Blue Rondo A La Turk
A London pop and Latin jazz band founded in 1981 by Chris Sullivan, named for a Dave Brubeck piece, whose debut single "Me and Mr Sanchez" reached number 40; three of its members left to form Matt Bianco.
- Origin
- London, England
- Years active
- 1981-1984
- Genres
- pop, Latin jazz, new wave
- Labels
- Virgin, Diable Noir
- Also known as
- Blue Rondo
Chris Sullivan's band
Blue Rondo a la Turk was created in London by Chris Sullivan, who sang, wrote the lyrics, painted the cubist sleeve art and designed the band's suits, with the stated aim of bringing back show biz. It took its name from Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo a la Turk" on Time Out (1959). A 1981 profile in New Sounds New Styles describes Sullivan as a Welshman from Merthyr who had worked as a waiter, DJ and fashion designer and co-opened the St Moritz club in 1980, and the band as a mix of two Brazilians, a Barbadian, a Greek, an Irish Jamaican, a Scot and a Welsh leader. Sullivan described the sound as Latin American jazz with funk and African leanings, inspired by the 1940s film Down Argentine Way with Carmen Miranda.
They began with invitation-only dates in summer 1981, including a try-out at a Chelmsford pub on June 21, and signed to Virgin that October. The line-up was six-piece for the first singles and ten-piece by the debut album Chewing the Fat (1982).
Singles and the split
"Me and Mr Sanchez" was released on November 6, 1981. "Klactoveesedstein" (1982), produced by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, reached number 50 in March 1982. "The Heavens Are Crying", produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, and "Carioca", produced by Mike Chapman, did not chart in the UK, by the Wikipedia page, which also gives an unverified UK 143 for the latter. Chewing the Fat entered the UK album chart on November 6, 1982 and reached number 80 for two weeks. Setlist.fm has 39 shows, all in 1982, from Valentino's Club in Edinburgh on February 20 to Paradiso in Amsterdam on November 28.
After the album Mark Reilly, Kito Poncioni and Daniel White left and formed Matt Bianco in 1983, whose "Yeh Yeh" reached number 13 in the UK. Several other members also left, leaving Sullivan, Tolera and D'Arbilly, who returned in 1983 as Blue Rondo and released "Slipping Into Daylight" and "Masked Moods" and, in 1984, the album Bees Knees and Chicken Elbows. Sullivan opened the Wag Club in Wardour Street, Soho, in 1982 and ran it until 2001. Cherry Red reissued Chewing the Fat as a double CD in 2014 and Bees Knees and Chicken Elbows in September 2024.
Members
- Chris Sullivan vocals, lyrics, artwork (1981-1984)
- Christos Tolera vocals
- Mark Reilly guitar (1981-1983)
- Mike Bynoe drums, timbales
- Kito Poncioni percussion
- Geraldo D'Arbilly bass, percussion
- Daniel White keyboards
Records
- Chewing the Fat 1982 · Virgin
The debut album, with a neo-Cubist cover painting by Chris Sullivan; it includes the first four singles.
Songs
- Me and Mr Sanchez Chewing the Fat · 1981
The debut single, released on November 6, 1981 on Virgin, which reached number 40 in the UK.
Related artists
Where to go next
Reference
- Blue Rondo a la Turk on Wikipedia Line-up and singles.
Writing and criticism
- Shapers of the 80s: the 1981 profile A New Sounds New Styles profile.
- Shapers of the 80s: the 2024 reissue On Bees Knees and Chicken Elbows.
Live performance archives
- setlist.fm: Blue Rondo a la Turk 39 setlists from 1982.
Sources
- Blue Rondo a la Turk (band), Wikipedia
- Blue Rondo create a new buzz with Latin sounds, Shapers of the 80s (1981)
- Matt Bianco, Wikipedia
- About, Chris Sullivan