When it comes to the smooth mix of jazz and classical music, no virtuoso could compare to the leading Brazilian lady Eliane Elias. Elias has dazzled her homeland of Brazil for the past two decades, also invading the U.S. with her astonishing pianistic abilities and angelic vocals. From the talent pool of Juilliard to a handful of jazz supergroups, Elias has established a legacy of elegant and sentimental jazz that has set the bar high for ensembles to follow.

Piano fingers run in the Elias family, as Eliane's mother Lucy was a classical pianist in her time. Elias grew up under the influence of jazz records, and made the first move on her musical career in Sao Paulo, where she studied at the Free Center of Music Apprenticeship for six years. Performing in jazz clubs as a teenager, Elias continued to hunt her pianistic dream, and a chance meeting with jazz bassist Eddie Gomez in Europe convinced the young prodigy to pursue a career in New York City. Studying under Olegna Fuschi at the Juilliard School of Music, Elias soon thereafter embarked on a professional career with the jazz ensemble Steps Ahead, featuring Michael Brecker, Peter Erskine, Mike Manieri and Gomez. Sparking a buzz around the Big Apple, Elias released just one album (1983's Steps Ahead) with the group before moving on to other projects, and a collaboration with trumpet player Randy Brecker eventually led to their marriage, shortly thereafter releasing the duo's album Amanda in 1985, named for their daughter.

Too powerful to be held down to one force, Elias continued dominating the jazz and classical musical scenes, becoming one of very few artists to release jazz and classical albums simultaneously in 1993. Collaborations with jazz heroes like Jack DeJohnette, Marc Johnson and Satoshi Takeshi led her to even greater success, and a duet with Herbie Hancock in 1995 made the name Eliane Elias practically a household name for jazz enthusiasts.