Eliane Elias - Dreamer (2004)

On Dreamer, Sao Paulo-born, Manhattan-based pianist Eliane Elias performs bossa novas and brush-stroked ballads by North and South American composers from Johnny Mercer to Antonio Carlos Jobim. This project is a sort of musical homecoming for Elias, who once worked with bossa nova pioneer Vinicius de Moraes. Elias's pretty pianisms complement her breathy Portuguese/English contralto, especially on the '60s hit "Call Me," "Photograph (Fotografia)," and "So Nice (Samba de Verao)." Elias's two compositions, "Movin' Me On" and "Time Alone," can be considered smooth-jazz-friendly, but the Bahia bounce of "Doralice"--where Elias quotes Stan Getz's well-known tenor solo--and her instrumental rendering of Burt Bacharach's "A House Is Not a Home" are highlights of this masterpiece of soft syncopation. Rob Mathes's elegant, Claus Ogerman-style string arrangements enhance the mood. --Eugene Holley, Jr.