CHUCK MANGIONE: MONEY ISN'T EVERYTHING by Eric Myers ______

[This feature appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on January 29, 1981]

s one of the most successful jazz musicians, commercially, in the United States, the flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione, 40, need never A work again. In a heady period during 1978-79, he accumulated an illustrious collection of Grammys, gold and platinum records, and awards which included Jazz Artist of the Year, Instrumentalist of the Year, Top Fusion Artist, Top Producer, Top Instrumentalist, International Jazz Award winner and Outstanding Jazz Artist.

Chuck Mangione: an illustrious collection of Grammys, gold and platinum records, and awards…PHOTO CREDIT EDMOND THOMMEN Yet Mangione largely discounts this kind of acclaim and success. "To me, success started when I fell in love with music," he said yesterday. "I don't remember anything but music and baseball since I was 10. "My attitude has always been the same: let me play the music I believe in, and all I want to do is survive. I can probably go out for the rest of my life and do

1 exactly what I did last year every night and make a lot of money doing it but, musically speaking, I would die." Chuck Mangione stresses that his roots are firmly in jazz, and believes that there is a new spirit abroad in American music, with many great jazz players re- emerging, playing as well as ever. In Los Angeles last week living proof was found in the first ‘Chuck Mangione alumni jam session and sausage roast’, in which he brought together for reunion a host of musicians who had worked with him over the past 25 years. He played with distinguished groups led by Kai Winding, Maynard Ferguson and Art Blakey, before going on to form his own groups, so there were many great musicians eligible to attend. Chuck's father Frank Mangione, now 70, made 500 pounds of Italian sausage for the occasion. He was, in fact, carrying on a long Mangione tradition of ritual feasts for jazz, musicians.

Mangione: his small, round black hat - his trademark - gives the odd impression that his long black hair is growing out of the hat… When Chuck and his brother Gap were youngsters in Rochester, New York, Mr Mangione, who owned a grocery store, would regularly take his sons to the local jazz clubs, introduce himself to the stars coming through, and invite them home for Italian food and red wine. Consequently, many great jazz stars were feted in the Mangione household and Chuck was able to meet Dizzy Gillespie, whom he now describes as his "musical father" and "a total inspiration in every way."

2

Dizzy in turn describes Chuck Mangione as "the Italian Dizzy Gillespie," while Mangione ironically points out that Gillespie is, after all, "a nice Italian name." Chuck Mangione's small, round black hat - his trademark - gives the odd impression that his long black hair is growing out of the hat. It all started when his photograph was placed on an early LP cover and, when he appeared bareheaded, people began asking where the hat was. "My first hat became a good friend, but it got gangrene after two years, so now I have several," he says. "But let me assure you that the hat is not attached to the hair, and I don't wear it to bed." In a busy career as a performer and composer, Chuck Mangione has not confined himself just to the context of his quartet. He has made frequent appearances with major symphony orchestras, sometimes as conductor. His latest LP, Fun And Games, was commissioned by ABC Sports for their coverage of the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid.

His recent LP, Children Of Sanchez, was derived from 23 hours of music composed for a film based on Oscar Lewis's The Children of Sanchez. Chuck Mangione and his quartet will appear at the Regent Theatre tomorrow night, and on Saturday night, to conclude the Sydney International. Music Festival.

3