In 2015 a string of inspirational encounters led Matt Bianco founder and singer Mark Reilly to combine forces with Amsterdam based jazz pioneers New Cool Collective for a collaboration that resulted in an album entitled 'The Things You Love'. Reilly subsequently released another successful Matt Bianco album in 2017 entitled 'Gravity' and toured around the world to promote it. Fast forward to early 2020, and both parties found themselves recording together again in Amsterdam, adding the South American cumbia and other new sounds to their joint fascination with Latin, jazz, soul and R&B. "Although I attended some rehearsals in Amsterdam to work on arrangements of song ideas NCC had put together, I deliberately didn't present many song ideas myself.
Whose Side Are You On? was the first album by Matt Bianco. Released in 1984, the title has long been out of print in most territories. For this album, Matt Bianco was a trio of Basia Trzetrzelewska (vocals), Mark Reilly (vocals), and Danny White (keyboards). This album contains the band's first five chart UK hits, including "Get Out of Your Lazy Bed", "Sneaking Out the Back Door", "Matt's Mood", "Half a Minute" and "More Than I Can Bear". All are sung by Trzetrzelewska and Reilly, except "Matt's Mood" which is an instrumental.
Superb album from world-pop outfit Matt Bianco, released in July 2002. Featuring a brillant collection of ten songs with a strong latino flavour, this record just shows how good these guys have become at writing thumping, pulsating popsongs. Together with their new vocalist Hazel Sim they manage to make this album sparkle.
After a series of inspiring meetings Matt Bianco (Mark Reilly) and New Cool Collective noticed that their style of music and work were a perfect match. They sent ideas back and forth between London and Amsterdam, which first resulted in an EP containing 5 tracks. Fourbrand new songs and one remake of the well-known Matt Bianco hit 'Don't Blame It On That Girl'. They went on 'The Things You Love'-tourshortly after and due to the great success and demand for more music New Cool Collective and Matt Bianco decided to record a complete album. Five new numbers appear on the disc alongside the EP tracks: including 'Cry', the superb combi with Clean Bandit singer Elisabeth Troy, and a Matt Bianco & New Cool Collective makeover of one of NCCs own songs: The result is a swinging version of the song 'Bring It On'.
Matt Bianco does it again with Gran Via ! Released in 1995 after the limited release of their U.S.A. project titled Another Place, Another Time (released on the JVC label). Another Place, Another Time is now out of print. However, anyone who owned that release will see a continuation of both theme and sound in Gran Via.Ironically, the ballad track Love Life which appears on Gran Via was also previously released on Another Time, Another Place… Matt Bianco no longer sounds like their earlier efforts of synthesized Samba with singer Basia. This time it's a more mature and natural sounding style of adult, contemporary, jazz-pop feel garnished with a lot of Latin/salsa influences.Mark Reilly's vocals are light but as always still deliver and suit this particualr style of music perfectly.