This morning, I found a delightful surprise in my mailbox: the re-issued second album of Blue Rondo. Their first album, *Chewing the Fat*, was re-released exactly 10 years ago in a 2-CD set, packed with outtakes, bonus tracks, and extended 12-inch versions. Ever since, I’ve been eagerly waiting for the 2-CD version of their second album.
Blue Rondo (à la Turk) was the early '80s creation of lyricist and vocalist Chris Sullivan. The group aimed to fuse Latin American jazz with funk and African influences, and they nailed it on their debut album, with standout singles like "Me and Mr. Sanchez" and "Klactovee Sed Steen." As Chris Sullivan himself noted in the reissue's booklet, they "flew in the face of the, then, current trend of effete males in make-up playing electro."
After signing a two-album deal with Virgin, most of the band left following the release of the first album to form Matt Bianco. However, Christos Tolera and Geraldo D’Arbilly remained alongside Chris Sullivan to create the second album, under the shortened name Blue Rondo. Unfortunately, due to the split, Virgin wrote them off as a tax loss and ceased promoting the release. As a result, *Bees Knees & Chicken Elbows* didn’t achieve the same success as their debut. The album received more mixed reviews as well, leaning more into jazz than pop. Still, it contains some hidden gems like “Are You Satisfied,” the second single “Masked Moods,” and “Slipping Into Daylight.” My personal favorite is the opening track, “Samba No Pé”—good luck trying to sit still during that one!
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This morning, I found a delightful surprise in my mailbox: the re-issued second album of Blue Rondo. Their first album, *Chewing the Fat*, was re-released exactly 10 years ago in a 2-CD set, packed with outtakes, bonus tracks, and extended 12-inch versions. Ever since, I’ve been eagerly waiting for the 2-CD version of their second album.
Blue Rondo (à la Turk) was the early '80s creation of lyricist and vocalist Chris Sullivan. The group aimed to fuse Latin American jazz with funk and African influences, and they nailed it on their debut album, with standout singles like "Me and Mr. Sanchez" and "Klactovee Sed Steen." As Chris Sullivan himself noted in the reissue's booklet, they "flew in the face of the, then, current trend of effete males in make-up playing electro."
After signing a two-album deal with Virgin, most of the band left following the release of the first album to form Matt Bianco. However, Christos Tolera and Geraldo D’Arbilly remained alongside Chris Sullivan to create the second album, under the shortened name Blue Rondo. Unfortunately, due to the split, Virgin wrote them off as a tax loss and ceased promoting the release. As a result, *Bees Knees & Chicken Elbows* didn’t achieve the same success as their debut. The album received more mixed reviews as well, leaning more into jazz than pop. Still, it contains some hidden gems like “Are You Satisfied,” the second single “Masked Moods,” and “Slipping Into Daylight.” My personal favorite is the opening track, “Samba No Pé”—good luck trying to sit still during that one!