🎷 AotW: Jazz AOTW: Chuck Mangione - TARANTELLA (SP-6513)

[Captain Bacardi]

Chuck Mangione
TARANTELLA
A&M SP-6513

Released 1981
Peaked at #10 on the Jazz Albums chart and #55 on the Pop Albums chart (1981)

Format: Vinyl (2 LPs)/Cassette (2 Tapes)

Produced by Chuck Mangione

Songs:

• 1. Tarantellas (Arranged by Gap Mangione) - 3:55
  2. The XIth Commandment Suite (Chuck Mangione) - 12:39
  3. Legend Of The One-Eyed Sailor (Chuck Mangione) - 7:47
  4. Bellavia (Chuck Mangione) - 7:03
  5. Hill Where The Lord Hides (Chuck Mangione) - 6:20
  6. Lake Placid Fanfare (Chuck Mangione) - :17
  7. Things To Come (Dizzy Gillespie/G.W. Fuller) - 5:38
  8. 'Round Midnight (R. Hanighen/C. Williams/T. Monk) - 8:26
  9. Manteca (Dizzy Gillespie/G.W. Fuller) - 11:05
  10. My One And Only Love (G. Wood/R. Mellin) - 11:59
  11. All Blues (Miles Davis) - 8:30

Musicians:
Chuck Mangione - Conductor, Flugelhorn and Electric Piano
Dizzy Gillespie - Trumpet and Jew's Harp
Chick Corea - Acoustic and Electric Pianos, Trumpet and Percussion
Steve Gadd - Drums and Tympani
Kathryn Moses - Flutes
Gap Mangione - Acoustic and Electric Pianos
James Bradley, Jr. - Drums and Percussion
Dan D'Imperio - Drums and Percussion
Charles Meeks - Electric bass
Chris Vadala - Saxophones and Flutes
Jeff D'Angelo - Electric Bass
Eric Gale - Electric Guitar
Paul Viapiano - Acoustic and Electric Guitars
Carl Lockett - Electric Guitar
Joe Mosello - Trumpet and Flugelhorn
Jeff Tyzik - Trumpet and Flugelhorn
Lew Soloff - Trumpet and Flugelhorn
Pat LaBarbera - Tenor Saxophone
Sal Nistico - Tenor Saxophone
Bob Militello - Baritone Saxophone
Joe Romano - Alto and Tenor Saxophones
Rick Chamberlain - Trombone
Birch Johnson - Trombone
Keith O'Quinn - Trombone
Jim Daniels - Bass Trombone
Dave Mancini - Percussion
Ralph MacDonald - Congas and Percussion
Jerry Peel - French Horn
Jay Wadenpfuhl - French Horn

Recorded Live at The Americana Hotel Ballroom, Rochester, New York, December 27, 1980

Recorded on location by Mark Sound, Inc.
Engineer: Larry Swist
Assistant Engineer: Vince Morrette

Post Production: David Greene for Unlimited Productions, Inc.
Britannia Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Right Track Recording, New York, NY
Howard Schwartz Recording, New York, NY

Final Mix Engineer: Larry Swist at P.C.I. Recording, Rochester, NY
Assistant: Mark Thomsen
Mastering: Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk, New York, NY

Art Direction and Design: Junie Osaki Mangione
Photography: Benno Friedman
Liner Notes: Dave Stearns, Rochester Times-Union

"Tarantella" is dedicated to my new bride Junie Osaki Mangione.



Capt. Bacardi​

 

[Rudy]

A live trainwreck of an album. I still hear the words of one reviewer back in the day echoing in my mind: some of the participants didn't check their egos at the door. I can hear this in many of the big band charts, where some are "overblowing" the others.

Can't say I've played it much since the year it was released...

 

[junglero]

One of my favorite Mangione releases. Nice mix of classic Jazz tracks with newer ones. I have it on cassette (just one not two as stated above). Would love to see it released on CD where it would be a 2 CD set.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

This is a mixed bag for me. There are some noteworthy tracks,uch as the updated versions of "Legend Of The One-Eyed Sailor", the full "XIth Commandment Suite" and Dizzy's "Things To Come", but the rest gets tedious. How many times is Mangione going to record "Hill Where The Lord Hides" and "Bellavia"? Granted, this was a benefit concert for earthquake victims so I can see trying to squeeze in a few hits. And since this concert was several hours long I'm sure there were the usual hits. It's an okay album, but I really wanted to like it more and Mangione didn't give me a good reason to like it more.

 

[Rudy]

The Suite was the highlight for me also, along with the story behind it. Our drummer in jazz band class said that Gadd's drum parts were very difficult to play (and the drummer we had was no slouch either). One other standout for me was Dizzy's solo during "Manteca"....I hear the laughter after he gets done with that final run, which was probably the band looking at him in bewilderment. "...And I'm leavin'...in the mornin'...at seven...oh-clock..............shyte!"

 

[Rudy]

One of my favorite Mangione releases. Nice mix of classic Jazz tracks with newer ones. I have it on cassette (just one not two as stated above). Would love to see it released on CD where it would be a 2 CD set.

I'm surprised it never got released, since they put out most of his other albums...even Children of Sanchez. I haven't looked into imports at all, but I can't see it ever being reissued.

 

[Randall]

Funky coincidence #1: I'm replying to this thread exactly two years to the day since the last reply!
Funky coincidence #2: It's Friday The 13th!

I was in junior high school when I heard about this, bought the album (let's face it, with no job, a double LP was a stiff price, even back then!), and loved it! In the ensuing high school years, I took one date to see Chick Corea, Miroslav Vituous and Roy Haynes on one of their "Trio Music" appearances… took another date to see Chuck M. on his "Rainbows" tour… and my freshman year in high school, we used "Children of Sanchez" as part of our marching band show, and recaptured the state marching band championship for our division. I listened to this album a lot… and I still have it, scratches and pops and all, down in the basement. I haven't heard it, all the way through, in about 20 or 25 years, since I last had a working turntable.

Now, we're all adults here… so let's face some cold, hard facts…

A lot of things have changed in the music business since then. A lot of those changes have been driven by technology.

I freely admit that when the "Napster Craze" hit in 1999, 2000… yeah, I rode that bandwagon for a bit. I downloaded some things. And like a lot of people, when the "crackdown" began, I stopped. Thankfully, the music industry kind of caught up, and now, I gleefully pay for downloads, legally, on iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play. Hell, Google Play and Amazon are constantly goin' at each other with "$5 Deals" of all kinds. It's wonderful!!

So, go ahead… Google "Chuck Mangione Tarantella" and see what comes up. Don't kid yourself--it's floating around out there, and if people want it, they'll get it.

But at what cost, and to whom?

A&M, truth be told, really isn't doing anyone any favors, least of all the artists and themselves, by sitting on this.

So, it's not that great an album? People didn't "check their egos at the door?" They "outblew" each other? Fine. Don't waste money on discs, jewel cases, little booklets and liner notes. Just pull the masters, digitize them, and toss 'em out on the big retail download sites. You'll still make money, and you'll still make enthusiasts like me happy.

Seriously… how hard would it be?

I'll admit, too, that I do understand that there might be decades-old, unsolvable licensing knots on a recording that had so many artists from so many record labels participating in a one-time charity gig.

I'd just like an opportunity to purchase this, listen to it again.

Thanks!

 

[Harry]

I'll admit, too, that I do understand that there might be decades-old, unsolvable licensing knots on a recording that had so many artists from so many record labels participating in a one-time charity gig.

I'd just like an opportunity to purchase this, listen to it again.

I think you probably hit the nail on the head with the licensing knots. It's just not worth the headaches and costs involved for any company to attempt to track down the participants or their heirs to put out a product on new media that wasn't all that well-received the first time around. But I do understand your desires to hear an album you're fond of again.

Getting a turntable isn't all that difficult - but it's something you have to WANT to do. Alternatively, there are services out there that will convert your LP for you.

And then there's the option of capturing what's "floating around out there." I won't squeal...

Harry

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Of course these days these albums get "brickwalled" when they get a remaster job and they sound horrible. You're much better off getting a good turntable and finding this LP at places like Half-Price, or even on eBay. You can get them there cheap.

BTW Randall - A&M doesn't really exist anymore. It's just an imprint. Universal now owns these masters.



Capt. Bacardi