Eduardo Elia: Desvíos

That a sinewy, hypnotic insistence propels Desvios, Argentinian pianist Eduardo Elia's debut release for 577 Records, is not to be considered a surprise or big leap forward in one creative's ongoing quest for the perfect union of muse and spirit. That a sinewy, hypnotic insistence propels Desvios should be all one needs to hear to determine to thoroughly investigate his complete discography.

But only after they have absorbed the richness of Desvios.

Recorded at the historic Teatro del Libertador San Martín in Elia's home base of Cordoba, Argentina, the pianist and pioneer immediately draws us into his moment and his surroundings. "I," the frenzied opener and a harbinger of the performance ahead. "II" exhibits and highlights Elia's classicism, a formidable mix of the immediate and the imaginative. That classicism echoes into the pensive "III" and the elusive, vapory "IV."

Once Google-translated, Desvios means detours here in the old hometown. It is a slightly misleading title as Elia tells a whole story, sidetracks be damned; "V" sets one story in motion while "VI" insists the two are one. It is a neat, fluid trick that Elia employs often, each time with an un-suspected twist (as evidenced on his recent trio recording with bassist Maximiliano Kirszner and drummer Nicolas Politzer on Una pregunta, tres respuestas (Orbit577, 2023) or Solo (BlueArt Records, 2016)).

Each numbered track—the Bud Powell-like romp "VIII," the quietly reserved "IX,"  the elusive narrative of "XI"—brings Elia's temperament, his desire to call, to respond, to interact, to the fore thus brining Desvios to the foreground.

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