Opafire
Encyclopedia
Opafire is a Jazz Fusion
/ World Fusion / Contemporary Jazz
musical group, originally based in San Francisco, California
, best known for their 1991 RCA Records
release Opafire, (Catalog #: RCA3084X937), which sold close to one million units World Wide, the 1992 RCA Records
release Without a Trace, as well as the 1994 Higher Octave
/EMI
release Ricochet Sun, and the 1992 JVC
release KKSF
103.7FM Sampler Volume Two, which both sold over 600,000 units.
The musical group Opafire was created in 1990 by composer
, arranger, multi-instrumentalist
, and record producer
Zachary Norman E.
In 1990, Opafire was signed to a recording contract
with RCA Records
after Steve Feinstein, the famous & multi music industry publication award winning program director
who guided San Francisco's Contemporary Jazz Radio Station
KKSF
103.7FM to be one of the leading stations in the NAC / New Adult Contemporary format, began playing Opafire's music, which became some of the most "Listener Requested" songs on KKSF
. When RCA Records
/ BMG Music released the debut album Opafire, it gained International success & heavy rotation
radio airplay. The Opafire songs, "Wajumbe", "Kalimbahari", and "Walk Like Rain" reached the #2, #11 & #26 spots on the Gavin Report
New Adult Contemporary Most Radio Plays chart and "Top Ten" spots in the R&R Magazine, as well as reaching the charts in Germany, Italy, Japan, France, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Holland, and Taiwan.
In 1991 Opafire toured with Miles Davis
, Spyro Gyra
, and the Yellow Jackets as part of the JVC Jazz Festival Tour, performing in larger venues with audiences of up to 12,000 people.
Opafire has headlined many music festivals, theaters, and clubs throughout the years, such as the Oxfam International Festival Tour, the Whole Life Expo Tour, the Stern Grove Festival
, the Great American Music Hall
and Yoshi's Night Club in San Francisco & Oakland California, The Baked Potato
in Los Angeles, as well as large "Listener Appreciation Concert" performances for KTWV
94.7FM "The Wave" in Los Angeles & Santa Monica, California, and the KKSF
103.7FM "Music Without Borders Listener Concerts" in the Atrium of the Hyatt Regency San Francisco
, the largest being the "KKSF
103.7FM Sampler Volume Two Record Release Concert" in Justin Herman Plaza, with Opafire headlining and John Tesh
as Master of Ceremonies.
In 1998, while healing from a serious hang gliding
accident, citing both his apathy for Clear Channel Communications
now nationally syndicated "Smooth Jazz
" radio format, and his interest to focus more on composing original music for film & television, including commissions by NPR
, PBS & Nova (TV series)
, as well as producing more rock & vocal based music in his Maui
recording studio in Hawaii
, the musical group Opafire was put on sabbatical by leader Zachary Norman E.
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
/ World Fusion / Contemporary Jazz
Contemporary jazz
Contemporary jazz can mean:*Any type of jazz that evolved from deviation from its "standard" sound since mid-20th century*A contemporary variant of jazz dance*Jazz fusion*Smooth jazz...
musical group, originally based in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, best known for their 1991 RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
release Opafire, (Catalog #: RCA3084X937), which sold close to one million units World Wide, the 1992 RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
release Without a Trace, as well as the 1994 Higher Octave
Higher Octave
Higher Octave is a sub-label imprint of Narada Productions, which is part of EMI's Blue Note Records label group, located in New York.Higher Octave was founded in 1986 as an independent record label specializing in a wide variety of uplifting music, including smooth jazz, New Age music, Latin music...
/EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
release Ricochet Sun, and the 1992 JVC
JVC
, usually referred to as JVC, is a Japanese international consumer and professional electronics corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded in 1927...
release KKSF
KKSF
KKSF, known as "Oldies 103.7", is a classic hits radio station in San Francisco, California. The station is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications.-History:...
103.7FM Sampler Volume Two, which both sold over 600,000 units.
The musical group Opafire was created in 1990 by composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, arranger, multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
, and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Zachary Norman E.
In 1990, Opafire was signed to a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
after Steve Feinstein, the famous & multi music industry publication award winning program director
Program director
In service industries, such as education, a program director or programme director researches, plans, develops and implements one or more of the firm's professional services...
who guided San Francisco's Contemporary Jazz Radio Station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
KKSF
KKSF
KKSF, known as "Oldies 103.7", is a classic hits radio station in San Francisco, California. The station is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications.-History:...
103.7FM to be one of the leading stations in the NAC / New Adult Contemporary format, began playing Opafire's music, which became some of the most "Listener Requested" songs on KKSF
KKSF
KKSF, known as "Oldies 103.7", is a classic hits radio station in San Francisco, California. The station is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications.-History:...
. When RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
/ BMG Music released the debut album Opafire, it gained International success & heavy rotation
Heavy rotation
In broadcasting, rotation is the repeated airing of a limited playlist of songs on a radio station or satellite radio channel, or music videos on a TV network. They are usually in a different order each time, however they are not completely shuffled, so as to avoid playing the same song again too...
radio airplay. The Opafire songs, "Wajumbe", "Kalimbahari", and "Walk Like Rain" reached the #2, #11 & #26 spots on the Gavin Report
Gavin Report
The Gavin Report was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs...
New Adult Contemporary Most Radio Plays chart and "Top Ten" spots in the R&R Magazine, as well as reaching the charts in Germany, Italy, Japan, France, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Holland, and Taiwan.
In 1991 Opafire toured with Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, Spyro Gyra
Spyro Gyra
Spyro Gyra is an American jazz fusion band that was originally formed in the mid-1970s in Buffalo, New York, USA. With over 25 albums released and 10 million copies sold, they are among the most prolific as well as commercially successful groups of the genre...
, and the Yellow Jackets as part of the JVC Jazz Festival Tour, performing in larger venues with audiences of up to 12,000 people.
Opafire has headlined many music festivals, theaters, and clubs throughout the years, such as the Oxfam International Festival Tour, the Whole Life Expo Tour, the Stern Grove Festival
Stern Grove Festival
Established in 1938, the Stern Grove Festival is an admission-free series of performing arts events held during the summer months at the Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove, a eucalyptus-wooded natural amphitheater on a site at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard, about two miles south of Golden Gate Park...
, the Great American Music Hall
Great American Music Hall
The Great American Music Hall is a concert hall in San Francisco, California. It is located on O'Farrell Street in the Tenderloin neighborhood on the same block as the Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theater...
and Yoshi's Night Club in San Francisco & Oakland California, The Baked Potato
The Baked Potato
The Baked Potato is a noted night club located in Studio City, Los Angeles, often regarded as the world's oldest music venue specializing in jazz fusion music. The club's name is derived from its unusual menu which features more than 20 types of baked potatoes....
in Los Angeles, as well as large "Listener Appreciation Concert" performances for KTWV
KTWV
KTWV is a commercial radio station located in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside–San Bernardino and Ventura County areas on 94.7 FM. KTWV airs a hybrid Smooth AC radio format branded as "94.7 The Wave"...
94.7FM "The Wave" in Los Angeles & Santa Monica, California, and the KKSF
KKSF
KKSF, known as "Oldies 103.7", is a classic hits radio station in San Francisco, California. The station is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications.-History:...
103.7FM "Music Without Borders Listener Concerts" in the Atrium of the Hyatt Regency San Francisco
Hyatt Regency San Francisco
Hyatt Regency San Francisco is a hotel located at the foot of Market Street and The Embarcadero in the financial district of San Francisco, California...
, the largest being the "KKSF
KKSF
KKSF, known as "Oldies 103.7", is a classic hits radio station in San Francisco, California. The station is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications.-History:...
103.7FM Sampler Volume Two Record Release Concert" in Justin Herman Plaza, with Opafire headlining and John Tesh
John Tesh
John Frank Tesh is an American pianist and composer of pop music, as well as a radio host and television presenter. His 10-year-old 'Intelligence for Your Life Radio Show' reaches 14.2 Million listeners/week, and is syndicated by Teshmedia on 400 stations in US, Canada, and the UK...
as Master of Ceremonies.
In 1998, while healing from a serious hang gliding
Hang gliding
Hang gliding is an air sport in which a pilot flies a light and unmotorized foot-launchable aircraft called a hang glider ....
accident, citing both his apathy for Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
now nationally syndicated "Smooth Jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
" radio format, and his interest to focus more on composing original music for film & television, including commissions by NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, PBS & Nova (TV series)
NOVA (TV series)
Nova is a popular science television series from the U.S. produced by WGBH Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries...
, as well as producing more rock & vocal based music in his Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
recording studio in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, the musical group Opafire was put on sabbatical by leader Zachary Norman E.
Members
- Zachary Norman E. - guitar, synthesizers, percussion, composer, producer, engineer
- Robert Powell - guitar, various stringed instruments
- Dallas Smith - sax, wind synthesizer, bamboo flutes
- Bryan MantiaBryan MantiaBryan "Brain" Mantia is a contemporary rock drummer. He has played with bands like Primus, Guns N' Roses, Praxis and Godflesh, and with other popular performers such as Tom Waits, Bill Laswell, Bootsy Collins and Buckethead...
- drums - Michael Pluznick - percussion
- Tom Corwin - fretted bass
- Michael ManringMichael ManringMichael Manring is an American electric bassist from the San Francisco Bay Area, .-Biography:...
- fretless bass, (studio sessions only) - Christopher Hedge - production, engineer, (studio sessions only)
Discography
- Opafire (1991 - RCA Records/BMG)
- KKSF 103.7FM Sampler Volume 2 (1991 JVC Records)
- RCA Novus Sampler '90 (1991 - RCA Records/BMG)
- Without a Trace (1993 - RCA Records/BMG)
- Ricochet Sun (1994 - Higher Octave Records/EMI)
- Panorama: A Collection of Music from Around the World (1996 - Higher Octave Records/EMI)