🎵 AotW Chuck Mangione: Children of Sanchez (A&M Records SP-6700)

Captain Bacardi

Well-Known Member
Chuck Mangione
CHILDREN OF SANCHEZ

A&M SP-6700

sp6700.jpg

Released 1978
Peaked at #1 on the Jazz Album charts and #14 on the Pop Album charts (1978 )

Format: Vinyl (2 LPs)/8-Track (2 Tapes)/Cassette (2 Tapes)/CD (2 discs)

Produced by Chuck Mangione

Songs:
  • 1. Children Of Sanchez Overture - 14:07
    2. Lullabye - 3:48
    3. Fanfare - 1:05
    4. Pilgrimage (Part 1) - 2:57
    5. Pilgrimage (Part 2) - 2:37
    6. Consuelo's Love Theme - 17:04
    7. Hot Consuelo - 4:01
    8. Death Scene - 4:42
    9. Market Place - 3:11
    10. Echano - 2:37
    11. Bellavia - 3:15
    12. Lullabye - 3:37
    13. Medley - 8:20
    14. B'bye - 8:27
    15. Children Of Sanchez Finale - 3:02

    All selections written and conducted by Chuck Mangione and published by Gates Music (BMI)

    "Lullabye" string arrangement: Jeff Tkazyik
    "B'bye" string arrangement: Bill Reichenbach
Musicians:
Chuck Mangione - Flugelhorn, Electric and Acoustic Pianos
Chris Vadala - Soprano and Tenor Saxes, Piccolo, Flute and Alto Flute, Clarinet
Grant Geissman - Classical, Electric, Acoustic and 12-String Guitars
Charles Meeks - Bass
James Bradley, Jr. - Drums, Tympani, Percussion, Congas and Timbales
Jeff Tkazyik - Lead Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Ron Leonard - Cello
Don Potter - Vocal
Bill Reichenbach - Trombone
Phyllis Hyman - Vocal
Gerry Vinci - Concertmaster
Trombones: Kai Winding, Mayo Tiana, Dana Hughes
French Horns: Dick Decker, George Stimpson, Brad Waarner

Recorded and Mixed at Kendun Recorders, Burbank, California
Chief Engineer: Mick Guzauski
Assistant Engineers: Larry Swist, Michael Frondelli, Stillman Kelly
Musical Coordination & Production Assistance: Jeff Tkazyik
Mixing and Editing: Mick Guzauski, Chuck Mangione, Don Potter, Bill Reichenbach, Gerry Vinci
Personnel Coordinator: Kai Winding
Tour Coordinator: Judy Cites
Mastering: Bob Ludwig
Mastered at Masterdisk, New York City

Album Design: Junie Osaki
Photography: Benno Friedman and Charles Bush
Liner Notes: Chuck Mangione

Music written for the Hall Bartlett Film "The Children Of Sanchez"

This album won a GRAMMY for Best Pop Instrumental Performance [1978]



Capt. Bacardi
 
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For a double LP coming from this era of Mangione, it's not too bad...

There is a good thematic unity here to justify four sides, even if at times, there is "double" the chance to make the material more inter-changeable w/ his other albums...

A good concept, (almost 'definitive', in fact) for once done w/o the usual hackwork!


Dave
 
I got it as a gift, played it three or four times, skipping half the tracks (which seem to drone on endlessly), and it remains on the shelf to this day. This one is classic "contract fulfillment", a good example of how some soundtrack albums are mainly filler, and never should have been released on record (IOW, most of the music fails out of the context of the movie it's from). My favorite track is actually the main title, in edited form, from the "Classics" CD. Give me the "Feels So Good" or "Fun & Games" album any day over this one. For completists only.
 
Yeah, this is a pretty lame effort. Granted, Mangione states in the liner notes that he was exhausted from the tour they had just completed when he was approached about doing the music for this film (which also was lame, BTW). But there's just no fire in these performances. Some of the music could've been great. The title track has a lot of bravado with the horn section and the melody is pleasant enough, but Mangione sounds tired, and he misses a lot of notes throughout this album. And as Rudy stated some of these tunes drag on. Do we really need to hear 17 minutes of "Consuelo's Love Theme", only to hear a more upbeat version as "Hot Consuelo" next? The medley has its moments but drags on, as does the otherwise gorgeous "B'Bye". I think this album sold only because of the enormous success of Feels So Good. It probably wouldn't have done much otherwise.



Capt. Bacardi
 
You've nailed it. "Consuelo's Love Theme" would have been a nice five-minute track (minus the 12 additional minutes of filler), and "Hot Consuelo" is a neat follow-up. "B'Bye" is the gem, along with the title track. Beyond that, the rest is so unmemorable I can't remember much of it. I would guess that the longer tracks were probably what was used in the film as-is, or these are the versions he submitted to Bartlett for the film. And as such, were just thrown into an album release to follow-up on the success of Feels So Good.

In many cases, artists often make separate recordings for the soundtrack albums...this is one case where even some simple judicious editing would have made it a halfway decent listen. "Echano" and "Bellavia" are from earlier albums, so could be dispensed with.
 
I'm against soundtrack albums that don't have the word "SOUNDTRACK" emblazoned on the front cover. It's almost consumer fraud. I'm almost a little leery of Sergio Mendes' RIO soundtrack, except it looks like it's going to be song-driven so it should be OK.

I wasn't a huge fan of "Feels So Good" but I figured, with that being such a big hit, Mangione would want to follow up with something kind of pop-ish for this album, so I bought it. Boy was that a misplaced expectiation! I think I played a couple or three sides and then put it right into the "used records" bin and it was gone and out of my life and it remains such today.
 
Well, in this case, I've shown much more needed appreciation for Chuck Mangione's works...

Funny how this is a "soundtrack" for a movie, despite the lack of the album saying so...

The album flows nicely, the backing avoids a lot of menacing, mechanistic chicanery (which you'll definitely hear on something like 70-Miles Young) and just when it seemed like most of Mangione's records seemed to sound a like, a few nuances of renewal, at least from the listenings I have given this, have surfaced...

Not a blindingly spectacular album, but I like it & all four sides, and while there are a few variations done on "a similar title", I somehow don't find them repetitious or redundant... And while not truly jazz, I admittedly do have a soft spot for its relaxed MOR pitch...

A good record to relax to, and the moods it sets after a tiring day, always seems to rise to the surface of enjoyment...



Dave
 
Dave said:
Funny how this is a "soundtrack" for a movie, despite the lack of the album saying so...

It may not have the word "Soundtrack" on it, but it does clearly say "Music written for the Hall Bartlett Film 'The Children Of Sanchez'".

On the back cover Mangione states: "Children Of Sanchez is not a typical soundtrack album but my personal selection from the 23 1/2 hours of music I composed and recorded for the Hall Bartlett motion picture...."



Capt. Bacardi
 
Wow. Just shows how an incorrect first impression of two people with similar names blurs in your mind over time! While at USC Film school I met both Hall Bartlett and Hal Barwood and my memory of the two has clearly morphed into a single name! :laugh:

--Mr Bill
 
The main theme, "B'Bye" and "Hot Consuelo" were the best things on the album IMHO. The rest of the album felt like just filler material. And since this was Mangione's first release following the huge success of "Feels So Good", enough people bought it to make it gold record. But a sprawling two-record set of instrumental soundtrack music released at any other time, would have fallen flat on its face. I agree that the movie was at best forgettable, and at worst just blatantly awful.

His next two albums "An Evening Of Magic Live At The Hollywood Bowl" and "Fun And Games" were way better. :)
 
I agree that the movie was at best forgettable, and at worst just blatantly awful.

I haven't ever seen it. I don't even know if it's on video. It's one of those movies like Lost Horizon (which had the Bacharach score) where you want to see it just to see how the music was used. I must say that this works with a lot of Mancini's soundtracks (for which I've been pleasantly surprised by how good some of the films were), but these two are probably cult favorites at best. :D

Agreed the next two were better albums. The tracks from Feels So Good weren't as essential, but the album was a good overview of his other recordings.
 
You're probably better off having not seen it, lol!! I think it might even be posted on the net in its entirety, but I wouldn't go out of my way to look for it! :D
 
Define "bad." :laugh: I may have to find it just to see what the fuss is about. I may also need a cure for insomnia. :D
 
I bought this album years ago, and loaned it to a friend who was a hornplayer and a fan of Mangione's, and I never saw it again! From what i remember, the title cut had a huge fanfare with horns, then cut into Mangione soloing. One of the cuts, I believe was a ballad that featured Esther Satterfield or Dianne reeves on vocals.That one I really liked.

Hall Bartlett was one the first truly independent producers to work outside of the Hollywood mainstream. I hate to say it like this,but long before Spike Lee, Jim Jarmusch, Hall Hartley, Bartlett was doing independent films that were documentaries and features. He did a movie called UNCHAINED;whose theme song was the legendary UNCHAINED MELODY(it was first used in this movie,folks, not just in GHOST!!) He also did a movie called ALL THE YOUNG MEN, which starred Sidney Poitier, and James Darren,ZERO HOUR which was also remade as the parody, AIRPLANE!!, and also JOHNATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL;whose theme music was composed by Neil Diamond. He also did a movie that I am looking for called CHANGES, which was about a young man coming of age in the 60s, but the movie he is probably best known for is LOVE IS FOREVER, which starrred one of my favorite actors, the late Michael Landon. It is well known, because of the many behind the scenes battles that Bartlett had with Landon about the direction of the movie.

As regarding CHILDREN, I had heard that Bartlett had married the actress who played Consuelo, then they divorced. As part of their divorce settlement, she-get this-wanted custody of the movie!! I don't know how things turned out regarding this matter, but I'm betting that's why I never saw it on the late night show, or anywhere else for that matter.

Bartlett passed away in 1993, and at the time prior to his death, he was developing properties to be made into movies. One of them was CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, which was later made by Steven Spielberg. As you can tell, I'm a fan, and the previous posters were talking about him, so I thought I'd share a little history about him with you all. Thanx for reading!
jazzdre
 
Define "bad." :laugh: I may have to find it just to see what the fuss is about. I may also need a cure for insomnia. :D

I guess you should just see it for yourself. It was bad in the way that it just really sucked! You should have no problem catching some zzzz's while it's on. :D
 
I could probably use a sleep assist! Some nights I'm up later than you are, and I'm three hours ahead. :D
 
You've nailed it. "Consuelo's Love Theme" would have been a nice five-minute track (minus the 12 additional minutes of filler)

I was just looking through my LPs for something else and came across this promo:

MangioneChildrenCDCover.jpg



...a sampler sent to radio with some edited versions of the over-long tracks. It was likely an aim to get some airplay to promote the album. Anyway, when I resurrected this thread to read about the album, I got a kick out of Rudy recommending a 5 minute version of the love theme - and this sampler has it at 5:49.

Great minds, thinking alike, across the decades.
 
I have this on CD and Download version and I originally had it on vinyl but I wasn't able to get this until almost 20 years after it's release I admit some of the songs were a bit too long but I do have several favorite tracks the vocal by Don potter on The main theme is great I love the lyrics I love the medley which has a horn shootout between Jeff tyzik and Chuck himself to me it's sounds like Bellavia meets the Children of sanchez Consuelos Love theme is pretty memorable albeit a bit lengthy and interestingly this was released while Feels so good was slowly slipping off the charts but it was to be another 2 years before his next hit "Give it all you Got" from Fun And Games would come. And after "Sanchez" came his " Evening of Magic" live album ( which I also like) Thanks for reopening this thread because I wanted to chime in on my experiences listening to this album and I was and still am a Mangione fan. Even over 40 years later
 
The title track was used on the CBS "Daytona 500" back in February of 1982 near the beginning of the show & when Bobby Allison won the trophy!! Matt Clark Sanford, MI
 
I'm actually surprised that A&M let him put this out as a double album without some judicious editing...
 
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