Doce De Coco by ELIANA GRACIELA (CD)

The new album by ELIANA GRACIELA is a musical journey through Brazil, from the late 30ies to the splendor years of Bossa Nova, the late 50ies and 60ies, with a big band consisting of some of the most promising talents of Latin music.

Born into a very musical family (her father is the Chilean sax player and band leader RAUL GUTIERREZ), it’s no surprise that ELIANA GRACIELA decided for a musical career herself and (after she was trained as a dancer and instrumentalist in Germany) studied saxophone with
Wolfgang Puschnig at the Vienna University. Her main influence (no surprise either) are the various styles of Latin music, and her focus lies on Brazil. ELIANA spent one semester in Rio de Janeiro where she got to know and fell in love with “choro”, a popular Brazilian blend of Polka, waltz and African music.
Since 2013, ELIANA GRACIELA (civilian name: Mueller) played in and founded various formations, mainly in Latin projects but sometimes also in jazz ensembles or dance performances, and recorded her first solo album in 2015.
For “Doce de Coco”, recorded in Cuba, she formed a truly poly-national and poly-cultural big band which includes among others her father (founder of IRAZU) on saxophone, the Mexican pianist ALONSO BLANCO, compatriot of percussionist GERARDO GARCÍA; the Chilean bassist
MARCELO CÓRDOBA; the virtuoso Cuban trumpet players LÁZARO OVIEDO and ÁNGEL CHAPOTIN … and, as special guest, the famous ROBERTICO GARCÍA.
Musically, ELIANA takes the listener on a journey from the late 30ies (“Aquarela do Brasil”) to the splendor years of Bossa Nova (“Samba do Avião” by ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM, “Recado Bossa Nova” and “Só Por Amor”, written by BADEN POWELL and VINÍCIUS DE MORAES) to “Paisagem Brasileira” by the great contemporary master GILSON PERANZZETA and, of course: Carnival, represented here by the samba “Despedida de Mangueira”.
To quote the liner notes by Germán Palomares Oviedo:
“Jazz, to be truly jazz, requires good improvisation… coherent and profound discourses. All of that is in Eliana Mueller’s music, but there is also a seductive rhythm, an evident sense of humor and a sophisticated technique that, paradoxically, makes it look simple, beautiful and accessible. Can you ask for more?”