Chuck Mangione Concerts Setlist

Chuck Mangione is an American flugelhorn player, trumpeter, and composer who popularized jazz music and brought it to the mainstream pop scene. Born on November 29, 1940, in Rochester, NY, to an Italian-American family that owned a grocery store and enjoyed jazz music, Mangione started as a pianist before switching to trumpet after watching the movie *Young Man with a Horn*, which ultimately led him to his favorite instrument, the flugelhorn, at the Eastman School of Music.

Mangione started his professional music career as the Jazz Brothers with his brother Gap, making three albums for Riverside Records in the early 1960s. As a high schooler, he jammed with legends at impromptu sessions with Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis. In the mid-1960s, Mangione played with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, a position also held by the legendary Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan. Mangione was also the director of the Eastman School of Music jazz ensemble from 1968 to 1972 and formed a quartet with Gerry Niewood, which became extremely popular in the 1970s.

Chuck Mangione’s big break occurred in 1978 with his hit instrumental song “Feels So Good,” which was a catchy smooth jazz tune that reached No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. In 1980, it was “the most recognized song since ‘Michelle’ by the Beatles,” according to a magazine. In 1980, he also received his first Grammy Award for “Bellavia,” and in 1981, his second, also for “The Children of Sanchez.”

His music was also associated with big sporting events. “Chase the Clouds Away” was featured in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, and “Give It All You Got” was featured in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY, where he performed live at the closing ceremony in front of a worldwide audience.

However, he achieved unexpected fame with a guest appearance on the animated show "King of the Hill," playing a version of himself as a spokesperson for Mega Lo Mart. He even released a track on his 2000 album "Peggy Hill" to honor the show.

In 2009, tragedy occurred when two of his band members, Gerry Niewood and Coleman Mellett, died when Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo. He retired in 2015 after releasing over 30 albums over five decades. In 2024, he sold his catalog to Primary Wave. He was a family man and lived with his wife, Rosemarie, and his two daughters. He became a great-grandfather and lived his later years in Rochester. He passed away on July 22, 2025, at the age of 84, in his sleep.

He is remembered for popularizing the use of the flugelhorn and his ability to get jazz music played on pop radio.