Eliane Elias is such a fine hard bop/post-bop pianist that it is a pity that she occasionally feels compelled to vocalize; her singing voice is small, quiet, and unimpressive. However, other than her brief vocals on "The Beat of My Heart," "I Fall in Love Too Easily," and "Blah Blah Blah," this is a strong trio set.
Elias interacts with either the bass-drum team of
Marc Johnson and
Jack DeJohnette or
Christian McBride and
Carl Allen, with guitarist
Rodney Jones just popping up briefly on one song.
Elias' playing is often introspective, but always very expressive and she swings hard on the faster pieces. She is one of the underrated greats of the jazz piano. ~ Scott Yanow