Jazz Articles about Helio Alves

Helio Alves: Portrait In Black And White

by Rob Cline
April 10, 2004

Pianist Helio Alves has a light touch, dazzlingly fleet fingers and a knack for drawing listeners into a piece. All those gifts are display on his new album, Portrait in Black and White. Ably supported by bassist Santi Debriano and drummer Matt Wilson, Alves presents a collection highlighted by his originals and lightly spiced with Brazilian flavors.

Despite Alves' capacity for blinding speed, his dashes over the keyboard are never solely showy. Instead, his technical prowess is consistently used to ...