Basia
Encyclopedia
Basia Trzetrzelewska ˈbaɕa t͡ʂɛt͡ʂɛˈlɛfska (born September 30, 1954) is a Polish singer-songwriter
and record producer
. She established a successful international recording career featuring characteristically Latin
-flavoured jazz-pop crossover
songs during the late 1980s and early 1990s and the late 2000s and 2010s, particularly in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan. She is noted for possessing a wide vocal range, approximately three octave
s that span from contralto
to soprano tessituras, as well as her singular jazz
-influenced stylings and multi-layered harmonies.
, Poland
. In 1969, she debuted as a guest of local amateur rock band Astry and performed with them on Polish Festival of Beat Avangarde in Kalisz
, where they won. Thanks to this performance, she was a member of the popular Polish all-female vocal group Alibabki from 1972 to 1974. From 1977 to 1979, she sang with the rock
band Perfect
.
Settling temporarily in Chicago
in 1979, she later relocated to London
in 1981. It was there she met Mark Reilly and longtime collaborator Danny White (brother of jazz guitarist Peter White
). In 1983, the trio performed as the jazz-pop group Bronze but later changed their name to Matt Bianco
and recorded their debut album Whose Side Are You On?
, released in 1984. The album was a hit across Europe, selling more than 1.5 million copies and then bringing two top 30 hits on the UK Singles Chart
: "Get Out of Your Lazy Bed
" and "Half a Minute".
In 1985, Basia and Danny White left Matt Bianco to launch her solo career. In 1987 her first album Time and Tide was released selling almost two million copies. As a solo artist Basia achieved greatest success in the United States, where she sold over one million units of her debut album. It brought her the U.S. top 30 track "Time and Tide" on the Billboard Hot 100
chart and also such hits as "Prime Time TV" and "New Day for You". In 1989 her second album, London Warsaw New York
, repeated that accomplishment. It also sold almost two million units including more than one million in the U.S. and featured another Top 30 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, "Cruising for Bruising
". London Warsaw New York also included Stevie Wonder
's "Until You Come Back to Me
" and "Baby You're Mine", another hit song. Both albums topped Billboard
s Top Contemporary Jazz Albums, but her second album also became Top Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year even beating the Grammy Award
-winning Album of the Year, Back on the Block
, from Quincy Jones
. While achieving great success in the U.S. market Basia also became a very popular artist in Asia (mainly in Japan and the Philippines) and Europe, especially in France. In 1991 she released her first long-form video A New Day containing all her videos and an interview.
Her third studio album, The Sweetest Illusion
, was released in 1994 and was a moderate success in the U.S. market selling over half-million copies but globally it became another million-seller. Mixed by the then-highly sought after David Bascombe
(who had contributed to Oleta Adams
' debut effort) the project marked the end of a ten-year working relationship with mixmaster Phil Harding
and a step into more sophisticated territory. The Sweetest Illusion included a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
chart, "Drunk on Love
". Her next album, Basia on Broadway, was a live set recorded at the Neil Simon Theatre
in New York City
and was released in 1995. In 1996, Basia was featured on Peter White
's album Caravan of Dreams with vocals on the single "Just Another Day". In 1998 a retrospective compilation album Clear Horizon – The Best of Basia was issued and contained all the notable hits plus some new material including a cover of "Waters of March
", written by Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim
.
Despite a successful international career and faithful fan base she withdrew from the recording industry in 1998, with the sole exception of a guest appearance on Taro Hakase
's cover of "So Nice (Summer Samba)
" in 1999. She would later cite the deaths of people close to her, including her own mother, as the reason. After some persistent efforts from Danny White and Mark Reilly who had started working together again, she agreed to join a re-formed Matt Bianco. They released the album Matt's Mood
in 2004 to critical acclaim. After touring to promote the album Basia and Danny White began work on a new Basia project while Reilly continued with Matt Bianco.
In 2009, after nearly fifteen years, Basia returned with her fourth studio album, It's That Girl Again
, released globally between March and June, depending on territory. The album met with critical as well as commercial success, placing in top 10 of the U.S. Jazz Albums chart and going Platinum in her native Poland. It was promoted by "Blame It on the Summer" in American market and "The Gift" in Europe. The album was also promoted on Basia's world tour, whose first leg began in 2009. In Spring of 2010 Basia was participating in the World Rhythms Tour with Bernie Williams
and then embarked on the second leg of her own tour. She toured the U.S. twice in 2010. In 2011 Basia made a guest appearance on the Polish edition of X Factor
.
In October 2011, Basia released her second live album From Newport To London: Greatest Hits Live... And More with two new studio recordings, including a duet with the most popular Polish soul singer Mieczysław Szcześniak. This album was recorded in Poland. Basia recorded one more duet with Szcześniak, this time for his album Signs released in November 2011. They sang cover of Vanessa Williams' hit "Save The Best For Last", produced by its original co-writer Wendy Waldman. In the fall of 2011 Basia embarked on a five week, coast to coast American tour.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. She established a successful international recording career featuring characteristically Latin
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
-flavoured jazz-pop crossover
Sophisti-pop
Sophisti-pop was a sub-genre of pop that flourished in the UK between the mid-1980s and early 1990s, incorporating elements of soft rock, jazz, and blue-eyed soul. The genre made extensive use of electronic keyboards, synthesizers, and polished arrangements, particularly horn sections. Acts were...
songs during the late 1980s and early 1990s and the late 2000s and 2010s, particularly in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan. She is noted for possessing a wide vocal range, approximately three octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
s that span from contralto
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
to soprano tessituras, as well as her singular jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
-influenced stylings and multi-layered harmonies.
Biography
Basia was born in JaworznoJaworzno
Jaworzno is a city in southern Poland, near Katowice. The east district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of 2 millions. Located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Przemsza river ....
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. In 1969, she debuted as a guest of local amateur rock band Astry and performed with them on Polish Festival of Beat Avangarde in Kalisz
Kalisz
Kalisz is a city in central Poland with 106,857 inhabitants , the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, the city forms a conurbation with the nearby towns of Ostrów Wielkopolski and Nowe Skalmierzyce...
, where they won. Thanks to this performance, she was a member of the popular Polish all-female vocal group Alibabki from 1972 to 1974. From 1977 to 1979, she sang with the rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Perfect
Perfect (band)
Perfect is a Polish rock music band founded in 1977 by drummer Wojciech Morawski, bass guitar player Zdzisław Zawadzki and lead guitar player Zbigniew Hołdys...
.
Settling temporarily in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1979, she later relocated to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1981. It was there she met Mark Reilly and longtime collaborator Danny White (brother of jazz guitarist Peter White
Peter White (musician)
Peter White is a smooth jazz and jazz fusion guitarist. He also plays the accordion and the piano. His brother, Danny White, was one of the original members who formed the UK based band Matt Bianco.-Career:...
). In 1983, the trio performed as the jazz-pop group Bronze but later changed their name to Matt Bianco
Matt Bianco
Matt Bianco is a UK band that was formed in 1983. They are mainly known for their success in the mid 1980s and their jazz, Latin-flavoured music....
and recorded their debut album Whose Side Are You On?
Whose Side Are You On?
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 , Mark Reilly , and Danny White .This album contains the band's first five chart UK hits, including...
, released in 1984. The album was a hit across Europe, selling more than 1.5 million copies and then bringing two top 30 hits on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
: "Get Out of Your Lazy Bed
Get Out of Your Lazy Bed
"Get Out of Your Lazy Bed" is the debut single from UK band Matt Bianco, released in 1984, along with their debut album Whose Side Are You On?. The song became the band's first Top 20 hit, peaking at #15 on the UK Singles Chart...
" and "Half a Minute".
In 1985, Basia and Danny White left Matt Bianco to launch her solo career. In 1987 her first album Time and Tide was released selling almost two million copies. As a solo artist Basia achieved greatest success in the United States, where she sold over one million units of her debut album. It brought her the U.S. top 30 track "Time and Tide" on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart and also such hits as "Prime Time TV" and "New Day for You". In 1989 her second album, London Warsaw New York
London Warsaw New York
London Warsaw New York is the second studio album by Polish jazz and pop singer–songwriter Basia, released in the United States on October 23, 1989 by Epic Records. The album's title comes from a line in the song "Copernicus" : "Our love will take this globe by storm/If it's London, Warsaw, or New...
, repeated that accomplishment. It also sold almost two million units including more than one million in the U.S. and featured another Top 30 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, "Cruising for Bruising
Cruising for Bruising
"Cruising for Bruising", is a 1990 single by Basia. The reception to this song was very warm, helping it become the bands' most successful single to date. "Cruising for Bruising" peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.-Charts:...
". London Warsaw New York also included Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
's "Until You Come Back to Me
Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)
"Until You Come Back to Me " is the name of a song written by Morris Broadnax, Clarence Paul, and Stevie Wonder. The song was originally recorded by Stevie Wonder in 1967, but his version did not appear on an album until 1977's Anthology...
" and "Baby You're Mine", another hit song. Both albums topped Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Top Contemporary Jazz Albums, but her second album also became Top Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year even beating the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning Album of the Year, Back on the Block
Back on the Block
Back on the Block is a 1989 studio album produced by Quincy Jones. It features many famous and important musicians and singers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Ice-T, Big Daddy Kane, Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, George Benson, Luther Vandross, Dionne Warwick, Barry White,...
, from Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
. While achieving great success in the U.S. market Basia also became a very popular artist in Asia (mainly in Japan and the Philippines) and Europe, especially in France. In 1991 she released her first long-form video A New Day containing all her videos and an interview.
Her third studio album, The Sweetest Illusion
The Sweetest Illusion
The Sweetest Illusion is the third studio album by Polish jazz and pop singer–songwriter Basia, released in the United States on May 3, 1994 by Epic Records. It was her final major-label release of the 1990s, though a live album and a greatest hits collection followed...
, was released in 1994 and was a moderate success in the U.S. market selling over half-million copies but globally it became another million-seller. Mixed by the then-highly sought after David Bascombe
David Bascombe
David Bascombe is an English music producer and mix engineer. He has worked with many bands and musicians, such as Tears for Fears, Depeche Mode and Suede.-Selected engineering, production, mixing and remixing:*Tears for Fears - Songs From the Big Chair...
(who had contributed to Oleta Adams
Oleta Adams
Oleta Adams is an American soul, jazz, and gospel singer and pianist.-Biography:Adams was born the daughter of a preacher and was raised with gospel music. In her youth her family moved to Yakima, Washington, which is sometimes shown as her place of birth.Before gaining her opportunity to perform,...
' debut effort) the project marked the end of a ten-year working relationship with mixmaster Phil Harding
Phil Harding (producer)
Phil Harding is an English audio engineer, producer and remixer, best known for his extended collaboration with keyboardist and programmer Ian Curnow....
and a step into more sophisticated territory. The Sweetest Illusion included a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart, "Drunk on Love
Drunk on Love
"Drunk on Love" is a 1994 single by Basia. "Drunk on Love" was Basia's only release to make the dance chart reaching the number one spot. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of twelve weeks on the dance charts .-Charts:...
". Her next album, Basia on Broadway, was a live set recorded at the Neil Simon Theatre
Neil Simon Theatre
The Neil Simon Theatre, formerly the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway venue built in 1927 and located at 250 West 52nd Street in midtown-Manhattan....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and was released in 1995. In 1996, Basia was featured on Peter White
Peter White (musician)
Peter White is a smooth jazz and jazz fusion guitarist. He also plays the accordion and the piano. His brother, Danny White, was one of the original members who formed the UK based band Matt Bianco.-Career:...
's album Caravan of Dreams with vocals on the single "Just Another Day". In 1998 a retrospective compilation album Clear Horizon – The Best of Basia was issued and contained all the notable hits plus some new material including a cover of "Waters of March
Waters of March
"Waters of March" is a Brazilian song composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Jobim wrote both the English and Portuguese lyrics. The lyrics, originally written in Portuguese, do not tell a story, but rather present a series of images that form a collage; nearly every line starts with "É..."...
", written by Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim
Antônio Carlos Jobim
Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim , also known as Tom Jobim , was a Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist. He was a primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, and his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists within...
.
Despite a successful international career and faithful fan base she withdrew from the recording industry in 1998, with the sole exception of a guest appearance on Taro Hakase
Taro Hakase
is a Japanese musician who specialises as a violinist.He is best known internationally for playing the violin on Celine Dion's song "To Love You More" which appears on the US edition of her Let's Talk About Love album...
's cover of "So Nice (Summer Samba)
Summer Samba
Summer Samba is a 1966 bossa nova song by Brazilian composer Marcos Valle, with English-language lyrics by Norman Gimbel; the original Portuguese lyrics came from Paulo Sérgio Valle, brother to the composer.The song was first popularized by the Walter Wanderley Trio in 1966 — the album Rain...
" in 1999. She would later cite the deaths of people close to her, including her own mother, as the reason. After some persistent efforts from Danny White and Mark Reilly who had started working together again, she agreed to join a re-formed Matt Bianco. They released the album Matt's Mood
Matt's Mood
Matt's Mood is the 2004 "temporary comeback" album by UK outfit Matt Bianco, released for Universal, and distributed by the Emarcy label. The album makes heavy use of Danny White and Basia Trzetrzelewska's signature harmonies...
in 2004 to critical acclaim. After touring to promote the album Basia and Danny White began work on a new Basia project while Reilly continued with Matt Bianco.
In 2009, after nearly fifteen years, Basia returned with her fourth studio album, It's That Girl Again
It's That Girl Again
It's That Girl Again is the fourth studio album by Polish jazz and pop singer-songwriter Basia, released in the United States on 24 March 2009 by Koch Records...
, released globally between March and June, depending on territory. The album met with critical as well as commercial success, placing in top 10 of the U.S. Jazz Albums chart and going Platinum in her native Poland. It was promoted by "Blame It on the Summer" in American market and "The Gift" in Europe. The album was also promoted on Basia's world tour, whose first leg began in 2009. In Spring of 2010 Basia was participating in the World Rhythms Tour with Bernie Williams
Bernie Williams
Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and Puerto Rican musician.-Early life:...
and then embarked on the second leg of her own tour. She toured the U.S. twice in 2010. In 2011 Basia made a guest appearance on the Polish edition of X Factor
X Factor (Poland)
X Factor is a Polish talent show based on a british show The X Factor and broadcast on TVN. The first series premiered on 6 March 2011. On 27 November 2010 during the final of the third series of Poland's Got Talent Marcin Prokop confirmed that the auditions would be held in January 2011...
.
In October 2011, Basia released her second live album From Newport To London: Greatest Hits Live... And More with two new studio recordings, including a duet with the most popular Polish soul singer Mieczysław Szcześniak. This album was recorded in Poland. Basia recorded one more duet with Szcześniak, this time for his album Signs released in November 2011. They sang cover of Vanessa Williams' hit "Save The Best For Last", produced by its original co-writer Wendy Waldman. In the fall of 2011 Basia embarked on a five week, coast to coast American tour.
Discography
- 1987: Time and Tide
- 1989: London Warsaw New YorkLondon Warsaw New YorkLondon Warsaw New York is the second studio album by Polish jazz and pop singer–songwriter Basia, released in the United States on October 23, 1989 by Epic Records. The album's title comes from a line in the song "Copernicus" : "Our love will take this globe by storm/If it's London, Warsaw, or New...
- 1994: The Sweetest IllusionThe Sweetest IllusionThe Sweetest Illusion is the third studio album by Polish jazz and pop singer–songwriter Basia, released in the United States on May 3, 1994 by Epic Records. It was her final major-label release of the 1990s, though a live album and a greatest hits collection followed...
- 1995: Basia on Broadway
- 1998: Clear Horizon – The Best of Basia
- 2009: It's That Girl AgainIt's That Girl AgainIt's That Girl Again is the fourth studio album by Polish jazz and pop singer-songwriter Basia, released in the United States on 24 March 2009 by Koch Records...
- 2011: From Newport To London: Greatest Hits Live... And More
External links
- Official website
- Basia at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....