darkprinceofjazz
I will admit, I used to Hate this album cover so much, "Cheesy" wouldn't do it justice, I stayed away from Feels So Good, an album that would reach #2 on the Billboard Charts, I stayed away from Chuck Mangione himself because of the album cover and it's Smooth Jazz reputation, But believe me, that sells it short, It isn't Smooth Jazz in the Kenny G. sense, In fact, it's actually pretty much straight ahead jazz, And Chuck's Flugelhorn is quite lyrical and he Stretches out quite a bit, with many lengthy compositions. There is a Funky Bossa Nova element to Feels so good,but not over bearing, The title track is considered a masterpiece of smooth jazz, and as I have stated, it's not antiseptic muzak, Which in my opinion Smooth Jazz can be very guilty of. I like challenging music, Grooves and Drones and soundscapes are fine, as long as some sort of effort is given to composition. Chuck Mangione I think, Has been grossly overlooked, because of Feels so good, His work after this album got very commercial, and unfortunately not real exciting, But everything before Feels So Good, Is well worth a listen, With any of his live shows, 4 or 5 star albums in my opinion. Mangione is a very good orchestral arranger, and his live albums are at times thrilling, Combining Jazz, rock, film music styles. Feels so good probably sold more than all those albums combined, Pity, Because this guy was underrated before Feels so good, and then derided because of it, I have found nearly every concert release on vinyl combing the thrift store bins, and have enjoyed each and every one of them.