By Glenn Rifkin

The performance at Groton Hill Music Center will “be a journey through Brazil. They will hear some classics, some great Brazilian love songs, and hear stories about the songs. I will dedicate some of the show to the bossa nova.”

Eliane Elias at Groton Hill Music Center at June 7, 8 p.m.

Pianist, vocalist, composer and producer Eliane Elias performing in  São Paulo, Brazil. Photo: courtesy of the artist

Not yet 17, Eliane Elias was already an accomplished jazz pianist in her native São Paulo, Brazil. One night, performing with her trio in a small São Paulo club in the late 1970s, she noticed at a table near the stage a trio of Brazilian music legends, including Antonio Carlos Jobim, his co-writer Vinicius de Moraes, and Toquinho, a giant of Brazilian bossa nova and samba. Word had spread that the young pianist had some serious chops and they wanted to see for themselves. Needless to say, they were impressed by this talented virtuoso.

When the show ended, Jobim invited Elias to join the three of them on a three-year concert tour around South America. Despite parental concern, Elias, mature beyond her years, convinced her mother and father she was up for the challenge and she accepted the invitation.

“I went with them and it changed so much for me,” she said. Working with the masters who created iconic examples of Brazilian music, Elias experienced a level of musical presentation that opened her eyes to her own potential. She learned about evocative and spectacular production values and she learned how the stars communicated so effectively with their audiences. She not only thrived in her new gig but soon became the musical director and arranger for the tour. “I started as a pianist and ended up doing much more,” she recalled. “It was wonderful.”

Today, at 65, Elias is among Brazilian jazz legends herself. A pianist, vocalist, composer and producer, the sensual performer has expanded her repertoire across multiple genres, recording everything from baroque to the Doors. Having graduated from Brazil’s most prestigious music school at age 15, she was invited to join the faculty and soon was running the piano department and teaching master classes in jazz improvisation.

“Eliane is an artist; she’s amazing,” said Gilberto Gil, the Brazilian singer and composer. “There are not many producing a strong, consistent, solid, beautiful playing and singing and arranging and dressing of songs the way she does.”

Winner of multiple Grammy Awards and Latin Grammy Awards, she has recorded 33 studio albums and has sold nearly 3 million copies. Her most recent album, 2024’s Time and Again hit number one on the jazz charts and was nominated for a 2025 Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album. She is a major presence on Spotify, with more than a half billion streams of her music.

Elias spoke to the Arts Fuse about her upcoming show in Groton.

Arts Fuse: How would you describe the essence of your music?

Elaine Elias: I have always valued melody, harmony, rhythm in all my performances. It’s hard for me to say what the essence of my music is. I have a wide spectrum, from baroque to jazz to romantic, many styles that are important to me and helped form me as a musician, as a pianist and a composer. The piano has always been my main instrument. It is the continuation of my soul. And I love the art of improvisation. Things have evolved over the years.

AF: In what way?

Elias: I made recordings in the late ’80s where I let the piano take a back seat, so I could sing and I got comfortable with my voice. This changed my career. It expanded my repertoire to a place where I feel so complete. I am always feeling creative and it keeps it fresh for me.

AF: You started so young and that has really given you a chance to evolve.

Elias: Growing up with Brazilian music and touring with Jobim, de Moraes and Toquinho, I drank right from the fountain. I developed my skills early as a pianist. Playing, improvising, and eventually singing, made me very recognizable. I look for the romantic aspect of music, the stories of love but not only romantic love, just all things from the heart. I tell these stories to the audience so they understand the feelings I’m talking about. It’s a very personal way of doing things.

AF: That audience relationship is obviously important to you.

Elias: I feel this connection with the audience when I’m performing that is very deep and beautiful, really integrated with them. It’s not like “Here I am on stage and I want to play for you.” No. It’s being integrated with them. It’s up to all of us, to me and to the audience. It’s very special to me and to them as well.

AF: You were so young when you went on that famous tour. I’m surprised your parents approved.

Elias: My father was not happy about me being in the middle of musicians. He was very concerned about the reputation of the artistic world. I was a very sweet girl but I was very mature and centered. I had already seen some unfortunate things, colleagues involved with drugs and alcohol and the decline of their lives. Early on I had a very clear idea that I was not going to touch anything and I didn’t. I had my first glass of wine when I was 44!

Eliane Elias – the sensual performer has expanded her repertoire across multiple genres, recording everything from baroque to the Doors. Photo: courtesy of the artist

AF: What influence did Jobim have on your career?

Elias: The way he wrote songs really influenced me. He wrote over 300 songs and I have recorded more than 100 of them throughout my career. He was a beautiful composer. You hear that music, you hear how harmony moves, how the melody moves.

AF: Would you say he was your biggest influence?

Elias: No. It’s not fair. You’re talking about one part of me. What about all the years spent transcribing and studying jazz piano. Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson , Bud Powell, Art Tatum. I studied all the traditional players. Jobim is the Brazilian side but there’s a whole other side that is so important, so I couldn’t just say he was the most important.

AF: What can the audience expect in Groton?

Elias: It’s going to be a journey through Brazil. They will hear some classics, some great Brazilian love songs, and hear stories about the songs. I will dedicate some of the show to the bossa nova. There will be a lot of joy. I promise they will have a lot of fun.

Glenn Rifkin is a veteran journalist and author who has covered business for many publications including the New York Times for nearly 35 years. He has written about music, film, theater, food and books for the Arts Fuse. His book Future Forward: Leadership Lessons from Patrick McGovern, the Visionary Who Circled the Globe and Built a Technology Media Empire was published by McGraw-Hill.