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Last Modified : 12-29-2008
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Folga - Best Of Bossa Nova Relaxing
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JazzDigger Home > E - Jazz Artists > Eliane Elias > Item 24
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Folga - Best Of Bossa Nova Relaxing
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by Eliane Elias
Sales Rank: 431909
Price:$36.49
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Album Details
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1. Running
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2. Oye Como Va - Eliane Elias, Puente, Tito
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3. Around the City
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4. Jammin' - Eliane Elias, Marley, Bob
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5. Segredos Secrets
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6. We're So Good
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7. Tropicalia - Eliane Elias, Beck
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8. Slide Show
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9. A Vizinha Do Lado The Next Door Neighboor - Eliane Elias, Caymmi, Dorival
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10. Save Your Love for Me - Eliane Elias, Johnson, Buddy
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11. Chiclete Com Banana - Eliane Elias, Castilho, Almira
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12. Another Day
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13. Segredos Secrets, Pt. 2
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Listener Reviews & Comments
Updated May 8, 2007 Breaking boundaries doesn't by itself automatically equate with true innovation or quality. The fields of jazz are littered with failed attempts to break boundaries. The reason we don't hear them that often is that they've been buried in the cosmic bit bucket where they belong. After all, when was the last time you heard the Duke Ellington and Count Basie tributes to the Beatles? Or Stan Getz playing "Marrakesh Express." Or, for that matter, Paul McCartney as a symphonist. Indisputably great artists making ill-advised choices in an attempt to widen their audiences, or to be taken more seriously, or whatever. There's no question that Eliane is breaking out and exploring new avenues on this album. Some of the reviewers have made the dubious claim that because it's different, it's automatically better. They also make the claim that the reason her loyal fans hate it is because they're just old squares who can't keep up with an artist who's outgrowing them. The thing is, in order for the new stuff to be an improvement, it would actually have to BE better. Some of the stuff that Eliane sings and plays on this album is just junk, most notably the title cut. Some of the album is quite good. To separate the good from the bad, you simply have to perform the 'Lester Test.' Look at the liner notes, and wherever you see the name Lester Mendez, that cut's probably bad. Wherever his name is missing, that cut's probably good. The 'Lester' tunes are all reaching for pop breakthrough, mostly at the expense of those things that make Eliane great. It's as though she checked her own judgment (which is impeccable) at the door for those sessions, and let Lester and the whole star-making pop music machinery run the show. The result is predictable: formulaic, mediocre pop music. Because she's got such great instincts as a composer and arranger, it's surprising to see her lavish her playing talents and her name to material that's so... lame. The thing is, Eliane is SO fabulous when she's fabulous that we feel a sense of loss when she's not. That's a terrible burden for her, but part of the price of being so great. In her prior outings, she's put her best assets on hold to explore her vocal avenues, and 'Around the City' merely compounded that, putting her best stuff one level still further back. Great news, though. We saw her last fall when she appeared in SF at the Great American Music Hall, along with her all-time best sidemen (Marc Johnson, who never left, and especially Satoshi Takeishi, who has been sorely missed). They proved that she's still got it... Man, oh man, does she ever still have it! She did something that night that we hadn't seen before. She sang, yes, but, for once, instead of obscuring her playing brilliance, she brought all her gifts to bear, played her heart out, and brought down the house!!! Half a year later, we're still totally buzzed by the music that emanated from that spot that night. She can sing all she likes if she does it like that!!! Eliane is an unbelievably great artist. This particular outing deserves less, but we love her too much for that, so 3 stars on this for a 5-star artist.
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Folga - Best Of Bossa Nova Relaxing
by Eliane Elias
Price:$36.49
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