Bazar

Matia Bazar is an Italian pop band formed in Genoa in 1975. The original members of the group were Piero Cassano (keyboards) Aldo Stellita (bass), Carlo Marrale (guitar), Giancarlo Golzi (drums) and Antonella Ruggiero (vocals). They represented Italy in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest with a song called Raggio di luna. Their major hits were Solo tu (1978), Vacanze Romane (1982) and Ti Sento (1985), which peaked the charts in Belgium and Italy.

In these unsettled days Red Bazar return with the rather timely album Things as They Appear, which casts a critical observational eye on some contemporary issues. Red Bazar were one of Progressive Rock’s ‘Surprise packages’ in 2016 with their rather more Gothic, and first vocal, album "Tales from the Bookcase", largely based on stories by diverse writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle, Alistair Maclean and Arthur C. Clarke. "Things as They Appear" is a distinct contrast and progression, more direct and grounded in style and content, more reflective of some of the current frictions in society.
Red Bazar have bravely taken a different direction from their last album - this is no sequel to the fine "Tales from the Bookcase". Whilst they touch on important issues of our times, they have very wisely chosen not to take a partisan or obvious political position…

UK band Red Bazar was formed back in 2007 by Paul Comerie, Andy Wilson and Mick Wilson. The outfit released two studio albums and one EP as an instrumental trio, but by 2013 the more frequent use of keyboards in their material led to the addition of keyboardist Gary Marsh towards the end of that year, and then collaborative work with composer and vocalist Peter Jones (Tiger Moth Tales) eventually led to him becoming a part of the band as well. "Tales from the Bookcase" is the first album by Red Bazar as a five-man strong unit, and was released by the UK label White Knight Records in the spring of 2016. This album provides a top-notch blend of neo and art prog, this garnered with some remarkable heavy AOR edge here and there. Furthermore "Tales From The Bookcase" marks a successfull step away from a pure instrumental approach.

Born from the ashes of the prog band Jet, whose sole album was 1972's Fede Speranza Carità, Matia Bazar formed in Genoa in 1975, with a line-up comprising Piero Cassano (keyboards), Aldo Stellita (bass), Carlo "Bimbo" Marrale (guitar), Giancarlo Golzi (drums) and singer Antonella Ruggiero. The very first releases – e.g. the singles "Stasera Che Sera", "Cavallo Bianco", "Per un'Ora d'Amore", "Solo Tu" and "Mister Mandarino" and the albums Matia Bazar (1976), Gran Bazar (1977) and the anthology L'Oro dei Matia Bazar – showcased the band's ability to build well-crafted and lush pop songs, made unique by the huge extension and versatility of Ruggiero's voice. In 1978 the song "… E Dirsi Ciao" (from Semplicità finished first at that year's edition of the Sanremo Music Festival. The live album Tournée and Il Tempo del Sole followed respectively in 1979 and 1980.

Matia Bazar is an Italian pop band formed in Genoa in 1975. The original members of the group were Piero Cassano (keyboards) Aldo Stellita (bass), Carlo Marrale (guitar), Giancarlo Golzi (drums) and Antonella Ruggiero (vocals). They represented Italy in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest with a song called Raggio di luna. Their major hits were Solo tu (1978), Vacanze Romane (1982) and Ti Sento (1985), which peaked the charts in Belgium and Italy.