The Opener is an instrumental jazz composition by the pianist Bill Evans. It was first recorded by the Bill Evans Trio, with Evans on piano, Eddie Gómez on bass and Eliot Zigmund on drums, at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley from 11 to 13 May 1977. The recording appeared as the seventh track, running 6:13, on the album I Will Say Goodbye, released by Fantasy in January 1980 and produced by Helen Keane. Evans is the only credited writer, and the song is the only composition by him on that album, which otherwise consists of standards and works by other writers. The song has no lyrics. The album won the 1981 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo and is classed in the post bop style. No cover version of the tune is documented beyond the trio's original recording.
