Music from Man of La Mancha

Music from Man of La Mancha is a studio album by Brazilian jazz pianist and singer Eliane Elias. The album was recorded in 1995 but released by Concord only on April 13, 2018.[5][6]

Man of La Mancha
Studio album by
Eliane Elias
ReleasedApril 13, 2018
Recorded1995
StudioPower Station, New York City
GenreJazz
Length53:25
LabelConcord Jazz
ProducerMitch Leigh, Eliane Elias
Eliane Elias chronology
Dance of Time
(2017)		 Man of La Mancha
(2018)		 Love Stories
(2019)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Jazz Forum[2]
Jazzwise[3]
Tom HullB+[4]

Background

Music from Man of La Mancha is Elias' 26th full-length album. The tracks for the album were recorded as early as in 1995 and produced by Elias together with Mitch Leigh, the late composer of the music for the Broadway musical Man of La Mancha that premiered in 1964. The production was inspired by an earlier, 1959 non-musical stage production, I, Don Quixote, itself inspired by Miguel de Cervantes' 17th-century masterpiece Don Quixote. The album was not released for so long because of contractual limitations; Leigh passed in 2014 and never saw its release.[7][8]

Chart performance

The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard magazine Traditional Jazz Chart and No. 20 on Top Heatseekers one week after its release.[9]

Reception

Bobby Reed of DownBeat stated, "Melodies, melodies, sumptuous melodies. That's the central attraction of Eliane Elias' new album, which also features dazzling bouts of improvisation... Elias and her collaborators recorded this material in 1995, but due to contractual obstacles, it was never released. Now, with the blessing of the Leigh family, this gem finally is available. One need not have any familiarity with the stage or film versions of Man of La Mancha to enjoy this excellent album, which is filled with hummable melodies and Elias' impressive, right-hand improv flourishes. Deftly avoiding sentimentality and cliché, the pianist has crafted a compelling samba arrangement of "The Impossible Dream" (one of the show's most often-interpreted tunes). Elias utilized the Brazilian rhythm of frevo in her arrangement of "A Little Gossip," which is spiced with an agile solo by Johnson. "I'm Only Thinking of Him," which features Gomez and DeJohnette, feels completely fresh in 2018."[10]

Christopher Loudon of JazzTimes commented "...it is an immensely lush album, a vibrant fusion of Elias' Brazilian verve and the music's Latin-meets-Broadway zest—from a shimmering "Dulcinea," gently roiling "It's All the Same" and stirringly contemplative "The Barber's Song," to a fiery, passionate "To Each His Dulcinea" and the Carnaval-esque rumpus of "A Little Gossip." And, yes, "Dream" is here: freed of the bombast pop vocalists have typically lent it, masterfully reimagined as a spirited samba".[11]

Track listing

All music is composed by Mitch Leigh.

No.TitleLength
1."To Each His Dulcinea"5:42
2."Dulcinea"5:34
3."What Does He Want of Me"6:43
4."The Barber's Song"5:08
5."It's All the Same"7:17
6."I'm Only Thinking of Him"5:04
7."Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote)"7:41
8."The Impossible Dream"5:48
9."A Little Gossip"4:31
Total length:53:25

Personnel

References
  1. Jurek, Thom. "Eliane Elias – Music from Man of La Mancha". AllMusic.com. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  2. Wyszogrodzky, Daniel (25 August 2020). "Music From Man Of La Mancha | Jazz Forum". Jazz Forum. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  3. Quinn, Peter (August 2018). "Review". Jazzwise. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  4. "Tom Hull: Grade List: Eliane Elias". Tom Hull. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  5. "Music from Man of La Mancha - Eliane Elias". Concord Music Group. concordmusicgroup.com. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  6. "Eliane Elias, Music from Man of La Mancha". Ejazznews. ejazznews.com. April 9, 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  7. "Music from Man of La Mancha". elianeelias.com. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  8. Reed, Bobby (April 2018). "Eliane Elias: Music From Man Of La Mancha (Concord)". DownBeat. downbeat.com. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  9. "Another #1 Album from Eliane Elias With The Release Of New Album, Music From Man of La Mancha, on Billboard's Traditional Jazz Chart". Concerted Efforts. concertedefforts.com. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  10. Reed, Bobby (April 2018). "Eliane Elias: Music From Man Of La Mancha (Concord)". DownBeat. downbeat.com. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  11. "Track Premiere: Eliane Elias' "To Each His Dulcinea"". JazzTimes. jazztimes.com. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
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