Paula Faour

For several reasons, Paula Faour invites comparisons to the well-known Eliane Elias. Like Elias, Faour is a Brazilian jazz instrumentalist who plays the acoustic piano and electric keyboards -- and she obviously shares Elias' strong appreciation of Bill Evans' lyricism. Faour, like Elias, has played both Brazilian and American songs and has combined post-bop pianism with Brazilian rhythms. But Faour is younger than Elias; she was born in the late '70s, whereas Elias was born in 1960. And unlike Elias (who moved to the United States and married trumpeter Randy Brecker), Faour still lives in Brazil. So despite some of the parallels between Faour and Elias, Faour is her own person.

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