Galliano

Galliano are a London acid jazz group formed in 1988 and active again from 2023 after an earlier run that lasts until 1997. The original line-up includes Robert Gallagher, credited as Roberto Galliano, on vocals, Constantine Weir on vocals and Crispin Robinson on percussion. Their later and more stable touring line-up adds Valerie Etienne on vocals, Mick Talbot on keyboards, Crispin Taylor on drums, Ernie McKone on bass guitar, Mark Vandergucht on guitar, Steve White, and Ski Oakenfull on keyboards; the group also includes Steve Ameedee, known as Uncle Big Man, as a dancer. The wider membership associated with the group also includes Steve White and Mick Talbot.

Style and early development

The band works in acid jazz and jazz, with early recordings using spoken-word elements influenced by groups such as the Last Poets. They are among the first acts to record for Eddie Piller and Gilles Peterson’s Acid Jazz label, and they are also the first signing to Peterson’s Talkin’ Loud label.

Albums and notable releases

Their debut album, In Pursuit of the 13th Note, appears in 1991 on Talkin’ Loud and is produced by Chris Bangs. It includes contributions from Roy Ayers and wins an Edison Pop Award in 1992. The second album, A Joyful Noise Unto the Creator, follows in 1992. Their best-known commercial release is The Plot Thickens from 1994, which reaches number eight on the UK Albums Chart. It yields two UK top 40 singles: “Long Time Gone”, a cover of a David Crosby song, and “Twyford Down”, which refers to protests against road construction at Twyford Down.

The fourth studio album, :4, is released in 1996 and includes “Slack Hands”, later used in the title sequence of the film One Eight Seven. In 2024 the group releases new singles including “Circles Going Round The Sun” and “Pleasure, Joy & Happiness”, and their fifth studio album, Halfway Somewhere, appears that year. A further album, Unreliable Memories of Contested Conversations, is also listed.

Performances, split and return

Galliano perform at major festivals during their 1990s period, including Glastonbury Festival. After a tour of Japan, the band settles into the stronger line-up associated with its later albums. It ends its first run in November 1997 after a final performance at Dingwalls in London. Following the split, members work in projects including Two Banks of Four, Earl Zinger, William Anderson and The Diabolical Liberties. The group returns to live performance in 2023, including appearances at Gilles Peterson’s We Out Here Festival.