| CHRIS OPPERMAN PERFORMS ON GRAMMY-NOMINATED RECORDING |
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Award-winning composer/pianist Chris Opperman has a lot to be smiling about these days. Recently, Opperman appeared on "Lotus Feet," an instrumental song on Real Illusions: Reflections, the newest album from multiple-Grammy winner Steve Vai. Composed by Vai and performed by Vai with Holland's Metropole Orkest, featuring Chris Opperman on piano, "Lotus Feet" has been nominated in the Best Rock Instrumental Performance category of the Grammy Awards, airing worldwide on February 8, 2006. Opperman's musical ability first came to Vai's attention through Opperman's critically acclaimed 2001 solo piano album, Klavierstucke. Vai commented, "These days it's rare to hear a person squeeze the most out of the performance potential of a non-electronic instrument. On this album, Chris explores harmony, melody and virtuosity on the piano with lofty and magnificent insight." In 2003, Mike Keneally, who gained fame performing with Frank Zappa, was commissioned by Co de Kloet of NPS Radio Holland to compose a piece for full orchestra to be performed by the Metropole Orkest. Keneally tapped Opperman to be his co-orchestrator, and the collaboration resulted in the album The Universe Will Provide, named one of the Best Albums of 2004 by the Internet's All-Music Guide, a definitive music resource used widely within the industry. In a similar commission, Opperman was hired by Vai to orchestrate some of Vai's music, including "For the Love of God," a Vai signature song. Vai also hired Opperman as a guest artist on acoustic piano for the 2004 live-performance recordings of this material, which included "Lotus Feet." This resulted in the version on Vai's album that is now nominated for a Grammy. In addition to his work with Vai and Keneally, Opperman has just released his fourth album, Beyond the Foggy Highway, on his Purple Cow Records label. Beyond the Foggy Highway is a collection of live tracks from Opperman's 2002-2004 Los Angeles-area performances. "Opperman's playing is fantastic," raves the All-Music Guide, "and really shows that Chris Opperman is not only a great player and composer, but a fine improviser and a talented bandleader as well." Opperman's other three albums include 1998's rock album Oppy Music, Vol. I: Purple, Crayon, a popular favorite on college radio stations. The album was produced by Mike Keneally, who noted that "Opperman's music occupies a hitherto unexplored region between rock, jazz, and contemporary classical music." Exploring the more classical aspects of his music, Opperman followed up with his solo classical album of acoustic piano music, Klavierstucke. In 2004, Opperman released a collection of duets, Concepts of Non-linear Time, which features collaborations with Cirque du Soleil violinist Robert Thompson, Mike Keneally and others. Opperman is currently working on his fifth release, a studio rock album. His future plans also include a fall 2006 tour with his band Special Opps, which will feature members of the acclaimed Zappa cover band Project/Object. Opperman's music is available for purchase from several online retailers including iTunes, cdbaby.com, amazon.com, and from his Website, oppymusic.com. On February 8, 2006, the Grammy Awards international broadcast airs on CBS affiliates nationwide. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites          Add your comment
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