Eliane Elias – Light My Fire
Eliane Elias, the Brazilian singer, pianist and composer, is no stranger to the music scene. She was one of the many notable Latin jazz artists featured in Fernando Trueba’s wonderful documentary film Calle 54. She has worked with legends like Herbie Hancock and trumpeter Randy Brecker, to whom she was once married. And her latest release, Light My Fire, marks a career that spans nearly three decades. Her new album not only contains her signature Bossa Nova work, but she also covers some familiar popular standards.
Elias starts things off with the Bossa Nova-samba classic “Rosa Morena.” It was written by the late Brazilian composer Dorival Caymmi. But “Rosa Morena” was made famous by legendary singer/guitarist João Gilberto, who frequently collaborated with the late Antônio Carlos Jobim and helped to create the Bossa Nova sound of the late 1950s. Elias’s “Rosa Morena” pays homage to Caymmi and his Afro-Bahian roots coupled with elements of a cool jazz sound. It opens with a heavy, percussive sound of the drums, followed by a delicate piano from Elias and the staccato guitar rhythms often heard in Brazilian music.
“Aquele Abraço” marks her first time recording with the legendary Brazilian singer/guitarist Gilberto Gil, who is also known for this song. It’s a wonderfully playful duet between Elias and Gil from start to finish. There’s a great call and response between the two artists as they fill in each other’s sentences and their chemistry is evident in their vocals. It is shocking to believe that this is their first time recording together and one would hope that it is not the last time.
Her cover of the title track, “Light My Fire,” transforms The Doors’ classic into a hauntingly beautiful, romantic ballad. This song has been covered by countless artists including Stevie Wonder and Minnie Riperton. But the arrangement of Elias’s “Light My Fire,” which is a blend of Bossa Nova, samba and classical jazz thanks to her masterful touch on piano, nicely compliments her seductive vocals.
Eliane Elias’s Light My Fire continues the tradition of Bossa Nova coupled with the influence of modern jazz and popular American songs. It will hopefully expose listeners to the wonderful artists who helped to create the sound of Brazilian jazz and show how artists like Eliane Elias continue to keep this sound alive for a whole new audience.
