Bossa nova turns 50 this year, with the official birth date harkening back to Brazil in 1958 when guitarist João Gilberto recorded Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes's seminal "Chega de Saudade."

With Gilberto's new samba-derived rhythm and soft-spoken, non-vibrato vocals, the song helped to launch a movement of a new sound that melded seductive Brazilian rhythms with jazz and European classical harmony. In celebration of the silver anniversary, the Sao Paulo-born/New York-based vocalist/pianist Eliane Elias lovingly pays tribute to the music of her homeland with 'Bossa Nova Stories', a sublime 14-tune collection that captures the cool and alluring spirit of bossa nova. It's the 21st recording of her career and the follow-up to the acclaimed 'Something for You: Eliane Elias Sings and Plays Bill Evans' that was released earlier this year on Blue Note Records.

Eliane Elias' singing, integrated with her piano, makes her a unique interpreter of melody and song. On 'Bossa Nova Stories', her vocal delivery is a marvel of rhythmic freedom, swinging beautifully and wonderfully integrated with the syncopations of her piano, or in counterpoint to the rhythm of the guitar. This is a true musician singing. Her voice, vocal phrasing, feel and interpretation place her at the top of this genre.

For this recording, she leads a top-notch band, all of whom are steeped in the bossa nova tradition, including guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves, drummer Paulo Braga and bassist Marc Johnson. Guests include harmonica legend Toots Thielemans, Brazilian post-bossa singer/songwriter Ivan Lins and up and coming guitarist Ricardo Vogt. Produced by Elias and Steve Rodby, the album also features seven tracks with full orchestration beautifully arranged and conducted by Rob Mathes, and recorded at Abbey Road Studios, in London.

The music features classic bossa nova tracks including "The Girl From Ipanema," "Desafinado", "Chega de Saudade" and "Minha Saudade," as well as standards given the bossa treatment (two Johnny Mercer numbers, "Too Marvelous for Words" and "Day In and Day Out," and the Gershwin chestnut "You Can't Take That Away From Me"). "To include American standards is in keeping with the tradition of the bossa nova legends, specifically João Gilberto, who recorded so many songs by classic American composers," says Elias. "The bossa nova composers were very influenced by the popular music coming out of the States in the '40s and '50s." In addition, there are two new standards fortified by bossa: Stevie Wonder's "Superwoman" and "The More I See You," made into a pop-music hit in 1966 by Chris Montez.

While 'Something for You' showcased Elias' piano prowess - buoyed by lively swing, balladic romanticism, studied virtuosity - 'Bossa Nova Stories' trains the spotlight on her marvelous vocal talent while also demonstrating her unique pianistic mastery of Brazilian and Latin rhythms.

The Bossa Nova Stories songbook, set for release January 13, 2009 on Blue Note Records, includes the following 14-tune collection:

The Girl From Ipanema
Chega de Saudade
The More I See You
They Can't Take That Away From Me
Desafinado
Estate (Summer)
Day In Day Out
I'm Not Alone
Too Marvelous For Words
Superwoman
Falsa Baiana
Minha Saudade
A Ra (The Frog)
Day by Day

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