Matt Bianco

Matt Bianco are a British band formed in 1983, performing sophisti-pop, jazz-funk and Latin-flavoured music. From around mid- to late-80s, the group scored a number of internationally charting singles, including " Get Out of Your Lazy Bed", " Whose Side Are You On?", " Half a Minute", " Yeh Yeh" and "Don't Blame It on That Girl".

The group's name suggests that Matt Bianco is a person, often assumed to be an alias for the main member and front man Mark Reilly. According to the group, however, Matt is in fact "a made up spy, a secret agent; we loved spy TV themes and film scores; we were really into that 60s spy movie image". Initially, the line-up included Danny White and Basia Trzetrzelewska, who left the band to focus on Basia's solo career, but rejoined Matt Bianco briefly in mid-2000s.

History

Early years

Matt Bianco was formed in 1983 by Mark Reilly (vocals), Danny White (keyboard), Kito Poncioni (bass) – all of whom had just left art pop group Blue Rondo à la Turk – and Polish vocalist Basia Trzetrzelewska. Basia had performed in a short-lived band called Bronze alongside Danny, having answered their ad placed in ''Melody Maker''.

The group was pictured as a quartet for their first single " Get Out of Your Lazy Bed", although Poncioni only played on the non-album B-side "Big Rosie". He dropped out of the group entirely before the recording of their first album '' Whose Side Are You On?'', released through WEA in August 1984, although he received a co-writing credit on the track " Half a Minute". The album spawned five UK and European hits, including "Get Out of Your Lazy Bed", "Half a Minute", " Sneaking Out the Back Door", " More Than I Can Bear" and the title track. It made the top 3 in Germany and number 1 in Austria. In the UK, it reached the top 40 and would earn a gold certification. Despite the success, Trzetrzelewska and White left the group in 1985 so that Trzetrzelewska could pursue an international solo career under the mononym Basia.

Reilly-Fisher duo years

Following Danny and Basia's departure, Jenni Evans joined the band as the new female singer, and Mark Fisher became songwriter, producer, and keyboard player. This line-up recorded the '' Matt Bianco'' album, which was released in 1986. It spawned the hit " Yeh Yeh", a cover of Georgie Fame's song, which reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart and number 7 in Germany, and the moderately successful second single "Just Can't Stand It".

The band's sound changed considerably with the addition of Fisher, who contributed a more contemporary sound, compared to that of the early Matt Bianco. The use of synthesizers increased notably: Yamaha's DX-7 can be heard providing the slap bass in most songs, but the choice of noted studio musicians remained consistent, with Ronnie Ross being the most prominent example. After the first album with the new line-up, they took a 13-piece band on to a European tour that saw them perform in front of an audience of more than 250,000 attendees in total. Jenni Evans left the group shortly after the recording of the self-titled album and was not replaced.

Matt Bianco was now a household name in Europe, and Warner Brothers sought to market them in the United States. They hired Gloria Estefan's husband and producer Emilio Estefan to produce a few songs, and recorded their third album, ''Indigo'', with the Estefan productions being chosen as singles. 1988's "Don't Blame It on That Girl" and "Good Times" only made a moderate impact. However, "Wap Bam Boogie", an album track originally on the B-side of the first single (and which did not involve Estefan in any capacity), did well on the dance charts. This pushed the joint single release of "Don't Blame It on That Girl"/"Wap Bam Boogie" up to number 11 on the UK Singles Chart, making it Matt Bianco's most successful single in that territory. It was also a top 10 dance hit in the US. Their first greatest hits album, entitled '' The Best of Matt Bianco'', was released in 1990 and made the UK top 50. "Wap Bam Boogie" was then released as an A-side single to promote the compilation and achieved a minor chart success in the UK.

The band's fourth studio album, '' Samba in Your Casa'', was released in 1991 by Warner Brothers. It was not a commercial success, though one of its singles, a cover of "What a Fool Believes" by Kenny Loggins, reached number 23 in Ireland. Reilly and Fisher split from their record company and started recording albums in their own studios to subsequently offer them for release to independent distributors worldwide. They scored contracts with ZYX Music and Intercord in Europe, and Victor Entertainment in Asia, but failed to sign on with another major label. Their fifth album, '' Another Time Another Place'', was first released only in Japan in 1993, and in other territories the following year. It was not a commercial success, but the lead single "Our Love" was a minor chart success in Germany.

While the band's success in Europe somewhat waned, they would develop a loyal fan base in Asia, particularly in Japan. Their 1997 album ''World Go Round'' reached number 23 there, and the lead single "Sunshine Day" was a moderate dance hit in the US. In 1998, the band released ''A/Collection'' exclusively in Japan – a compilation featuring a number of remakes of their stand-out album tracks plus remixes of a few of their hits. It was another top 40 seller there, and the 2000 studio album ''Rico'' peaked at number 48. After over 15 years of recording and touring together, Reilly and Fisher split amicably.

2003–2015: Reunion of the original trio and beyond

In 2003, initiated by a mutual friend, Basia Trzetrzelewska and Danny White joined Mark Reilly to reform the original Matt Bianco line-up; original bassist Kito Poncioni had died in the late 1990s. Now again a trio, Matt Bianco signed to EmArcy Records and released the album '' Matt's Mood'' in spring 2004, named after one of their early instrumental tracks. The album featured adult contemporary/jazz numbers, in the spirit of their first LP. It was a moderate chart success internationally. The following year, the band embarked on a world tour, which included stops in the UK, Japan, and the United States. Following the tour, Trzetrzelewska and White left Matt Bianco again to reinvigorate Basia's solo career. Reilly reunited with Fisher, and Matt Bianco were back as a duo.

After signing with earMUSIC, a division of Edel, the band released studio albums ''HiFi Bossanova'' and ''Hideaway'' in 2009 and 2012, respectively.

2016 onwards

Mark Reilly (without Mark Fisher) released a collaborative album with New Cool Collective in 2016, ''The Things You Love'', credited to "Matt Bianco (Mark Reilly) Meets New Cool Collective". It featured nine new tracks and a re-recording of "Don't Blame It on That Girl". Fisher died on 12 December 2016. Reilly carried on under the Matt Bianco moniker, and released a new album, ''Gravity'', in 2017. In October 2017, Cherry Red Records re-issued their album ''Matt Bianco'' in a 2-CD deluxe edition format, having re-issued a similarly packaged version of ''Whose Side Are You On?'' in June 2016.

November 2020 saw the release of a second collaboration album with New Cool Collective, ''High Anxiety''. In June 2022, Matt Bianco released a double album ''The Essential Matt Bianco. Re-imagined, Re-loved'', which featured new versions of 15 of their classic songs plus 15 remixes and special versions.

Band members

;Current members
* Mark Reilly (born 20 February 1960 in High Wycombe, England) – vocals (since 1983)

;Past members
* Danny White – keyboards (1983–1985; 2003–2005)
* Basia Trzetrzelewska – vocals (1983–1985; 2003–2005)
* Kito Poncioni – bass guitar (1983–1984)
* Mark Fisher – keyboards
* Jenni Evans – vocals

Discography

*'' Whose Side Are You On?'' (1984)
*'' Matt Bianco'' (1986)
*''Indigo'' (1988)
*'' Samba in Your Casa'' (1991)
*'' Another Time Another Place'' (1993)
*''Gran Via'' (1995)
*''World Go Round'' (1997)
*''Rico'' (2000)
*''Echoes'' (2002)
*'' Matt's Mood'' (2004)
*''Hifi Bossanova'' (2009)
*''Hideaway'' (2012)
*''The Things You Love'' (2016; with New Cool Collective)
*''Gravity'' (2017)
*''High Anxiety'' (2020; with New Cool Collective)

References

External links

*

Official YouTube channel
*

{{Authority control

1983 establishments in England
British soul musical groups
Jazz-funk musicians
Musical groups established in 1983
Sophisti-pop musical groups