Exemplary piano talent -- and she sings too

Eliane Elias hasn’t been heard often enough in the Southland. And her previous recent appearance, a relatively brief set last summer at the Hollywood Bowl in a tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim, was obscured by unnecessarily distracting orchestral accompaniment.

So it was particularly pleasant to hear the gifted Brazilian pianist and singer in a far more intimate setting Sunday afternoon at the Rising Jazz Stars Foundation in Beverly Hills. Performing with bassist Marc Johnson (her husband), drummer Satoshi Takeishi and guitarist Freddie Bryant, she offered a succulent menu of tunes showcasing her considerable skills.

Unlike virtually every female jazz singer-pianist who comes to mind, Elias plays with enough improvisational inventiveness and hard-driving swing to establish her musical credibility without ever singing another note. Her soloing on “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Desafinado” -- filled with well-paced, spontaneously crafted melodies, soaring freely across the top of the harmonies -- was gripping, more than compensating for her tendency to rely a bit too much (especially in the vocals) on overly dramatic two-handed chording.

In the early part of her career, Elias’ singing had the sound of a lower-pitched Astrud Gilberto. More recently, she has begun to find a warmer, darker vocal texture. And when she emphasized that quality -- on numbers such as “Tangerine” -- one sensed her singing finally beginning to find its own focus.

Happily, the performance also had distinctly Brazilian overtones. Elias’ strengths as a jazz artist, combined with her roots in Sao Paulo, make her one of the most impressive interpreters of jazz-linked bossa novas, sambas and choros -- notably apparent in tunes such as “Doralice,” “Chega de Saudade” and an unexpected, bossa nova rendering of the old Petula Clark hit “Call Me.”

She was exceptionally well aided by Bryant, whose crisp articulation and rhythmic lift, enhanced by his lively interaction with Elias, took these numbers up another level. Johnson and Takeishi, deeply familiar with the adventurous twists and turns of Elias’ musical pathways, provided strong, supportive accompaniment throughout.