COUNTDOWN TO THE 22ND CTIJF
COUNTDOWN TO THE 22ND CTIJF
Matt Bianco is a UK group formed in 1982 by Mark Reilly (vocals), Danny White (keyboards) and the late Kito Poncioni (bass), all originally members of the band Blue Rondo A La Turk. For their first album “Whose Side Are You On ?” they hired unknown polish vocalist Basia Trzetrzelewska. Her vocal arrangements gave the album a jazzy dimension that Reilly and White couldn’t anticipate and hits like “Get Out of Your Lazy Bed” and “Half a Minute” turned Matt Bianco into one of the biggest acts of the 1980s. The band’s name suggests that Matt Bianco is a personal name, but Matt Bianco is a fictitious character they invented from the spy, secret agent world that laid the concept for their music and imagery.
Basia and Danny White left the group after the first album to pursue a solo career. Mark Reilly now without a musical partner, found keyboard player and session musician Mark Fisher and recorded the next (self-titled) Matt Bianco album, which included the big hit “Yeah Yeah”. In 1988, Matt Bianco hired Gloria Estefan’s husband and producer, Emilio Estefan, and recorded the album “Indigo”, which included the singles “Don’t Blame It On That Girl” and “Good Times”. Another song “Wap Bam Boogie” became European dance single of the year. After another album with Warner Brothers – “Samba In Your Casa” (1991), saw Reilly and Fisher split from their record company, going freelance.
They created a loyal fan base in Japan and the rest of Asia with the albums “Another Time Another Place,” “Gran Via”, “World-Go-Round”, “A/ Collection”, “Rico” and “Echoes” with great success.
Basia and Danny White joined with Mark Reilly to reform the original Matt Bianco in 2003, after 20 years apart. In 2004, Matt Bianco released the album “Matt’s Mood” on Universal Records. The following year they embarked on a world tour. In 2009, Mark Reilly and Mark Fisher joined forces again and released the album “HiFi Bossanova” on the German label Edel, their first studio album together for 7 years, and in 2012, released the album entitled “Hideaway”. Looking to expand his creative outlook, Reilly then teamed up with the Dutch band New Cool Collective to make a collaboration album called “The Things You Love” (New Cool Collective – Mark Reilly/Matt Bianco).
After the loss of Mark Fisher, the band with a new group of musicians released an album in 2017 called “Gravity”. In 2020, this ever evolving, and perennially popular band reunited with New Cool Collective with a lockdown album called “High Anxiety”. In 2022, the double album, “The Essential Matt Bianco” re-imagined re-loved was released with 30 tracks of all the favourite tracks from the Matt Bianco catalogue, which is now making its way to Cape Town.
Matt Bianco is a UK group formed in 1982 by Mark Reilly (vocals), Danny White (keyboards) and the late Kito Poncioni (bass), all originally members of the band Blue Rondo A La Turk. For their first album “Whose Side Are You On ?” they hired unknown polish vocalist Basia Trzetrzelewska. Her vocal arrangements gave the album a jazzy dimension that Reilly and White couldn’t anticipate and hits like “Get Out of Your Lazy Bed” and “Half a Minute” turned Matt Bianco into one of the biggest acts of the 1980s. The band’s name suggests that Matt Bianco is a personal name, but Matt Bianco is a fictitious character they invented from the spy, secret agent world that laid the concept for their music and imagery.
Basia and Danny White left the group after the first album to pursue a solo career. Mark Reilly now without a musical partner, found keyboard player and session musician Mark Fisher and recorded the next (self-titled) Matt Bianco album, which included the big hit “Yeah Yeah”. In 1988, Matt Bianco hired Gloria Estefan’s husband and producer, Emilio Estefan, and recorded the album “Indigo”, which included the singles “Don’t Blame It On That Girl” and “Good Times”. Another song “Wap Bam Boogie” became European dance single of the year. After another album with Warner Brothers – “Samba In Your Casa” (1991), saw Reilly and Fisher split from their record company, going freelance.
They created a loyal fan base in Japan and the rest of Asia with the albums “Another Time Another Place,” “Gran Via”, “World-Go-Round”, “A/ Collection”, “Rico” and “Echoes” with great success.
Basia and Danny White joined with Mark Reilly to reform the original Matt Bianco in 2003, after 20 years apart. In 2004, Matt Bianco released the album “Matt’s Mood” on Universal Records. The following year they embarked on a world tour. In 2009, Mark Reilly and Mark Fisher joined forces again and released the album “HiFi Bossanova” on the German label Edel, their first studio album together for 7 years, and in 2012, released the album entitled “Hideaway”. Looking to expand his creative outlook, Reilly then teamed up with the Dutch band New Cool Collective to make a collaboration album called “The Things You Love” (New Cool Collective – Mark Reilly/Matt Bianco).
After the loss of Mark Fisher, the band with a new group of musicians released an album in 2017 called “Gravity”. In 2020, this ever evolving, and perennially popular band reunited with New Cool Collective with a lockdown album called “High Anxiety”. In 2022, the double album, “The Essential Matt Bianco” re-imagined re-loved was released with 30 tracks of all the favourite tracks from the Matt Bianco catalogue, which is now making its way to Cape Town.
Matt Bianco is a UK group formed in 1982 by Mark Reilly (vocals), Danny White (keyboards) and the late Kito Poncioni (bass), all originally members of the band Blue Rondo A La Turk. For their first album “Whose Side Are You On ?” they hired unknown polish vocalist Basia Trzetrzelewska. Her vocal arrangements gave the album a jazzy dimension that Reilly and White couldn’t anticipate and hits like “Get Out of Your Lazy Bed” and “Half a Minute” turned Matt Bianco into one of the biggest acts of the 1980s. The band’s name suggests that Matt Bianco is a personal name, but Matt Bianco is a fictitious character they invented from the spy, secret agent world that laid the concept for their music and imagery.
Basia and Danny White left the group after the first album to pursue a solo career. Mark Reilly now without a musical partner, found keyboard player and session musician Mark Fisher and recorded the next (self-titled) Matt Bianco album, which included the big hit “Yeah Yeah”. In 1988, Matt Bianco hired Gloria Estefan’s husband and producer, Emilio Estefan, and recorded the album “Indigo”, which included the singles “Don’t Blame It On That Girl” and “Good Times”. Another song “Wap Bam Boogie” became European dance single of the year. After another album with Warner Brothers – “Samba In Your Casa” (1991), saw Reilly and Fisher split from their record company, going freelance.
They created a loyal fan base in Japan and the rest of Asia with the albums “Another Time Another Place,” “Gran Via”, “World-Go-Round”, “A/ Collection”, “Rico” and “Echoes” with great success.
Basia and Danny White joined with Mark Reilly to reform the original Matt Bianco in 2003, after 20 years apart. In 2004, Matt Bianco released the album “Matt’s Mood” on Universal Records. The following year they embarked on a world tour. In 2009, Mark Reilly and Mark Fisher joined forces again and released the album “HiFi Bossanova” on the German label Edel, their first studio album together for 7 years, and in 2012, released the album entitled “Hideaway”. Looking to expand his creative outlook, Reilly then teamed up with the Dutch band New Cool Collective to make a collaboration album called “The Things You Love” (New Cool Collective – Mark Reilly/Matt Bianco).
After the loss of Mark Fisher, the band with a new group of musicians released an album in 2017 called “Gravity”. In 2020, this ever evolving, and perennially popular band reunited with New Cool Collective with a lockdown album called “High Anxiety”. In 2022, the double album, “The Essential Matt Bianco” re-imagined re-loved was released with 30 tracks of all the favourite tracks from the Matt Bianco catalogue, which is now making its way to Cape Town.
Matt Bianco is a UK group formed in 1982 by Mark Reilly (vocals), Danny White (keyboards) and the late Kito Poncioni (bass), all originally members of the band Blue Rondo A La Turk. For their first album “Whose Side Are You On ?” they hired unknown polish vocalist Basia Trzetrzelewska. Her vocal arrangements gave the album a jazzy dimension that Reilly and White couldn’t anticipate and hits like “Get Out of Your Lazy Bed” and “Half a Minute” turned Matt Bianco into one of the biggest acts of the 1980s. The band’s name suggests that Matt Bianco is a personal name, but Matt Bianco is a fictitious character they invented from the spy, secret agent world that laid the concept for their music and imagery.
Basia and Danny White left the group after the first album to pursue a solo career. Mark Reilly now without a musical partner, found keyboard player and session musician Mark Fisher and recorded the next (self-titled) Matt Bianco album, which included the big hit “Yeah Yeah”. In 1988, Matt Bianco hired Gloria Estefan’s husband and producer, Emilio Estefan, and recorded the album “Indigo”, which included the singles “Don’t Blame It On That Girl” and “Good Times”. Another song “Wap Bam Boogie” became European dance single of the year. After another album with Warner Brothers – “Samba In Your Casa” (1991), saw Reilly and Fisher split from their record company, going freelance.
They created a loyal fan base in Japan and the rest of Asia with the albums “Another Time Another Place,” “Gran Via”, “World-Go-Round”, “A/ Collection”, “Rico” and “Echoes” with great success.
Basia and Danny White joined with Mark Reilly to reform the original Matt Bianco in 2003, after 20 years apart. In 2004, Matt Bianco released the album “Matt’s Mood” on Universal Records. The following year they embarked on a world tour. In 2009, Mark Reilly and Mark Fisher joined forces again and released the album “HiFi Bossanova” on the German label Edel, their first studio album together for 7 years, and in 2012, released the album entitled “Hideaway”. Looking to expand his creative outlook, Reilly then teamed up with the Dutch band New Cool Collective to make a collaboration album called “The Things You Love” (New Cool Collective – Mark Reilly/Matt Bianco).
After the loss of Mark Fisher, the band with a new group of musicians released an album in 2017 called “Gravity”. In 2020, this ever evolving, and perennially popular band reunited with New Cool Collective with a lockdown album called “High Anxiety”. In 2022, the double album, “The Essential Matt Bianco” re-imagined re-loved was released with 30 tracks of all the favourite tracks from the Matt Bianco catalogue, which is now making its way to Cape Town.