My Chuck Mangione "Best Of..."

[Captain Bacardi]

Now that I finally received some mulit-disc cases from Bags Unlimited (www.bagsunlimited.com) I've started to do my own box sets. I've never really cared for the A&M collections on Mangione (too "pop", not enough jazz), so I put together a 2-disc set. I did just studio stuff, no live recordings.

DISC 1

Feels So Good
Song Of The New Moon
Echano
If You Know Me Any Longer (Than Tomorrow)
Bellavia
Hide And Seek
I Get Crazy (When Your Eyes Touch Mine)
Torreano
Recuerdo
Chase The Clouds Away

DISC 2

Children Of Sanchez Overture
Give It All You Got
The XIth Commandment
The Day After (Our First Night Together)
Listen To The Wind
Cannonball Run Theme
Doin' Everything With You
Main Squeeze
Maui-Waui
Fun And Games

For me, this represents the better Mangione horn solos, as well as compositions. I've been messing with my own mix of "Children Of Sanchez", but haven't quite got it right yet. I also wanted to get "70 Miles Young" in there, but it's a long suite, and when taking the individual movements by themselves it just doesn't sound right. But I have his better version from Alive! on CD already, so I did without.

Now it's time to work on the Maynard Ferguson MF Horn series!


Capt. Bacardi

 

[Rudy]

Columbia is slacking BIG TIME on those MF Horn discs. Probably the best things he cut for the label, and all we've had is a couple of hit-or-miss compilations and a couple of poor-sounding album reissues.

 

[jimac51]

I'd love to at least see them bring out a package similar to the "Maynard" comp in '81 which featured primarily straight ahead jazz tracks,a couple of which(e.g. Airegin)seemed to be tacked on the original albums to placate Maynard while he had to do the disco stuff to pay the bills. Tracks selected:Airegin,Stay Loose With Bruce,'Round Midnight,Chesire Cat Walk,Chameleon,Birdland,Naima and Got The Spirit. A CD could be filled out with a couple of more Live at Jimmy's tracks-The Fox Hunt and the Blue Birdland theme where he thanks Teo Macero out in the mobile recording truck. Mac

 

[Rudy]

One of my favorite Columbia tracks is "Give It One"--we played a marching band arrangement in high school...actually, a modified arrangement, since we changed it from marching back to jazz band.

"Country Road" (the song that follows "Give It One") was one we played as-is in jazz band. I also like the version of "Eli's Coming" on the first MF album.

MF's Roulette sides still remain as some of the best work he's done. I don't mind his stuff in recent years either...that one album he recorded in San Francisco in the 80's is still nice to hear. Nice version of "Lush Life."