Eliane Elias Paying Tribute to Chet Baker

Posted May 18th, 2013 at 10:42 am (UTC+0)
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Brazilian vocalist, pianist, and composer Eliane Elias

Eliane Elias paying tribute to jazz legend Chet Baker

By Diaa Bekheet | Washington, DC Brazilian-born pianist, composer, and vocalist Eliane Elias is paying tribute to an American trumpet icon on a new album due for release on May 28.

“This recording is a tribute to Chet Baker and to cool jazz,” said Eliasin an interview with VOA’s Jazz Beat. “Chet Baker had a special way of phrasing, not only with playing but with singing as well, that had influenced the bossa nova.”

[audio:http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/english/2013_05/Eliane_Elias_Jazz_Beat_diaa_Bekheet_may2013.mp3]

Making the connection between the cool sounds of Chet Baker and the cool sounds of the bossa nova has become a welcome trend: Last year Brazilian singer Luciana Souza released a Baker tribute, “The Book of Chet,” emphasizing how the singing trumpeter inspired the creators of bossa nova, such as João Gilberto.

Elias brings to the concept her distinctive style — both vocally and at the piano — which blends traditional Brazilian music, bossa nova, and straight-ahead jazz. The 14-track album, “I Thought About You: A Tribute to Chet Baker,” features a group of acclaimed musicians, including her husband bassist Marc Johnson, trumpeter Randy Brecker, guitarists Steve Cardenas and Oscar Castro-Neves, drummer Victor Lewis, and percussionist Marivaldo Dos Santos.

Listen to more music and interviews here on Jazz Beat

Diaa Bekheet
Diaa Bekheet has worked for a host of media outlets, including Radio Cairo in English, ETV News, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) and the Associated Press. He joined VOA in Feb. 1989 as an International Broadcaster, hosting a variety of popular news and entertainment shows such as Newshour, Radio Ride Across America, Business Week, and Jazz Club USA. He has interviewed a number of Jazz celebrities, including the legendary Dizzy Gillespie, Ramsey Lewis, Wayne Shorter, and George Benson. Diaa is currently an editor for our main English site, VOAnews.com.

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