Ed Clute is probably the most extraordinary stride piano player that you may never have heard of. Sightless since birth, he has been working steadily as a solo pianist and band sideman in the southern tier of New York for over 50 years, based high in the hills of Watkins Glen. A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, Ed combines nimble-fingered virtuosity with a keen ear for harmony and an abiding love for popular piano styles to create lush, distinctive arrangements. In this, his first CD for Rivermont, Ed turns his attention to nearly two dozen of the most beautiful ballads of the 1920s, '30s, and '40s. The CD includes a 12-page illustrated booklet with liner notes by Andy Senior and Bryan S. Wright. 22 selections. 58 minutes of music.