Chuck Mangione - Feels so Good


I heard this song today for the first time in maybe decades. It was the studio version which I always loved because they weren't rushed by network television to cut the song from around 10 minutes to 4 minutes as they did for the Grammy Awards in '77.

The reason I bring up this soft jazz musician as I do really think he was a good flugel horn player. Feels so Good came out right when I was forced by my parents to take up the trumpet. I wanted to play sax or drums so when Chuck released this record, I had a change of heart. He was born and raised in my home town which was a big deal when Feels so Good was released. The song was played constantly on the radio and most young kids and their parents loved it.

Anyone familiar with Chuck Mangione?
donjr
I attended a Chuck Mangione concert over 30 years ago. My dad had been given tickets from a client and he passed them on to me.

I remember going to the concert reluctantly and mainly as to not ''waste'' the tickets.

It was in the Chase The Clouds Away era with that beautifull singer. I came out of this concert a convinced fan and purchased most of his albums since.

For me Chuck is the exact opposite of Kenny G and his ''Microvave-oven-your-meal-is-ready'' single-note ear-bleeding music.

Mangione music is great and somewhat complex once you get into it, but is it definitely beautifull.
Agree about Mangione. Good player and composer with his own sound.
While he can fairly be categorized as a "soft-jazz" artist, he is
one of the few artists in that genre that has a feel-good sound without the
all-too-common "Look how hip I am!" quality that many soft or
smooth jazz "artists" exude. There is an element of sincerity in
his sound and his bands have always been top-notch. Of special note was
the presence of Gerry Niewood on saxophone/flute on his earlier records,
until the tragic airplane accident (on the way to a concert) that killed two
band members a couple of years ago. Gerry's soprano solo on "Land
Of Make Believe" is one of those solos that young saxophone players
study as models in this genre; beautiful playing without the usual pop-jazz
saxophone affectations.

v=WtRxKRS0r8g>http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WtRxKRS0r8g
I also liked Soft with the female vocalist on his Chase The Clouds Away album. Have the CDs but wish my old records were in better shape
He can definitely play that horn. OK, a lot of the music he plays is lightweight, but that man got some skills! I saw him on a freezing cold night in Akron, Ohio ca 1977 and he made a long, uncomfortable road trip from Ann Arbor worth the effort.

Ah,....college memories.
I always remember my sister telling me she was so excited to see him in concert and what a drool boring experience it turned out to be (maybe 35 years ago). She was a typical pop music lover and was misled by someone I imagine.

I have a few of his albums and think they are OK

he has a brother named Gap who had some success as well

fwiw
Yeah, I have a pretty good collection of Chuck Mangione, some non-released vinyl and some very old stuff too. Nice guy, nice family. I listen to him often. Last time I met him was about 30 years ago, I still picture this youngish ball of energy and joy. A lot like his music.
I enjoyed Chuck and his quartet during the period they recorded "Chase the Clouds Away", "Land of Make Believe", and "Bellavia". I saw a memorable concert of Chuck and his quartet, with guest vocalist Ester Satterfield at Red Rocks in the 70's, accompanied by a lunar eclipse. His compositions and recordings, at least in those days, were jazz that was easy on the ears, genial but not extraordinarily complex or eclectic...closer to an upbeat Chet Baker than a moody Coltrane.
I owned and liked Feels So Good when it came out on vinyl. I also liked his Children of Sanchez, but just the song, not the whole LP. I no longer have any vinyl, but have no interest in replacing those two LPs with CDs. Soft/Pop jazz no longer interests me. But it was very good for what it was.
My favorite of Chuck was a performance I saw on PBS many years ago, Live at Wolftrap(?). I remember really enjoying that. And of course, his appearance on King of the Hill.
Ya. Always like hearing that cut. I got the album way back. He let the soul flow thru that horn on that cut. Really liked it.