Opius Bliss to Appear in Branford for Jazz Series

From the Town of Branford:

What do you get when you combine a group of highly creative, improvising jazz instrumentalists with a charismatic singer that uses an artful blend of blues, bebop, swing and soul with playful rhythmic expressiveness? You get an energetic, unique and soul-stirring group, known as Opius Bliss, that the Boston Globe calls a “ stunning fusion of talent” and The Beehive says is “…a highly charged, brand-new, blues-frenzied band on the rise…” The five-member group is fronted by international jazz vocalist Michelle Walker, who has just returned from co-headlining the 2016 JAVA Jazz Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia, which also featured Sting, Chris Botti, Monty Alexander, Patti Austin and more. Opius Bliss will be performing as part of the 2016 Branford Jazz Concert Series on July 7 on the Branford Town Green, starting at 6:30 p.m.

With its wide- ranging eclectic and roots-oriented approach to music, the new indie groups Opius Bliss rearrange harmonies and dive into a musical narrative that is familiar, smart and powerful. Michelle’s deep, dark and rich tone draws the band listeners into a spellbound space. There is uniqueness to Walker’s soothing tone that is equally matched by the hypnotic guitar talent of acclaimed guitarist Jason Ennis, pianist Sean Fitzpatrick, bassist Michael O’Brien and drummer Sean Dixon.

Rick Koster at The Day Newspaper says of the band, “As all styles of music continue to evolve and expand, acts like Opius Bliss dazzle with their fresh sonic recipes. The band, fronted by soulful powerhouse Michelle Walker, explores jazz-style improve through the rootsy [sic] prism of similarly inclined voyagers like the Allan Brothers, Gov’t Mule, the Neville Brothers and the Tedeschi-Trucks Band. The vocal harmonies shimmer with the sparkle of Deep South gospel, arrangements of contemporary and archival tunes are stunningly clever, and the instrumental interplay is top-notch.”

Opius Bliss has an inviting style with the music moving at times from an acoustically sparse vocal heavy murmur to powerful punch and improvisational zeal.

The stories Walker and the band deliver are seductive interludes with gorgeous harmonies with an overlay of gospel and blues-tinged soul. The band stretches with wide variety appeal blending knotted traditions of roots music overlapping folks, blues, jazz, soul, country and rock genres with comparisons to Cassandra Wilson, Tedeschi Trucks’ band and Alabama Shakes.

The Hartford Courant says “Opius Bliss…. Experiments in roots-based improvisation …. A distinctive blend that invigorates! And Jazz Corner says the band is “…High-packed energy from start to finish…. One of the best new genre bending Indie bands on the rise….intelligent, moving and soulful…”

Michelle studied classical voice at the University of Maryland and also at the Amsterdam Music Conservatory in Holland and the Stanford Jazz in Palo Alto, Ca. She was the first vocalist asked to perform at the “Hot Jazz” Concert Series that featured jazz veterans Kenny Werner, Eric Alexander, Peter Bernstein, David Hazeltine and Jimmy Greene. Michelle has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, Russia, Israel, England, Holland and most recently at Blues Alley and The Black Rock Performing Arts Center outside Washington, D.C., where she helped kicked off the jazz concert season which has featured Russell Malone, Cyrus Chestnut and Ravi Coltrane. In early 2002, Michelle released her debut album recording, "Slow Down." The recording received a Washington Area Musician Association (WAMA) award nomination for Best Jazz and Debut Album of the year and also a national nomination for Best Independent Jazz Vocal album of the year. Michelle spent the first years of her career working as a full-time vocalist in the Washington, D.C. area before she moved to New York City, where she currently resides and performs.

Based in New York City, Michelle is best described as a very versatile, distinctive artist with a dark, deep tone to a mid-range, swinging lilt. With her refreshing approach to arranging and interpreting often easily recognizable contemporary songs, Michelle brings together a collection of jazz standards, original songs and her arrangements of pop tunes that thematically chronicles a love affair as portrayed in her latest release, "Love Misery." Michelle has traveled on multiple tours in Europe, performing in the Lincoln Center Women in Jazz Festival, touring with jazz vocal legend Mark Murphy and performing at the White House for the lighting of the National Christmas Tree. She has been compared to Cassandra Wilson, Nina Simone and Betty Carter in style and tone, but has developed her own unique sound and singular voice.

Some of Michelle’s long list of accomplishments includes the JAVA Jazz Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia, performing at the GPAC Performing Arts Center in Memphis, Tenn. and the Belarus International Jazz Festival in the city of Minsk on the same bill as vocal group, TAKE 6. She followed that concert with a 17-day, 10-city extraordinary tour in Russia performing at many Philharmonic Concert Halls around the country including the Jazz Philharmonic of St. Petersburg. She has also opened on tours for jazz vocalist Rene Marie, Chris Botti, George Benson, Spyro Gyra, Terrell Stafford and Wynton Marsalis. Michelle has also performed in concert with noted jazz musicians Joel Frahm, Dena DeRose, Benny Green, Ron Afif, Dan Tepfer, Robert Rodriguez, Benito Gonzales and saxophonist Sam Rivers.

“Performing at The Branford Jazz Series in the summer of 2016 will be almost one year to the day that we formed this new project, Opius Bliss. It is extra special for us to celebrate this moment with the folks of Branford as we have come full circle as a band and thrilled to share that moment with you, “said Walker. Performing at The Branford Summer Jazz Concert Series is giving us a chance to look back at where we started and see how far we have come in such a short time against the odds. Getting to know the town of Branford, we feel particularly connected to it since it is known to be a community with a strong desire to remain deeply rooted by its history yet unafraid to show off its own unique character.”