Chris Spheeris
Chris Spheeris Biography
If you have owned a television or a radio in the past 15 years in any of more than 40 countries around the world, you have probably heard the music of Chris Spheeris. In addition to having been a staple in the new age and smooth jazz radio formats, the music of Chris Spheeris has surfaced in the olympics, in soap operas, world skating championships, commercials and behind countless documentaries. In his unassuming, yet profound way, Chris Spheeris continues to provide inspiration, joy, and beauty to the hearts of millions.
Being raised in the midwestern USA and spending summers in his ancestral homeland of Greece, the the cross-cultural foundation of his expression was in place long before his first melodies were ever written. His earliest musical influences include the strains of classical piano played by his older sister, the Greek folk music sung by his mother and grandmother, and beautifully melodic and deeply mystical chants of the greek orthodox church. Chris sites his earliest musical training as the endless hours he spent listening and memorizing the melodies, harmonies and lyrics of The Beatles. It wasn't until he was 13, spending a year in Greece, that he actually picked up his first guitar. By 14, he was composing songs and at 19 entered the field of music as a professional.
Under the influences of Joni Mitchell, early Genesis, Cat Stevens, The Talking Heads, his beloved cousin Jimmie Spheeris and other visionaries of the era, Spheeris along with his best friend at the time, Paul Voudouris, entertained and inspired restaurant, coffee house, symphony, and college audiences with a blend of all original music and lyrics that was highly progressive and original. After six years, hundreds of performances, and four recordings, Chris and Paul went their separate ways.
Never one to sit idle for long, immediately following the split, at the age of 25, Spheeris immediately set up a studio, bought his first keyboards, and embarked on his own blend of instrumental music that would help found a new musical genre of new age. Within three years of the inception of his solo career, Chris caught the attention of a sales representative working for columbia records who was swift to send the tape to the head of a&r in new york. Within weeks, Chris Spheeris became one of the first new age instrumentalists to be signed to a major label and his first recording, Desires of the Heart, was welcomed by his new audience of great numbers.
Over the next 15 years, through his recordings Pathways to Surrender (1988), Enchantment (1991), Culture (1993), Desires (1994), Europa (1995), Mystic Traveller (1996), Eros (1997), Dancing with the Muse (1999), and The Best of Chris Spheeris (2000), Spheeris developed a signature style of cross-cultural, romantic instrumental music. His geographic and spiritual odysseys have imbued his music with a quality that is at once, intimate, exotic, passionate and universal. His 17 recordings have found more than one million homes and the 50 documentary films that he has scored have been broadcast globally. Enchantment, his 1991 collaboration with long-time creative partner Paul Voudouris, moved the spanish public in platinum numbers and is considered a new age classic. In 1995, Chris received a gold record in Greece when cypriot singer Constantina recorded one of his compositions. Regarding this achievement, Chris states, "it was an honor to be in a place to give something back to the rich greek culture that has given so much inspiration to my life and my music." In 1997, with co-producer Robert Cory, Spheeris scored the 13-part award winning series Mystic Lands, directed by Chip Duncan and narrated by acclaimed actor Edward James Olmos. In 2000, Chris entered the world of rap when legendary rapper Raekwon used 3 Spheeris compositions on his Immobilarity record. Also in 2000, Spheeris provided the music for a series of short-form victories by world-class russian skater Irina Slutskaya. In 2001, Chris produced two new recordings, Brio a guitar-oriented collaboration with stellar guitarist Anthony Mazzella, and Adagio, a solo-piano recording with Greek-American George Skaroulis interpreting Spheeris compositions. In November of 2001, Spheeris was awarded "Musician of the Year" by the Elios Society, for his artistic and cultural contributions.
In his own quiet and dedicated fashion, Chris Spheeris continues to mature as an innovative and prolific composer and instrumentalist, touching the lives of millions in ways that are not always recognized by the media. Living currently in the high desert of Arizona, Chris Spheeris remains a consummate traveler, both creatively and geographically, and a student of world cultures. Spiritual by nature, he sums his perspective up in the following way: "I experience divinity in everything and particularly in the process of creating . My medium is invisible. Working in this medium has taught me faith in the intangibles. Every day I do my work, I have an intimate exchange with God."
"I feel that the intention to love, to connect and to inspire creates the underlying theme in all of my work. My tendency toward harmony and beauty is implied in this."
"Although my music is abstract in nature, and not intended to convey a particular message, I am very aware of the magical and powerful influence that music can have on the listener. For this reason, I carry with me the responsibility of what I communicate to my audience."
"Music is a universal language that transcends cultural and individual boundaries and speaks directly to and from the human spirit."
"I am an explorer, a pioneer commissioned by the human collective to bring back information from the unknown."
"An artist should not be afraid to risk. Risk is the key to great art. When an artist stops taking risks, it's all over."
Chris Spheeris Discography
Chris Spheeris
- (1986) Desires of the Heart
- (1988) Pathways To Surrender
- (1993) Culture
- (1994) Desires
- (1997) Eros
- (1999) Dancing with the Muse
- (2001) Best of Chris Spheeris: 1990-2000 [Higher Octave]
- (2005) Best of Chris Spheeris: 1990-2000 [Essence]
Chris Spheeris and Paul Voudouris
- (1991) Enchantment
- (1994) Passage
- (1995) Europa
Chris Spheeris and Robert Cory
- (1996) Mystic Traveller
Chris Spheeris & Anthony Mazzella
- (2002) Brio
Chris Spheeris & George Skaroulis
- (2002) Adagio
Buy Chris Spheeris CD
Download Chris Spheeris mp3
Official Chris Spheeris Site
6 comments:
Great Writing! Would you consider doing a review for a New Age Album? Here is some info about it. You can also hear the title track ‘Ascension’ at our myspace http://www.myspace.com/bayareacontemporarymusic
If you are interested I can email you the tracks.
Thanks- Have a Great Holiday!
Monica Willliams
Phoenix Rising
ABOUT THIS CD …
We are living in a time of stress and struggle. There is still hunger, hatred, and sickness in a world that is also filled with such beauty, generosity, and harmony. ASCAP award-winning composer Wendy Loomis and Eastman School of Music alumna Monica Williams decided to create a CD that had the power to help people relax, de-stress, and energize with positive vibrations of gratitude for this life. While Wendy was in the middle of a yoga class, she had a vision of the CD being organized around the 7 chakras. For those of you unfamiliar, the 7 chakras are energy centers that run up the human body from the base of the spine, to the sexual center, the stomach, the heart, the throat, the 3rd eye between the eyebrows, and the crown of the head. Many people have developed systems that associate colors and tones with each chakra. Monica and Wendy decided not to be quite so literal in their interpretation, but rather incorporate the idea of energy rising from our most earthly, primal instincts up toward our higher, nobler, spiritual realm – the eternal quest to ascend toward the Higher Power. And ASCENSION was born.
7 is a lucky and inspiring number that is threaded through ASCENSION: there are 7 tones in a scale, the compositions are in 7 different key signatures, the music is played on 7 primary instruments, Monica was born in ’77, and this is the 7th CD of Wendy’s music.
With the exception of ‘Seed’ and ‘Nourishment’ which were improvisations, the themes for this CD were composed by Wendy Loomis. Monica and Wendy arranged the flute and piano sounds in a weave with instruments from around the world played by a group of very talented women: Jennifer Lim on guzheng (China); Debra Podjed on tabla (India) and goat hooves (Bolivia); Jessica Styler on hang drum (Switzerland); Suellen Primost on cello (Italy); Irina Mikhailova on voice (born in Russia); and Karen Segal on guitar (Spain/the Middle East).
If you are interested please contact me at monicaw14@hotmail.com
www.ccrichie.com/TheArtofSoundStudio
Dear Chris,
My name is SAJJAD and I am composer of contemporary instrumental music based in Toronto, Canada.
I wanted to stop by and say that I enjoyed reading your biography and mostly liked the quotes at the end specially liking this one, "An artist should not be afraid to risk. Risk is the key to great art. When an artist stops taking risks, it's all over."
I do not know how to read or write music but this has never stopped me from being able to express my thoughts musically. If anything not knowing the rules and laws of music gave me the freedom create fearlessly, never minding what rules I was breaking. I hope this will lead to change, to something new.
I play the keyboards and piano and am close to releasing my debut album "Where I Belong" internationally in March/May 2010 timeframe.
Some of the musicians that played live instruments on my album are well-known globally and in North America. Just to name a few:
i. Johannes Linestead on guitars and holder top spot on Billboard charts for past albums.
ii. Ron Allen, a premiere flautist and known for composing and playing the music for the scene of Christ's crucifixion in the movie "Passion of the Christ".
iii. Kevin Fox is a contemporary cellist who has arranged music for Celine Dion and Dolores O'Riordian from The Cranberries.
iv. Ron Korb, famous in Asia and North American for his flutes, has worked with Olivia Newton John and John Woo to name a few. This are just a few of the musicians feautured on the album.
"Where I Belong", prides itself for bringing together live ethnic and western musical instruments in a way that was meant to be and without effort. I used live Erhu, Duduk, Irish whistles and Uillean pipes, Shamisen, and African chants all the way to violins/violas, saxophones and guitars. This diversity underscores the message of my album that music can bring every nation closer to ever people as in this world of differences it is important to raise awareness and tolerance of each other across geographic borders.
I invite you to visit my website at SAJJADMUSIC.COM to see the result.
Best wishes and Happy New Year!
SAJJAD
We have very similar taste. I love the music from the artists you link to. They produce some beautiful, inspiring music.
I also compose new age tracks and produce classical arrangements. You are all welcome to listen to them and download them free of charge. I would be interested in your comment:
http://www.lantos.com.au
Hi.. Really good work! I Love and enjoyed very much.Thanks for sharing with us...
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