Toronto pianist Eddy Ruyter has spent most of his career supporting other artists, but his solo work shows he doesn’t need a band to tell a story. Waves (Deluxe) is him on piano first, everything else second. It’s a set of pieces written to hold attention, and it works because he treats the instrument like a narrator.
The core tracks are all piano-only. “Shatter” is the biggest swing of the bunch: one moment tense, almost thriller-like, then opening into something brighter. “Waterfall” is lighter and nostalgic, built around a figures-on-the-keys pattern that feels like it could run forever. “Broken Waltz” tilts the form just enough to make you notice it — still a waltz, but with edges. “Starlit” slows everything down, just melody and room. “Waves” is the closest to a theme piece, the one that feels familiar even on first listen.
Then come the reworks. “Broken Waltz (Reimagined)” with Damien Alexander Duque and City of Dawn adds soft ambient pads under the original idea, turning it from a piece you watch to one you sit inside. “Waterfall (Reimagined)” brings in strings from Ross Christopher, giving it that film-music lift without drowning the piano — you can still hear the original spine.
The whole record sits in that neoclassical / modern-instrumental lane, but it isn’t wallpaper. Each track has a clear mood, and none of them overstay. Easy to drop into meditation playlists, study mixes, yoga, or any scene that needs movement without rhythm getting in the way.
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