🎵 AotW AOTW: Gap Mangione - DANCIN' IS MAKIN' LOVE (SP-4762)

[Captain Bacardi]

Gap Mangione
DANCIN' IS MAKIN' LOVE
A&M SP-4762

Released 1979

Format: Vinyl/8-Track/Cassette

Produced by Larry Carlton

Songs:

• 1. Dancin' Is Makin' Love (Gap Mangione) - 5:45
  2. Girl Goodbye (David Paich) - 6:11
  3. Takin' It Back (Steve Porcaro) - 4:42
  4. You're The One (Larry Carlton) - 6:05
  5. Dreamflow (Larry Carlton) - 5:55
  6. I'm Home (Greg Mathieson) - 6:02
  
  Brass Arrangement: Larry Carlton, except 1 & 6, Brass Arrangement: Gap Mangione & Larry Carlton
  Strings Arranged by Larry Carlton

Musicians:
Gap Mangione - Keyboards
Larry Carlton - Guitars
Robert "Pops" Popwell - Bass
John Ferraro - Drums
Greg Mathieson - Fender Rhodes Piano, Oberheim & Mini Moog Synthesizer (2), Acoustic Piano (4)
Paulinho Da Costa - Percussion
Pete Christlieb - Saxophones
Chuck Findley - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Steve Madaio - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Gary Grant - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Bill Reichenbach - Trombone
Charlie Loper - Trombone
Dick Hyde - Trombone
Gerald Vinci - Concertmaster
Venetta Fields - Vocals
Paulette Brown - Vocals
William D. Smith - Vocals

Recorded at Remixed at Room 335, Hollywood, CA
Engineered & Remixed by Larry Carlton
Second Engineer: Steve Carlton
Mastered at A&M Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA
Mastering Engineer: Bernie Grundman
String Personnel Coordinator: Gerald Vinci
Strings recorded at Jennifuddy Recording Studio, North Hollywood, CA
Strings Engineered by John Guess

Art Direction: Roland Young
Design: Junie Osaki
Cover Art: Andre Miripolsky
Photography: Benno Friedman



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Dave]

Rather weak and indistinctive set of Jazz by keyboardist, Gap, given just enough support, putting out enough gusto and doing this with enough chutzpah, but still falls flat on its face...

The Mangione-written kick-off track, "Dancin'..." almost sends things in the right direction, though it's taking a long turn on a short bend... "Taikin' It Back" and "Girl Goodbye" from Toto's first album seem like fairly good numbers to experiment with and with these arrangements, they do almost pass... The Larry Carlton-written numbers "Dreamflow" and "You're The One" are fairly good, but also numb, lumbering, noodling exercises, while keyboardist Greg Mathieson contributes the album's weakest track in the closing piece, "I'm Home"...

A worthy-enough effort in that it shows the Gap and his producer/arranger/guitarist Larry Carlton as well as A&M Records that he deserved another shot, though compared to the earlier albums he's made, he's done considerably a lot better... The very worse that happens when "Cocktail Lounge goes to the Dance Floor"...



Dave

 

[Captain Bacardi]

An absolutely horrible album. Crass commercialsim at its worst. Disco, disco, disco for the most part, with very little to do with jazz. A&M seemed to have hoped that the magic that Chuck Mangione had would rub off on brother Gap, but that never happened. What makes it worse is guitarist Larry Carlton's production is the pits, even with a halfway decent guitar solo on "Girl Goodbye" by Carlton. There's really no redeeming quality to this album at all. Avoid if all possible. 1 star.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[audiofile]

I agree with Captain. This album is awful.

No jazz at all; just a weak attempt at cashing in on some lame Disco garbage.

 

[jazzdre]

All I can say is: WOW!!!That bad, huh? Never listened to this album, never even HEARD about it 'til now, but from what I see, this was put together by studio cats, and I hate to say it, but their goal is always gonna be commercial. Also, keep in mind that this WAS 1979, and everybody and his family was trying to make a disco album back then.Just like Gato Barbieri's album TROPICO, mostly disco, with some jazz on the tunes.

I know Gap from his magnificent playing he did with his brother on those live albums they did back in the early 70s, but I'm afraid not much else I know of Gap.Didn't he do another solo album on A&M that was also critically panned, or panned by some of you on the Forum? Just would like to know!

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Didn't he do another solo album on A&M that was also critically panned, or panned by some of you on the Forum? Just would like to know!

Yup, there's these:

She And I (SP-3407): http://www.amcorner.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8239

Gap Mangione! (SP-4621): http://www.amcorner.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8720

Suite Lady (SP-4694): http://www.amcorner.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9017



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Rudy]

No love for Gaspare here, eh?

It makes me wonder if these albums were more about marketing rather than musical qualities. He and Chuck did an early album together called "Jazz Brothers" that was pretty good. So he HAS the chops. But it's like others--if someone dangles money in front of them, they'll take it. Jazz never made many people rich, let's put it that way.

And odn't get me wrong: there is good disco out there, but there was a lot more (IMHO) that was BAD disco. I have never heard this album, but I know many others where artists decided to follow the trend of the day and cut a disco song or album, and flopped at it. Sometimes, a "sellout", no? This must be a prime example of that.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

He and Chuck did an early album together called "Jazz Brothers" that was pretty good. So he HAS the chops.

Yeah, I have that LP. It is a good one, for sure. Of course, it's funny to see Chuck with a crew cut as well.

good disco

Hmmm, the very definition of oxymoron....



Capt. Bacardi