Bodo Schopf is a well-known and widely heard musician whose skin-hitting and cymbal-riding skills propelled, it the studio and on stage, songs of such legendary artists as Michael Schenker, SWEET (cowriting the brilliant “Red Tape” on "The Answer"), Hazel O’Connor and ELOY, and who also issued an array of drum-oriented solo albums. Yet there’s a totally different aspect to the veteran’s talents: for a quarter of a century now, he’s been masquerading as Ty Ardis, a pseudo-classical composer dealing mostly in jazzy lounge – only his latest offering takes the same drift further afield.
Released just recently, the record titled “Piano Emotionale” finds the titular device at the fore, at its most romantic and reflective, accompanied by acoustic guitar, chamber strings and wind instruments – in other words, it lies on the other end of the spectrum of what the listeners used to expect from Herr Schopf, but it’s every bit as interesting.
1. Dreamy Moments
2. Tender Touch
3. A Beautiful Place
4. Thoughts
5. Retro Times
6. Drifting Along
7. Spheric Motion
8. Dark Shift
9. Green Valley
10. Silence
11. Darkness
12. A Special Moment
13. From A Distance
14. Calming
15. Piano Emotionale