
Chuck Mangione obituary
Brought up listening to jazz greats such as Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, he helped to create what become known as 'smooth jazz', a kind of easy-listening popular music that one might find oneself listening to in lifts or airport lounges, inflected with jazzy phrasing and deploying jazz instruments. It was Mangione's flugelhorn that played the haunting theme of Feels So Good, his biggest hit, which reached No 4 on the US chart in 1978, but the track also featured electric and wah-wah guitars, a funky bassline and a danceable drum-beat. The track's parent album (featuring an extended version of Feels So Good) soared to No 2 on its respective chart.
Mangione attributed its success to the fact that the airwaves had been saturated with the Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. He said: 'Radio programmers couldn't figure out what to put on instead and when somebody edited Feels So Good from nine minutes down to three, they instantly started playing it as an alternative to what were the current top songs.'
His music's broad, if unchallenging, appeal also made it suitable for public occasions. The gently-lilting beat and mix of brass and woodwinds in Chase the Clouds Away featured at the 1976 summer Olympics in Montreal, while for the 1980 winter games in Lake Placid, New York, the ABC Sports TV network adopted his composition Give It All You Got.
He won the first of his two Grammys – he received 13 Grammy nominations during his career – for Bellavia, a slow and moody piece, which drew its title from his mother's maiden name. He collected the second in 1979, for Best Pop Instrumental Performance, for his soundtrack to the film The Children of Sanchez, which starred Anthony Quinn.
Born in Rochester, New York, Chuck (Charles) was the son of Nancy (nee Bellavia), who worked for a home appliances manufacturer, and Frank Mangione, who worked for the Eastman Kodak Company. Later his parents opened a family grocery store, Mangione's Market.
Both were enthusiastic jazz fans, and they signed Chuck up for music lessons at the age of eight. He began learning the piano, but after seeing Michael Curtiz's film Young Man With a Horn (in which Kirk Douglas played a character based on cornet player Bix Beiderbecke) he switched to trumpet. His older brother, Gaspare (nicknamed Gap), was learning the piano and the brothers would practise together at home.
Both boys would often be taken by their father to the Ridge Crest Inn in the Rochester suburb of Irondequoit. It was a well-known jazz venue where Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis had all played. Mangione told Jazz Times magazine how their father would introduce the brothers to artists such as Dizzy Gillespie and they'd be invited to sit in with the band. He then explained how 'my dad would invite everyone to our house for spaghetti and home-made wine … This week it would be Dizzy, the next week Carmen McRae, then Sarah Vaughan, Art Blakey, Kai Winding.'
By the time Chuck enrolled in Rochester's Eastman School of Music in 1958, where he studied the trumpet and flugelhorn, he and Gap had already been playing in their own high school quintet, the Jazz Brothers. Before Chuck graduated with a bachelor's degree in music in 1963, the Jazz Brothers had already recorded three albums for the renowned Riverside jazz label.
In 1965, he did stints with the big bands of Woody Herman and Maynard Ferguson, before being recruited for Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. He recalled how 'Art was looking around for a horn player and he called Dizzy Gillespie. Dizzy said, 'Do you remember that kid from Rochester, NY?' and he recommended me to play with him.' Thus Mangione filled the trumpeter's slot previously occupied by such illustrious players as Clifford Brown, Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan.
By the end of the 60s, Mangione had returned to the Eastman School as director of its jazz ensemble. He had also formed a quartet that featured the saxophonist and flautist Gerry Niewood, which enjoyed success throughout the 70s.
In 1970 he made a breakthrough as a solo artist when he organised a concert of his own compositions, that mixed jazz, classical and pop styles, accompanied by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. A recording of the event was privately released, entitled Friends and Love … A Chuck Mangione Concert. This came to the attention of Mercury Records, who signed Mangione and released the album, which earned a Grammy nomination in 1971. A single from the album, Hill Where the Lord Hides, reached No 76 on the Billboard chart.
After his album Land of Make Believe (1973) picked up a lot of airplay on alternative-rock radio stations, largely thanks to its exotically tropical-sounding title track with vocals by Esther Sattersfield, he moved from Mercury to A&M records, which would release his most successsful albums.
Outside music, Mangione made regular TV appearances. He appeared in the detective show Magnum, PI, and the children's series Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show. A fictional version of himself had a recurring role in Fox TV's animated series King of the Hill – which featured numerous high-profile guests including Brad Pitt, Tom Petty and Meryl Streep – as a promoter of Mega-Lo Mart stores, usually wearing the white and red jacket from the sleeve of his Feels So Good album. He recalled: 'My character would do things like play Taps and switch right into Feels So Good. I figured that since they were playing my music and to such a large audience, why not?' He also wrote the genial instrumental Peggy Hill for a Valentine's Day episode.
His wife, Rosie (Rosemarie, nee Accardi), died in 2015. He is survived by two daughters, Diana and Nancy, three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, a sister, Josephine, and Gap.
Chuck (Charles Frank) Mangione, musician and composer, born 29 November 1940; died 22 July 2025
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Business News Wales
3 hours ago
- Business News Wales
Llanberis Student Aims for Team GB with School's Support
Teenager Toby Sutcliffe is making serious waves in the world of canoe slalom – and his school is behind him every stroke of the way. The 15 year-old from Llanberis, a pupil at St Gerard's School in Bangor, is currently ranked among the top five C1 slalom athletes in the UK for his age group. A dedicated year-round paddler, Toby trains on Llyn Padarn and at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham and has competed in the Junior Slalom European Cup in France and Germany as part of the Welsh Performance Team. He joined St Gerard's aged seven and is about to start Year 11. Balancing elite sport with his GCSE studies, Toby says the school has played a key role in helping him chase his goals. 'My ultimate aim is to reach the highest national division, then Team GB,' said Toby. 'I'd love to make it to the World Championships or the Olympics one day. 'The school has been so supportive — always helping me catch up or send me extra work when I've missed lessons to compete overseas. I'm really grateful.' Wales Performance Squad Toby's passion for paddling began during the pandemic, after his previous interest in ski slalom was put on hold. 'We had access to the lake and tried a few local taster sessions,' said mum Vicki. 'From his very first go in a C1 canoe, he just lit up — the smile hasn't left his face since.' Dad Will added: 'It's great to see St Gerard's backing young athletes. Their support and sponsorship for Toby have made a real difference and the sport needs new talent like him coming through.' Toby is also finding success in kayak cross, a fast, contact-heavy race discipline that debuted at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He reached the semi-finals in Augsburg, Germany, and came third in a recent open event in Nottingham. Sid Sinfield, Performance Manager at Paddle Cymru, said: 'With a strong work ethic and a passion for canoe slalom, Toby is not only competing at a high level for his age but is also on a clear trajectory toward national and international success. 'As he continues to train, travel, and compete, support and sponsorship play a vital role in helping him reach his full potential. 'Funding enables access to top-level coaching, specialised equipment, and travel to key races across the UK and Europe – essential components in the development of a world-class athlete. 'St Gerard's School's backing of Toby is an opportunity to invest in the future of British canoeing and to support a driven young athlete with the talent and determination to go far.' Headteacher Campbell Harrison added: 'We're proud of Toby and all our pupils as they chase their dreams. 'Whether in sport, academics, or the arts, St Gerard's is committed to helping young people achieve their full potential — and we're behind Toby all the way.'


Powys County Times
5 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Terminally-ill woman plans solo round-the-world sailing voyage
A terminally-ill woman is planning on competing in a solo round-the-world sailing voyage. Jazz Turner, 27, lives with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a debilitating genetic condition that affects connective tissue. She wants to take part in next year's Royal Western Yacht Club of England's WorldStar challenge, which would make her the first female, disabled sailor to complete such a feat. Ms Turner, from Seaford, East Sussex, was diagnosed with the illness, which causes fainting and seizures, when she was 18. Due to complications, doctors have told her that her condition is now terminal. 'As my condition has progressed, the one thing I made sure of was that I never stopped sailing,' she said. Next year's challenge follows her recent circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland, known as Project Fear, but she now needs to secure the right boat and sponsorship to carry her around the globe. 'I've always been drawn to challenges that push me to my edge,' she said. 'Project Fear was born off the back of the announcement of the WorldStar 2026. I face many a 'no' in my life, I do my best to turn them into 'yes'. 'The right partnership could turn this vision into reality. 'Whether it's a boat owner willing to lend their yacht or sponsors eager to back a remarkable human and sporting story, I'm inviting them to join me on this journey.' The WorldStar 2026 leaves Plymouth in September next year and tests sailors to circle the globe without outside assistance or stops. Adrian Gray, commodore of the Royal Western Yacht Club, said: 'Jazz is the epitome of why we created this Corinthian-style race. 'This is a race for sailors, run by sailors and the only one of its style in the UK. 'When we initially reached out to Jazz and she told us her 'Project Fear' campaign, a solo, non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland, was started following our announcement of the WorldStar, we knew we wanted to help Jazz fulfil her life's dream.'

South Wales Argus
6 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Terminally-ill woman plans solo round-the-world sailing voyage
Jazz Turner, 27, lives with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a debilitating genetic condition that affects connective tissue. She wants to take part in next year's Royal Western Yacht Club of England's WorldStar challenge, which would make her the first female, disabled sailor to complete such a feat. Ms Turner, from Seaford, East Sussex, was diagnosed with the illness, which causes fainting and seizures, when she was 18. Jazz Turner is planning on competing in a solo round-the-world sailing voyage (Jazz Turner/PA) Due to complications, doctors have told her that her condition is now terminal. 'As my condition has progressed, the one thing I made sure of was that I never stopped sailing,' she said. Next year's challenge follows her recent circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland, known as Project Fear, but she now needs to secure the right boat and sponsorship to carry her around the globe. 'I've always been drawn to challenges that push me to my edge,' she said. 'Project Fear was born off the back of the announcement of the WorldStar 2026. I face many a 'no' in my life, I do my best to turn them into 'yes'. Jazz Turner needs to find a suitable yacht for her voyage (Jazz Turner/PA) 'The right partnership could turn this vision into reality. 'Whether it's a boat owner willing to lend their yacht or sponsors eager to back a remarkable human and sporting story, I'm inviting them to join me on this journey.' The WorldStar 2026 leaves Plymouth in September next year and tests sailors to circle the globe without outside assistance or stops. Adrian Gray, commodore of the Royal Western Yacht Club, said: 'Jazz is the epitome of why we created this Corinthian-style race. 'This is a race for sailors, run by sailors and the only one of its style in the UK. 'When we initially reached out to Jazz and she told us her 'Project Fear' campaign, a solo, non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland, was started following our announcement of the WorldStar, we knew we wanted to help Jazz fulfil her life's dream.'