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Metro
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
70s jazz musician Chuck Mangione dies aged 84
Chuck Mangione, best known for his hit song Feels So Good, has died aged 84. The American musician, who was a composer and also played the flugelhorn and trumpet, rose to fame as part of Art Blakey's band in the 1960s, before leading the Jazz Brothers with his brother, Gap. But it was in 1978 that he achieved worldwide fame with the release of his jazz-pop single, which reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Record of the Year. It's now been reported that Mangione died this week, with outlets in his native Rochester, New York referencing a funeral home notice that also revealed he died in his sleep at home on Tuesday. Born in Rochester in 1940 to Italian parents, Mangione started music lessons aged eight and formed his first jazz band while still in high school, which included his brother. He attended the Eastman School of Music from 1958 to 1963 before joining Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the late 1960s, Mangione went on to become a member of the band The National Gallery and also served as director of the Eastman jazz ensemble from 1968 to 1972. He won his first Grammy Award in 1977 in the best instrumental composition category. His work on the soundtrack for the 1978 film The Children of Sanchez then won him his second Grammy – for the best pop instrumental performance. Two of his compositions were also used as themes at Olympic Games – Chase the Clouds Away at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec and Give It All You Got at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York. Following the success of Feels So Good, which initially ran for a mammoth 9 minutes and 42 seconds, Mangione and his band featured with a 70-piece orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl in 1978. Aside from music, Mangione also appeared in TV shows including Magnum, P.I. and King of the Hill. More Trending In 2009 the musician faced tragedy when two members of his band – Gerry Niewood and Coleman Mellett – were among the 49 passengers killed when Continental Airlines Flight 3407 crashed into a house near Buffalo, New York. In a statement Mangione said: 'I'm in shock over the horrible, heartbreaking tragedy.' Across his career Mangione released 30 albums and was nominated for a total of 14 Grammys. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Hulk Hogan leaves behind legacy as controversial but undeniable WWE icon MORE: Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan dies aged 71 'after suffering cardiac arrest' MORE: Coronation Street and Emmerdale star Tony Peers dies aged 78
Metropolis Japan
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metropolis Japan
Ulysses Owens Jr. and Generation Y
Their Japan debut live performance at the Cotton Club last year was a big hit! Generation Y, led by drummer Ulysses Owens Jr., who is active in many projects such as the New Century Jazz Quintet, is set to make their first appearance at Blue Note Tokyo. Generation Y was formed with the aim of supporting the activities and growth of musicians who will lead the next generation, following the great achievements of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, who Ulysses, also an educator, produced many talented musicians. After many tours, their first album, 'A New Beat,' was selected as the best album by Down Beat magazine, and they are on a roll. Frontline players such as Yasushi Nakamura and Elena Terakubo will be participating in this performance. Expectations are high for their heated session, which will inherit their history. Showtimes: [1st] Open 5pm Start 6pm [2nd] Open 7:45pm Start 8:30pm
New York Times
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Art Blakey
For a time in the late 1940s, Art Blakey went to live in West Africa. When he returned to the United States, he told reporters that his time there had given him a fresh appreciation for the music called jazz. This, he declared, was a Black American music — quite distinct from the folk forms he'd heard in Africa. Yet at the same time, Blakey's experiences in the motherland — where he'd converted to Islam and taken the name Abdullah ibn Buhaina — filled him with a knowledge of jazz's roots, allowing him to hone a style that was deeply polyrhythmic, powerful and directly related to the drum's original role: communication. With that knowledge, he would change jazz history. 'When he plays, his drums go beyond a beat,' Herb Nolan once wrote in a DownBeat profile. 'They provide a whole tapestry of dynamics and color.' Blakey had started out playing piano on the Pittsburgh scene during the Great Depression, but after switching to the drums he stood out, joining the famous big bands of Fletcher Henderson and Billy Eckstine. Following his sojourn in Africa, he and other young Muslim musicians in New York formed their own large ensemble, the Seventeen Messengers. After that band broke up, he and the pianist Horace Silver started a smaller group, the Jazz Messengers; before long, Blakey was its sole leader, and with his drumming as the linchpin, the Messengers came to define the straight-ahead, 'hard bop' sound of jazz in the 1950s and '60s. Blakey kept the band together for decades, frequently replenishing its lineup with young talent, so that the Messengers became known as jazz's premier finishing school. 'Once he saw that you'd learned the lesson, it was time for you to go,' the saxophonist Bobby Watson recalled of his time as a Messenger in the 1970s and '80s. He added, 'He was one of the most positive people I ever met, and he loved young people. He used to say, 'There's nothing wrong with being young — you just need some experience.' And that's what he provided.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
