🎵 AotW AOTW: Chuck Mangione - BELLAVIA (SP-4557)

[Captain Bacardi]

Chuck Mangione
BELLAVIA
A&M SP-4557

Released 1975
Peaked at #7 on the Jazz Charts, #68 on the Top 200 Albums Chart (1976)

Format: Vinyl/8-Track/Cassette/CD

Produced by Chuck Mangione

Songs:

• 1. Come Take A Ride With Me - 4:22
  2. Listen To The Wind - 6:58
  3. Carousel - 7:35
  4. Bellavia - 6:32
  5. Dance Of The Windup Toy - 5:00
  6. Torreano - 7:58
  
  All selections written by Chuck Mangione and published by Gates Music, Inc. (BMI)

Musicians:
Chuck Mangione - Conductor, Yamaha Flugelhorn, Fender Rhodes Electric Piano, Celeste
Gerry Niewood - Soprano Saxophone, Yamaha Tenor Saxophone, Yamaha Piccolo, C Flute, Alto Flute
Joe LaBarbera - Drums, Roto Toms, Miscellaneous Percussion
Chip Jackson - Electric Bass
Kai Winding - Orchestra Personnel Coordinator
Gerald Vinci - Concert Master
Lew Soloff - Lead Trumpet
Kathryn Moses - Solo Flute (6)
Vincent DeRosa - French Horn Solo (6)

Recorded at A&M Studios, Hollywood, California
Engineer: Mick Guzauski
Assistant Engineer: Chuck Trammel
Mastered at A&M Studios, Hollywood, California by Mick Guzauski and Frank DeLuna

This album was recorded "live" in the studio without overdubs or added instrumentation.

Art Direction: Roland Young
Photography: Harry Mittman
Design: Brian Zick
Liner Notes: Chuck Mangione

Note: The song "Bellavia" won a GRAMMY for Best Instrumental Composition (Other Than Jazz) at the 1976 GRAMMY Awards.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[AM Matt]

Back around 1978 thru early 1980, WNEM TV 5 in Saginaw, Michigan played "Bellavia" during the closing of the newscast. A man by the name of Art Van Dyke (NO relation to Dick or Jerry) was the news anchor. Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[Rudy]

Matt--I think it was WJBK (TV2, Detroit) that played part of the intro to Mangione's "Hide and Seek" (from Feels So Good) as a bumper for their newscasts in the late 70s.

 

[AM Matt]

Rudy: I never watched WJBK back then because it was too far away from my hometown. Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I used to like this album more when it first came out, but now it can be a little tedious, especially on the song "Bellavia". The real highlight is "Torreano", which is the closest thing to a big band track, and it finds Mangione, Niewood and Jackson doing some tremndous solos. Great arrangement, great playing. "Listen To The Wind" also has some pleasing moments. But "Carousel" always drove me up a wall for some reason.

Try finding this out-of-print CD and you'll be paying some righteous bucks. I've had someone "offer" to sell it to me for a mere $75. Good thing I have a clean vinyl version that I made my own CD-R with.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Dave]

Well, despite the "concept of a Family Ties" that the album title suggests (the liner notes detailing the mother & father, in relation to the family surnames, Mangione/Bellavia) there IS no concept in relation to the album title, nor any what-so-ever, even on a song-by-song basis to make this effort very interesting...

However, the duets between Mangione and Gerry Niewood are occasionally inspiring and the orchestrations reach a creative peak complimenting the sometimes moving compositions...

Otherwise this record runs, (and often out of steam) in a basically spotty, long-winded formula...

In which case, it would be very wise to break away from, instead of carrying on, while vying for a would-be try at jockeying with the basic melodies of neo-jazz structure, in an effort to strap on to something new...



Dave