Clifton Journal from Clifton, New Jersey • A25

ARTS ENTERTAINMENT CLIFTON JOURNAL AUGUST 1, 2014 PAGE 25 Botany welcomes Traffic Jam Oppie ambles on an eclectic musical trail PHOTOST.JULIAN PERTKIEWICZ Clifton residents danced and cheered on Traffic Jam's performance in Botany Square last Friday night. The concert was part of an ongoing summer series. Upcoming Friday night concerts, which begin at 6:30 p.m., include the Midnight Ramblers on Aug. the Frost Kings on Aug. Sweeter Than Honey on Aug.

15; the Victoria Warne Band on Aug. 22. The Carlos Colina and Straight Up will perform Saturday, Aug. 16, at 7 p.m. By Michael Gabriele Correspondent CLIFTON As a member of the Clifton Community Band, Chris Opperman was one of 80 musicians who squeezed on the stage at Main Memorial Park.

The band, on the evening of July 20, performed an outdoor concert. It was another stop on Opperman's ongoing musical journey, a melodious path that began as a member of the Clifton High School (CHS) Mustang Marching Band and led him to a prestigious school in Boston, the eclectic Los Angeles music scene, Europe, and back again to Clifton. Along the way, his ambitious musical collaborations have garnered two Grammy nominations. Affectionately known as "Oppie" a nickname bestowed upon him by Community Band Director Robert Morgan -Opperman is working on a Ph.D. at the Mason Gross School of Music at Rutgers University, having completed a master's degree in Music Composition at Mont-clair State University in 2010.

He expects to finish his Ph.D. in two years, and currently teaches music as an adjunct professor at Montclair State and Rutgers. A member of the CHS Class of 1996, Opperman played coronet in the Mustang Marching Band, but his main instrument was piano. As a teenager, he became interested in music theory and composition, but initially had difficulty grasping how the complex elements of melody, harmony, counterpoint and rhythm were harnessed to create a finished score. Morgan, aware of Opperman's interests, asked his dedicated student to arrange a march for the Mustang Band, a piece titled "Follow Me Boys." Opperman said it was an illuminating experience as he literally watched and heard his arrangement unfold on a field with musicians in motion.

Opperman was accepted to the renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston. Two years later, he formed his own music label, Purple Cow Records, and released his first album, "Oppy Music Vol. Purple Crayon." The recording 12 songs written by Opperman featured a 15-piece band made up of guitars, drums, bass, piano and a brass section. Opperman's good friend, guitar virtuoso Mike Keneally, produced the recording and performed in the session. An online review of the 1998 PHOTO BY M.

GABRIELE Chris Opperman, also known as "Oppie," is pictured at Main Memorial Park, prior to the start of the July 20 performance by the Clifton Community Band. Oppy Music project stated the "debut album is something of a mixed bag. It's all extremely well played. there are a handful of tunes that really show Opperman's compositional and arranging abilities. Overall, (the recording) sounds like a talented young composer attempting to find his voice.

For every misstep, there are a number of great musical moments, and ultimately Opperman proves to be a very talented player and composer." The reviewer was particularly impressed with one selection, "Sharel's Lullaby II," which he described as "a beautiful solo piano piece that closes the album in a fitting manner." This was a composition Opperman wrote during his final year at CHS. His four years at Berklee were "intense," Opperman confessed. "The competition at the school was fierce. The program was rigorous. It pushed you to do your best work." Opperman moved to Los Angeles after graduating from Berklee.

He continued to work with Keneally, "my biggest mentor," and learned the intricacies of studio recording technologies. He landed a "day" job in the royalties department of the Universal Musical Publishing Group, and was performing nearly every night in clubs, cafes and jam sessions. Keneally tapped Opperman to be his co-orchestrator and SEE OPPERMAN, PAGE 26.