On the Classical Side is the ninth studio album by Brazilian jazz pianist and composer Eliane Elias.

She plays 20 classical compositions of Heitor Villa-Lobos, Maurice Ravel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Frédéric Chopin.

When she moved to the U.S. in 1981 to join the jazz fusion group Steps Ahead, she continued her classical studies for a time at Juilliard.

Because Johann Sebastian Bach was a renowned improviser, Elias is naturally drawn to his works, in this case, a formidable performance of his "French Suite No.

But she is at her very best bringing life to the music of fellow countryman Heitor Villa-Lobos, playing individual selections from several longer pieces.