Ed Clute: A Summer Night’s Magic

A Summer Night’s Magic, on Rivermont Records, is a set of piano solos by blind virtuoso Ed Clute, performed at his home in Watkins Glen, New York, on his own Mason & Hamlin grand piano. The biographical portion of the liner notes were adapted from a profile of Ed that appeared in the first issue of The Syncopated Times in February 2016. In those notes, we learn that Ed Clute was a child prodigy—but this disc is more a testament to a prodigious lifelong dedication to the art of making music. Clute ventured as far afield as France pursuing his craft. He received formal training and expert mentorship into his fourth decade; his extensive classical studies and his formidable technique audibly inform his jazz playing. After fifty years of public performance, he continues to sit in with well-known bands and maintains an active calendar as a soloist. He is always seeking opportunities to share his music with new audiences. Judging by his performance on this album, his eatery gigs must be much more than mere dinner accompaniment. I auditioned this CD at the volume of a piano being played a few feet away, and there were times that—had I been in a restaurant—I’d have dropped my fork. Though perfectly enjoyable as a well-chosen ambient pick, this album holds up to repeated and intent listening. Clute’s stride style, influenced by and in the tradition of Frankie Carle, ha