Mirror Mirror is the latest album by Brazilian pianist extraordinaire Eliane
Elias. It comes with two new elements: it is the first album where the
musician, who is also a brilliant singer, only plays the piano and does not
sing at all; it consists of instrumental duets performed with two other jazz
giants, megastars in their own right, just like her: American Chick Corea and
Cuban Chucho Valdés.
اضافة اعلان
For jazz lovers, the mere thought of listening to
these three pianists featured on one single album is a dream, one that does
indeed come true upon listening to the seven pieces they recorded. Elias takes
turns at playing and improvising with Corea and Valdés.
The two virtuosos set the pace from the opening
track, Armando’s Rhumba, played with Corea (Armando is his original first name)
who also composed the piece. The bright sound of the two Yamaha grand pianos is
a perfect match for the style. Despite the intricate chords, the subtle
improvisation lines, and the relatively fast tempo, each note is heard clearly
and well rendered. This is a great example of virtuosity delivered with
restraint and mastery.
Sometime when jazz performances become too complex,
non-musician listeners can lose their way, and only the performers “get their
kicks”. This is not the case here; everything remains easy to follow and enjoy.
Elias’ style, which is strongly Latin-Brazilian flavored, and Corea’s known
avantgarde accents, blend very well.
The second piece, Esta Tarde Vi Llover, played with
Valdés, is more on the pure Latin side, understandably, given the roots of the
two musicians. Here too, the performance is an absolute delight. Whether in the
chords, in the rhythmic patterns, or in the solo lines, the improvisational
vocabulary of the two musicians proves that it is one of the finest of the
genre.
I particularly enjoyed the third track, Blue Bossa,
a jazz standard that has been covered by countless musicians the world over,
and that was created by Kenny Dorham. Here Elias and Corea manage to preserve
the beauty of the catchy melodic line of Blue Bossa’s main theme, to improvise
brilliantly on it, while keeping everything under control and easy enough for
the listener to follow. It is really refined, classy jazz at its best, a
beautiful example of instrumental virtuosity associated with good taste.
Whatever your kind of jazz, this one is hard not to love.
Corazon Partio, the fourth track, remains entirely
in the Latin realm, with a gentle bossa nova beat, and the absolutely superb
musical conversation that occurs between Elias and Valdés. It does get a bit
crazy toward the middle of what is the longest piece of the album, which lasts
12 minutes, without however losing any of its appeal. It is a showcase of what
four exceptionally talented and seasoned hands can do on two pianos.
Mirror Mirror, the piece that gives its title to the
album, is a Corea’s composition. Things slow down a bit here, as if to let the
listeners catch their breath. Again, the musical dialog between the two
performers, Elias and Corea, flows gently and nicely.
Sabor A Mi, has an even slower tempo and brings us
back to Elias and Valdés and to the Latin side of jazz. It is a well-known
composition by Mexican Alvaro Carillo.
The last track, There Will Never Be Another You,
played by Elias and Corea, is another jazz standard included in the album. A
little more complex than the other six pieces, it still maintains the momentum
and the superlative quality of what is truly a first-class album.
I first listened to the music on Spotify, in pure
high-definition sound. I then watched some of the tracks that are available as
videos on YouTube, with the usual average sound quality, but that nicely
complement the experience with the sight of the musicians playing.
Sadly, celebrated Chick Corea passed away in
February last year, during the period the recording of the album was taking
place. Elias continued to work on the project with Valdés, and the album was
finally released by the end of the year.
Chucho Valdés is the son of the late Bebo Valdés who
also was a jazz great. One of the most successful recordings of Bebo Valdés was
Lagrimas Negras (Black Tears) in 2003; it was an innovative and amazing
combination of Cuban jazz and Spanish flamenco.
Mirror Mirror is co-produced by Marc Johnson, Elias’
husband. Along with Canadian Diana Krall, Elias is currently the most famous
female jazz pianist. She was largely recognized as a child prodigy at a very
young age.
When I discovered her music, years ago I sent her an
email, asking if by any chance she had Middle Eastern ancestry, and if we could
be related, given our common last name and the fact that I myself have family
who emigrated to Brazil. Though she was already famous and a rather busy
performing musician, she kindly took the time to send me a personal and
courteous reply, saying that she actually had Italian roots, but that she loved
the Middle East and enjoyed “hommos” and “falafel”!
Jean-Claude Elias is a computer engineer and a classically
trained pianist and guitarist. He has been regularly writing IT articles,
reviewing music albums, and covering concerts for more than 30 years.
Read more Opinion and Analysis
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
