Around the City

April 2010 Week 1
Pianist Eliane Elias goes from bop and Bach to bossa nova just as easily as she sings in English and Portuguese. This CD is the sequel to her 2004 recording, Dreamer, and it features bassist Marc Johnson, guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves, flutist Dave Valentin, and trumpeter Randy Brecker. The 13 selections are iPod-ready, techno-textured tunes, including the hip and hypnotic “Running”–which was recently featured on the television show Brothers and Sisters–the upbeat, Top 40-type number, “We’re So Good,” and the flamenco-flavored “Slide Show.” But Elias’s engaging renditions of several pop classics steal the show. The Santana/Tito Puente Latin masterpiece, “Oye Como Va,” features her sly, new lyrics and her zesty, Fender Rhodes solo. Bob Marley’s “Jammin'” is a resyncopated, electro-samba, and Beck’s “Tropicalia” swings with Rio-born, soft syncopations. So it’s no wonder that this Calle 54-featured, soulful South American can cross over into smooth jazz with ease and integrity. –Eugene Holley Jr.

Eliane Elias
Audio CD (August 22, 2006)
Original Release Date: August 22, 2006
Number of Discs: 1
Label: RCA Victor

Buy the CD here.

Track Listing
1. Running
2. Oye Como Va
3. Around The City
4. Jammin’
5. Segredos (Secrets)
6. We’re So Good
7. Tropicalia
8. Slide Show
9. A Vizinha Do Lado (The Next Door Neighbor)
10. Save Your Love For Me
11. Chiclete Com Banana
12. Another Day
13. Segredos (Secrets) part 2