Eliana Pittman

Eliana Pittman (born August 14, 1945 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) born Eliana Leite da Silva was one of the more soulful singers of the early 1970s. The stepdaughter of the jazz saxophonist Booker Pittman, she was deeply influenced and encouraged by him to become an artist, as he was her first music teacher, mentor and partner on some records.

With a distinctive swinging voice and intensity in her style, Pittman was a brilliant scat singer who turned insipid novelty tunes and light pop into definitive, jazz based treatment. Her first great hit was Tristeza, recorded in 1966, which gained her instant recognition in South America, though she never had a huge hit like Astrud Gilberto's Garota de Ipanema. During the 60s and 70s, she toured throughout Brazil, Italy, France, Japan, U.S., Spain and Venezuela.

In 2001, Pittman opened a new tour starting from Rio de Janeiro. Since then, she has been alternating moments of reclusion and some activity as a TV actress.

Selected discography

• Eliana & Booker Pittman - News From Brazil (Odeon/Paradise Masters, Brazil, 1963)
• Eliana Pittman (Odeon/Amazon, Brazil, 1972)
• Quem Vai Querer (RCA, Brazil, 1977)
• Soul Of Brazil - Funk, Soul, & Bossa Grooves 1965 to 1977 (EMI/Odeon, France, late 1970s)

Sources

• Dusty Groove [1]
• IMDb entry
• Loronix blog spot