Originally released April 27th, 1999, it’s been 25-years since the Chuck Mangione album The Feeling’s Back was shared with the world. The album features Mangione’s signature easy listening, crossover jazz, instrumental pop, jazz-pop sound aided by the support of musicians Annette Sanders on vocals, Clifford Korman on keyboards and piano, David Finck on acoustic and electric bass, Gerry Niewood on flute and alto flute, Jackie Presti on vocals, Jay Azzolina on guitar, Kid Reid on electric bass, Maúcha Adnet on vocals, Paulinho Braga on drums and Sarah Carter on cello.
Mountain Flight opens The Feeling’s Back album with Mangione on flugelhorn, front and center. The composition for the piece is upbeat with bass and drum elements in accompaniment. The result is easy on the ears while warming the spirit; the song is nicely performed and enchanting.
Consuelo’s Love Theme is a track originally part of the 1978 album Children of Sanchez. The song boasts a beautiful composition and production value with delicately delivered instrumental accompaniment that lends credit to the instrumental style. The subtle intermingling of vocals adds to the quality of the experience.
Leonardo’s Lady follows the love theme with a further invocation of love originally from the 1984 album Disguise. Showing that the composition comes first, I love how Chuck Mangione on the flugelhorn first appears about 15% of the way into the song. The song complements the larger Mangione catalog well.
The second brand new song of The Feeling’s Back album, Fotografia renders to notion of photographs to ask us to picture a joyful noise of good feeling. The upfront accompaniment from vocalists is distinguished and distinctive among the other songs in the album’s songs thus far.
Quase speeds up the tempo for the third new song for this 1999 Chuck Mangione album. Deliberately upbeat, the invitation to dance is not one to miss or disregard. The playfulness of instruments seemingly responding to one another adds a layer to the overall album experience that I cannot help but commend.
Aldovio returns to a flugelhorn initiated opening with drums following soon thereafter. The intermingling of cello into this performance has really beautiful results that draw me to repeated listens of this song.
Once Upon a Love Time delivers a mellow, easier sound. As a composition, the song delivers sweet affirmation suitable to speaking of romantic love.
Manhã de Carnaval, or Carnival Morning, opens sedately, almost meditatively. Unlike the song Manhã de Carnaval by Luiz Bonfá, a Latin rhythm in the Mangione song until more than six-minutes in. The path of this composition interests and intrigues me; the performance is top notch as well.
Maracangalha opens with a 15-second drum solo that is then joined by flugelhorn. The adding of vocals roughly a minute later enhances a dance number that feels like a laid back interpretation of the song Maracangalha by Dorival Caymmi.
La Vie en Rose, or life in pink, superficially reminds me of the trumpet infused, lyrics included Louis Armstrong song of the same title, namely La Vie en Rose. The songs themselves are strikingly different, with both incorporating a strong piano accompaniment. The Mangione song focuses on what feels like love, which is an emphasis of the Armstrong song as well. I find that I sincerely love the strong flugelhorn closing of the The Feeling’s Back album through this song.
Matt – Saturday, April 27, 2024
Matt Lynn Digital 