Matia Bazar

Matia Bazar
Matia Bazar
	Matia Bazar performing in June 2007. From left to right: Piero Cassano, Roberta Faccani, and Giancarlo Golzi
Background information
Origin	Genoa, Italy
Genres	Pop rock; synth-pop; new wave;
Years active	1975–present
Labels	Ariston; CGD;
Members	Fabio Perversi; Silvia Dragonieri; Silvio Melloni; Gino Zandonà; Piercarlo Tanzi;
Website	matiabazarofficial.com

Matia Bazar (Italian: [maˈtiːa badˈdzar, - baˈzar]) 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, vocals), Giancarlo Golzi (drums), and Antonella Ruggiero (vocals). They represented Italy in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest with a song called "Raggio di luna". They are known for the quality of their female vocalists; after Ruggiero, vocalists included Laura Valente, Silvia Mezzanotte, Roberta Faccani, and Luna Dragonieri. Their major hits were "Solo tu" (1977), "Vacanze romane" (1982), and "Ti sento" (1985), which peaked on the charts in Belgium, Netherlands, and Italy. The group achieved several major successes, amongst which the win of two Sanremo Music Festivals in 1978 and in 2002.^[1]^[2]

Ruggiero and Marrale, the two main vocalists of the original line-up, left respectively in 1989 and 1994 to pursue solo careers. Main lyricist and bassist Stellita died in 1998 and drummer/writer and founding member Golzi in 2015. Cassano, the last original member, left in May 2017. As of 2024, none of the current members of the group belongs to its original lineup. The band is now led by Fabio Perversi, keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist since 1998, who has been indicated by Cassano and Golzi as the right person to carry on the new era of the band, which in their idea "should survive to their original members".^[3]

Personnel

Current members

Fabio Perversi – vocals, keyboards, violin (1998–)
Silvia Dragonieri – vocals (2017–)
Silvio Melloni – bass (2021–)
Gino Zandonà – guitars (2021–)
Piercarlo Tanzi – drums (2021–)

Past members

Piero Cassano – vocals, guitars, keyboards (founder, 1975–1981, 1999–2017)
Giancarlo Golzi – drums (founder, 1975–2015)
Carlo Marrale – guitars, vocals (founder, 1975–1994)
Antonella Ruggiero – vocals (founder, 1975–1989)
Aldo Stellita – bass (founder, 1975–1998)
Mauro Sabbione [it] – keyboards (1981–1984)
Sergio Cossu [it] – keyboards (1984–1998)
Laura Valente – vocals (1990–1998)
Silvia Mezzanotte – vocals (1999–2004, 2010–2016)
Roberta Faccani – vocals (2005–2010)
Piero Marras – guitars (2017–2021)
Paola Zadra – bass (2017–2021)
Fiamma Cardani – drums (2017–2021)

Discography

Matia Bazar 1 (1976)
Granbazar (1977)
Semplicità (1978)
Tournée (1979)
Il tempo del sole (1980)
Berlino, Parigi, Londra (1982)
Tango (1983)
Aristocratica (1984)
Melanchólia (1985)
Melò (1987)
Red Corner (1989)
Anime pigre (1991)
Dove le canzoni si avverano (1993)
Radiomatia (1995)
Benvenuti a Sausalito (1997)
Brivido caldo (2000)
Dolce canto (2001)
Profili svelati (2005)
One1 Two2 Three3 Four4 (2007)
One1 Two2 Three3 Four4 - Volume due (2008)
Conseguenza logica (2011)

Citations

^ Francesco Fornari (29 January 1978). "Hanno vinto i Matia Bazar" [Matia Bazar won]. La Stampa (in Italian). Turin. p. 24. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
^ Ernesto Assante (10 March 2002). "Vittoria annunciata per i Matia Bazar. Seconda Alexia, terzo Gino Paoli" [A foreseen victory for Matia Bazar. Alexia is runner-up, third place for Gino Paoli]. la Repubblica (in Italian). Rome. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
^ "Piero Cassano lascia i Matia Bazar" [Piero Cassano leaves Matia Bazar]. ANSA (in Italian). Rome. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2024.

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Homo Sapiens with "Bella da morire"	Sanremo Music Festival Winner 1978	Succeeded by Mino Vergnaghi with "Amare"
Preceded by Ricchi e Poveri with "Questo amore"	Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979	Succeeded by Alan Sorrenti with "Non so che darei"
Preceded by Elisa with "Luce (Tramonti a nord est)"	Sanremo Music Festival Winner 2002	Succeeded by Alexia with "Per dire di no"

[1] Francesco Fornari (29 January 1978). "Hanno vinto i Matia Bazar" [Matia Bazar won]. La Stampa (in Italian). Turin. p. 24. Retrieved 12 February 2024.

[2] Ernesto Assante (10 March 2002). "Vittoria annunciata per i Matia Bazar. Seconda Alexia, terzo Gino Paoli" [A foreseen victory for Matia Bazar. Alexia is runner-up, third place for Gino Paoli]. la Repubblica (in Italian). Rome. Retrieved 12 February 2024.

[3] "Piero Cassano lascia i Matia Bazar" [Piero Cassano leaves Matia Bazar]. ANSA (in Italian). Rome. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2024.

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