Eliane Elias Trio, Something for You

It's hard nowadays for gently romantic piano swing - however skilful - to avoid the audible-wallpaper trap, and all the more so if it comes with confiding Astrud Gilberto/Diana Krall-like vocals. The fine singer/pianist Eliane Elias returns to Blue Note records with a tribute to the late piano genius Bill Evans, mostly emphasising Evans' dreamily reflective aspect. Her Brazilian inflections and improviser's rhythmic invention invigorate a generally sleepy vocal genre, and her trenchant piano phrasing on the odd fast instrumental confirms her status as a star pianist. So does the quality of a trio comprising Marc Johnson (Elias's husband and Bill Evans' last bass player) and drummer Joey Baron. The project was inspired by sketches for pieces Evans died before recording, but this is very much Elias's music, rather than an Evans imitation. The Monkish Five has a stubborn, mildly dissonant charm, and the classic Blue in Green is made more earthily soulful in Elias's version. A little more of the edgy energy revealed here only in brief flashes would have helped, though; it's easy music to let slip into the background unless you're determined not to let it.