Search - Chuck Mangione :: Bellavia

Mangione's Best Vinyl & No CD Available?

Bellerophon | Suddenly, AZ | 08/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When every imaginable genre of music from the vinyl days has a CD on the market why is Mangione's "Bellavia" not available in this format? The album wins a Grammy, but isn't worthy of a CD? The best cut is "Listen To The Wind." Gerry Niewood's Tenor Saxophone on this almost 7-minute track is worth a CD offering by itself."

Great Mangione Quartet Album!!!!!

Christopher Covais | New York | 07/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album was the first of two, in which Chuck Mangione on his flugel horn and electric keyboard, Gerry Niewood on all woodwinds, Chip Jackson on bass, and Joe Labarbrea, on drums were all together in a group called, the Chuck Mangione Quartet. The second album done by this quartet was Chase The Clouds Away. I personally don't think anyone is better. They're both musically satisfying and have heavy grooves! The song Take A Ride With Me opens up the album. Its got good arrangements and wondderful solos. Next up is ????????????????????. Its taken at a slow speed, but grooves like hell! Coursel, is more of a ballad with differen't movements, than just a swingin' jazz tune. It's tricky, yet renders up our emotions!!! Bellevia, the song that won Mangione a Grammy, comes next. I personally think it's the worst song on the album. That can mean one thing. The song is very bad, or the other songs are just really good. It's the second one. The melody is pretty, but is rather boring. Dance Of The Windup Toy, was meant to showcase drummer Joe Labrabrea's drumming. He chose to take his solo with brushes, and to this day, I have not heard a better brush solo, than the one Joe delivers here. It's ingenious! The rest of the song is good too. The album goes to a close with Torrise???/(dont remember the name exactly) Its also more of a "project" than just a "jam session," type song. I bet it was rehearsed a lot before they acuatlly recorded it. With this, an extraudinary project comes to an end"

One of Mangione's BEST

Roger D. Hyman | Knoxville, TN USA | 02/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"During the period 1973 through 1980, NOBODY was recording better "Jazz-rock", "Pop-Jazz", "Fusion" or whatever you want to call this kind of music, than Chuck Mangione, in various configurations (w/Quartet, w/Orchestra, w/both, etc.). His string of albums through this period are of such quality that it is astounding that A&M has let so many of them go out of print. These desperately need to be reissued, remastered, grouped together in a nice Box set, or something. They're all good, and I love them all, so it's hard to differentiate amongst them . . .so I won't! However, I will venture to say that "Bellavia" is probably one of the top 2 of the period.

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