Basia Trzetrzelewska, pronounced just as it looks (says the kid who grew up in a Slavic neighborhood) “is a Polish singer-songwriter and record producer better known by her stage name Basia.”
I have one of her albums, 1989’s London Warsaw New York, though I don’t know how, and it is quite pleasant. But nothing on it captured me the way the 1987 single Time and Tide did.
In fact, I heard it so often, and enjoyed it so much, I’m surprised it went only to #26 on the US pop charts, and #19 on the adult contemporary charts. It got to #61 in the UK.
She continues to record and perform. In 2014, she was awarded “one of Poland’s highest orders – the Knights Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta ‘for the outstanding achievement in promoting Polish culture in the world’ and from the Polish Minister for Culture… a Decoration for Merit to Polish Culture.”
Check out her website.
Listen to:
Time and Tide
Brave New Hope from the 1989 album; the chorus goes, “Now is the time…”
Clear Horizon: The Best of Basia.
I adored that single! I actually got it through ITunes as well – she is just that wonderful.
Something about the clarity of her voice caught my attention, originally. Then the tonic bass line, thumping… a great arrangement. Also, it had a clear jazz flavor, which was rare for pop hits of that era.
Thanks for this, Roger. “We got time… oh, baby, there’s no rush… gonna be… a better day for us…” (Thinking politics and hoping Basia is right, still!) Amy
The last time we had a radio station pretending to play “smooth jazz,” about 5 percent of their playlist seemed to be Basia. And I was okay with that.