| Released: 1981 (A&M) Produced by: Chuck Mangione Peak on the US Billboard 200: 55 |
| Side One | Side Two |
|---|---|
| Tarantellas The XIth Commandment Suite |
Legend of the One-Eyed Sailor Bellavia Hill Where the Lord Hides |
| Side Three | Side Four |
|---|---|
| Lake Placid Fanfare Things to Come 'Round Midnight Manteca |
My One and Only Love All Blues |
In 1977, Mangione hit it big with his Feels So Good album and single then he followed it up in 1978 with a live album - most likely a calculated effort to introduce his new fans to his older material. It worked. Also in 1978, he soundtracked The Children of Sanchez motion picture. His true follow-up to Feels So Good didn't come until 1979, when he released the single "Give It All You Got" from the Fun and Games album. This double LP live album, Tarantella, was released in 1981 and quickly disappeared. Maybe only three years between live albums containing much of the same music was too much to ask of record buyers? It has never been officially released in any digital format that I can find, I'm guessing due to licensing fees and general record label nonsense. I've got a vinyl copy. I listened to the heck out of this release when it first came out. The concert featured several guest stars, most notably Chick Corea and Dizzy Gillespie. But it was great group of musicians he put together for the show:
Recorded live at The Americana Hotel Ballroom, Rochester, New York, on December 27, 1980, the concert benefited victims of a recent, massive Italian earthquake. The Americana became a Holiday Inn in 2015.
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| Cash Box, May 5, 1981, p. 19 |
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| Billboard, May 5, 1981, p. 66 |
- Tarantellas (3:55) - Actually two traditional tarantellas arranged by Chuck's brother, pianist Gap Mangione.
- The XIth Commandment Suite (12:39) - a shorter version of this Mangione original was included on his 1977 Feels So Good album. In the intro to this suite, Mangione introduces über-drummer Steve Gadd and states that he wrote this suite for Gadd's recital back in 1968 at the prestigious Eastman School of Music.
- Legend of the One-Eyed Sailor (7:47) - All songs on side two are Mangione originals, slightly rearranged for this particular ensemble. This tune originally appeared on Mangione's 1973 Land of Make Believe album.
- Bellavia (7:03) - A ballad that carries Chuck's mother's maiden name. Originally the title track of a 1975 album.
- Hill Where The Lord Hides (6:20) - Originally on a 1970 Mercury album titled Friends and Love, it was released as a single and peaked at #76 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early '71.
- Lake Placid Fanfare (:17) - a brass fanfare written by Mangione for ABC's coverage of the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. Used here as walk-on music for Dizzy Gillespie.
- Things to Come (5:38) - a screaming, blazing bop showcase Gillespie wrote in the 1940's and used with big bands for the remainder of his career.
- 'Round Midnight (8:26) - Thelonious Monk's 1944 standard ballad is given the big band treatment.
- Manteca (11:05) - one of Gillespie's most famous compositions, this 1947 tune is considered one of the foundational pieces in the Afro-Cuban jazz genre. Gillespie not only features on trumpet, he also plays the mouth harp here.
- My One and Only (11:59) - Mangione and Chick Corea share an intimate duet on this 1952 standard by Guy Wood and Robert Mellin.
- All Blues (8:30) - the entire ensemble ends the album with a jam cover this Miles Davis' tune which originally appeared on the legendary Kind of Blue album in 1959.
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