Eliane Elias

Brazil's Eliane Elias has long enjoyed a sterling career murmuring bossa nova standards, but her heart has always belonged to American jazz. Here, Elias pays tribute to her greatest influence, the brilliant pianist Bill Evans. The results are intimate and romantic but also dynamic -- Elias and her trio draw inspiration from Evans but don't copy his versions of these tunes (which include a few Evans originals, including "Waltz for Debby" and some unreleased numbers). How much does Eliane Elias love Bill Evans? She married his last bass player, Marc Johnson, who is featured here.