Grammy® winner Eliane Elias lit up the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, New York with her stunning performance on November 3, 2017, which was part of a two-night engagement. There are some musicians that leave a lasting impression; Eliane Elias is one of them. A gifted pianist, composer, and arranger, she sings and plays from the heart, leaving audiences breathless with her exuberance.

There is always something wonderful happening at JALC located in the Time Warner Center in the heart of Columbus Circle, and Friday, November 3, 2017 was a great example of its quality as a "must attend" venue with Eliane Elias performing in the Rose Theater, Nuevo Jazz Latino performing in The Appel Room, the Vinicius Cantuaria Quintet performing in Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, and the Abelita Mateus Trio featuring Abelita Mateus on piano, Flavio Lima on bass, and Phillip Gillette on drums and percussion, performing Brazilian Jazz in the open space.

Abelita Mateus performing at Jazz at Lincoln Center – https://youtu.be/pL-l7P8aY2c

Abelita Mateus, Flavio Lima, Phillip Gillette
Abelita Mateus Trio

We were at JALC for the Eliane Elias concert, and as a way of introduction for those new to her, she is a multi-talented singer, songwriter, composer, Jazz pianist, and keyboardist extraordinaire, who was born in São Paulo, Brazil and started playing piano at the age of seven. Her dedication, passion, and exceptional talent has earned her latest 2017 release, Dance Of Time, released on the Concord Music Group label, two Latin Grammy® nominations for Best Latin Jazz Album and Best Engineered Album, and her 2015 album, Made In Brazil, also released on the Concord Music Group label, earned her a Grammy® award for Best Latin Jazz Album, and a Latin Grammy® nomination for Best Engineered Album. Lucky for New Yorkers and for those visiting "The Big Apple," Eliane Elias now calls the United States home when not traveling and touring around the world.

Eliane Elias, Marc Johnson, Joe LaBarbera
Bill Evans Tribute Set

For her Jazz at Lincoln Center performance she created an exciting and diverse program, Eliane Elias: From Bill Evans to Brazil, which deftly showed her mastery of all types of Jazz. American pianist, composer, and arranger Bill Evans (1929 – 1980) had a lasting impression on Eliane Elias, and the first set featured the music of the Bill Evans Trio with both members of Bill Evans’ final trio, Joe LaBarbera on drums and Marc Johnson, Eliane’s husband, on bass, playing with Eliane on piano.

Eliane introduced the first set as "a tribute to the one and only Bill Evans" before segueing into the song, Waltz for Debby, which he wrote back in 1954 for his niece after he returned home from the army. A stunning instrumental piece that showed Eliane’s deft mastery of the Bill Evans style of straightforward classical Jazz that he creatively interpreted, and used block chords to create.

Marc Johnson and Joe LaBarbera

Eliane introduced the next song, by explaining that Bill Evans was one of her earlier influences with his classical and beautiful style, and about a month before Bill died, he gave Marc (Johnson) a cassette tape, which he put away. When Bill died suddenly a short time later, Marc forgot about the tape. When Marc finally found the tape about 25 or 26 years later, he found that Bill had started composing two beautiful songs, which Eliane transcribed and completed composing. Eliane and Marc recently acquired a film showing Bill at the piano wearing his overcoat, ready to leave, playing his work in progress music for his friends. Talk about magical; imagine watching a film of Bill playing his unfinished piece on screen, followed by Eliane playing the completed composition, Here is Something For You, off her 2008 Something For You: Eliane Elias Sings & Plays Bill Evans release. She continued with two more songs off that release, I Love My Wife, followed by You and the Night and the Music, which beautifully closed the first set.

The audience packed their bags for a musical trip to Brazil for the second set described as a "Brazilian Journey, with Eliane Elias on piano, joined by Marc Johnson on bass, Rafael Barata on drums, and Rubens de La Corte on guitar. She opened the set with the song, Brasil written by Ary Barroso off her Made In Brasil release, followed by Você (You) written by Ronaldo Bôscoli, Ray Gilbert, and Roberto Menescal.

Eliane Elias, Rubens de La Corte, Marc Johnson, Rafael Barata
Brazilian Journey

Sambou Sambou off her latest release, Dance of Time, kept the Brazilian feeling in full swing, and although there was no dancing in the Rose Theater, there was plenty of seat sambaing. Eliane followed Sambou Sambou with the George and Ira Gershwin song, Embraceable You, which was on her 2013 tribute release to the late Chet Baker (1929 – 1988), I Thought About You: A Tribute to Chet Baker. (Read the review of Dance of Time.)

Next came Alma e Coração, the official song of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, which was a showstopper of a number with Eliane singing, playing the piano, and dancing, followed by the song, Rosa Morena, written by João Gilberto, the man who is credited with creating the bossa nova.

A standing ovation brought Eliane and the band out for one more song to close out a night that will long be remembered by Jazz fans. Eliane Elias is more than a gifted pianist, singer, composer, and arranger, she is someone who gives it her all and plays with such exquisiteness, and sings from the heart, that one cannot help but marvel at her.

Rafael Barata, Rubens de La Corte, Eliane Elias,
Marc Johnson, Joe LaBarbera

Until next time, keep enjoying the music!

For a complete list of Eliane Elias Tour Dates, please visit the website: www.ElianeElias.com

A Sampling of Eliane Elias Upcoming 2017 Tour Dates

For a complete list of upcoming shows at Jazz at Lincoln Center, please visit the website: www.jazz.org

A Sampling of the Upcoming 2017 Shows at Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York

A Sampling of the Upcoming 2018 Shows at Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York

Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Mission: "On the Spirit of Swing. The mission at Jazz at Lincoln Center is to entertain, enrich and expand a global community for jazz through performance, education and advocacy."

Built in 2004 in the heart of Columbus Circle, and located in the Time Warner Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall has three main venues: Rose Theater: 1,233 seats, The Appel Room: 483 seats overlooking Columbus Circle and Central Park, and Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola: 140 seat intimate Jazz club named for the famous Jazz artist Dizzy Gillespie.

The Box Office is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm, and Sunday from 12:00 pm until 6:00 pm. During ticketed performances, the Box Office will remain open an additional half-hour after the scheduled time of the performance.

Visit their website for additional information as well as special deals: www.jazz.org

Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office

(Located within the Time Warner Center)

Broadway at 60^th Street, Ground Floor

New York, New York

United States
Telephone: +1-212-721-6500

Website: www.jazz.org

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/jazzatlincolncenter

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