From WXXI news.

This is connections.

I'm gonna take it all a for me.

Back for another Arts Friday.

That's a subject near and dear to the hearts of many Rochester fans and music fans around the world.

Flugelhorn player.

Composer.

Conductor.

Jazz legend, beloved Rochester in Chuck Mangione, the Jazz Brothers and Art Blakey.

Feel so good.

Children of Sanchez, Bellavia for the 1980 Olympics.

His support for music education and our community.

Italian earthquake relief, family stories, inspiration through a community where even to start?

Well, we are in good company with Bob Snyder, associate professor of jazz studies at the Eastman School of Music and an alum of the Chuck Mangione Band.

Hey there Bob.

Hey, Mona, it's great to be here.

And also, we have artist Mangione Lindley, a family member, a daughter of gap man Joni, a musician I've loved seeing with his band around town and at the Sodus Point Lighthouse, and also the niece of Chuck Mangione, and she has some really great stories to share.

So artists, thank you so much for coming in.

Thank you for having me.

And then we're also opening up the phones, the email, the YouTube comments because I would love to hear from you.

I feel like my social media feeds have been full of stories from musicians who got their start in the business in Rochester because of Chuck Mangione.

My family members around the country are like, oh man, I love that music.

And we hadn't even really talked about it before.

So if you'd like to call in, the number is 1844295 talk.

That's 1-844-295-8255.

You can email connections at Zorg.

And you can also be watching us on the radio on the Sky news YouTube channel.

And you can comment there.

So, Bob, I think I'm going to start with you.

You referred to yourself as an alum of the Chuck Mangione Band.

What was it like to study in the musical school of Chuck?

Well, it all started with an audition.

And, that goes back, I believe 1993.

And I did a little bit of homework ahead of time.

First, I should say that artists dad gap had recommended me for an audition, and I think his words were, before you make a decision on your new band, you should check out this kid from Rochester.

And I didn't.

I had no idea he had said that.

And, he had come out to hear me at this place that was around the corner from Eastman called the Rochester Club Restaurant.

And then I met him, and he was so nice to me.

And then, and then I had gotten the call to do the audition, so I, I did a little bit of homework ahead of time.

Some of his, older, from his older, like, Riverside Records.

And then, I knew some, some of the hit tunes really well because long before I was a band member, I was a huge fan.

And I was a kid at the concert, and I was asking my parents to buy t shirts from Papa mangione at, the Cape Cod Melody tent or the South Shore Music Circus in the New England area.

And, so, yeah.

So, yeah, it was it was an amazing time.

I still remember, you know, back then, I was still, you know, fresh off of, you know, the whole school music kind of scene where you're used to getting like, maybe a book of charts for your ensemble at the Eastman School.

And, and this was, just sort of a a command from Chuck says you'll go to my sister Josephine's house and she's going to give you every record I made.

I would suggest by starting learning all of the title tracks from every record.

And I suggest starting today, because the first gig is whenever my.

Okay.

Yeah.

So that so that was, set so that that's that's what I did.

You know, some of some of them I had to play on a turntable, some I had cassettes, and then some were where some CD's and, and, and the work began.

So it was, it was amazing.

Was an incredible learning experience.

It was also a walk down memory lane because the music was so near and dear to my heart as a, as a student musician.

Well, and it really shows the way that jazz education is part like school learning and his part on the job learning.

And it's really changed.

We can actually see it through how Chuck Mangione talked about coming to the Eastman School of Music, and there not really being any jazz classes when he was a student, though we love what he said.

Later, he said he wished he'd been a little bit more open minded because at 18, he said I was going to be a bebop player in a jazz club.

I would have committed anybody to an insane asylum who walked up to me and said, pretty soon you're going to have the chance to conduct the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

Yeah.

Which, of course, he famously did a number of times.

And I love his symphonic music.

But then and I want to share a little clip from, RPO principal pops conductor, Jeff Thaisa, who came here to Rochester to study with Chuck Mangione when he was teaching at the Eastman School.

And, he was a bit of a tough teacher.

He was pretty tough, as a as a director of a jazz band.

I mean, he and he was very hard on me, actually.

But I think it was all in the pursuit of trying to make me be a better player and other musicians as well.

And at that time, the jazz program was was really small at the Eastman School of Music, and it was kind of looked down upon.

It wasn't looked as, you know, a serious part of the school.

But he really transformed that because, you know, some of the ensembles, when they were in the theater doing concerts, they were attracting 5 or 600 people.

Chuck me and Joni when we did a jazz concert in the Eastman Theater with students, we were getting 3000 people for the concert.

So people, they came for the music, but they came for him.

And then he ended up bringing Raeburn right to the school.

And he is the one who really was the inspiration for creating the jazz and contemporary media department.

That so many guys came out of it are still, you know, in the business today, making a living as a result of that.

So he was really a catalyst for the growth of jazz, and popular music at that school.

And, Bob, you're now teaching students there who are learning that profession in a place where it didn't used to be the norm.

That's that's absolutely true.

I know when when I was a student at the University of Rochester, but taken a lot of classes at Eastman, everything, everything that was happening there was sort of the the fruits of Chuck's labor.

And I feel and in so many ways, that the trajectory of my career is so intertwined with my connection to Chuck and and so much of what he's he's touched at Eastman and what he's touched in the music world is just really just turned into gold.

And on a personal note, I'm incredibly appreciative for that.

And the artists, you, of course, have a very different perspective, not as a music student or someone sharing the band that a gig, but you were still very involved in the music as a kid.

Yeah.

So our family is very close and it's not, it was not at all uncommon to say, okay, all six of the man, Joni, great grandchildren, are coming on the road with the band.

And that meant every airplane, every bus ride, every gig.

And they did not get babysitters for us.

I sat on the stage at Red rocks, sat on the stage at these gigs, and the main reason was he would say, you have to feel this from the inside.

So while there is this orchestra and this incredible music happening on the stage, there's also these kids just randomly planted, you know, I'm sitting next to my dad's piano, my brother would sit next to Steve Gad's drums, and we just got to be there and experience that completely.

But, it wasn't, you know, my dad would would be with him uncertain gigs.

And then my father would, would separate and go off and play one of his gigs, and we would go with him for a week or whatever it was, and then reconnect.

So our summers were never at summer camp.

They were on the road.

And that's so many of the stories I got when I would talk to people would be about family and the connection to music that essentially, I guess your grandparents has their parents, you know, multiple people independently.

I talked to them, mentioned mama manganese pasta and dinner for the musicians and Duke Ellington and Ron Carter at the dinner table.

And then it carried on through the generations.

Dizzy Gillespie at the dinner table.

That was our frequent flier.

Sarah Vaughan had come over.

There's a story about Sarah Vaughan, sitting in the garage, eating, sitting on a tipped on the side wooden pop crate.

Right in Rochester.

We call it pop.

And the crate was her seat.

Dizzy Gillespie would pop in.

And then there's a, you know, classic photo of dizzy.

My grandmother made him a birthday cake because it happened to be his birthday.

And of course, he, with his cheeks, blew out the candle.

Right.

So we we just, you know, the idea was you're hungry, you need to eat.

You come to our house, you want to feel loved, you come to the house, you be a part of it.

You come to the house.

But it was also reciprocal for my uncle Chuck.

One Christmas, it was like, okay, kids, your Christmas present is you're invited to the Grammys, right?

It wasn't.

Oh, it's all about me kind of vibe.

It was always us.

You know, the family.

Of course.

He wins the Grammy for the song.

He writes for my grandmother, for the Bellavia family, for the whole.

That beautiful way is what Bellavia means.

So it really was.

And my grandfather set up, grill at the A&M studio lot in Los Angeles, where everybody's fancy, and he was like, no, no, no, I'm going to make some sausage.

And he went to town cooking for people who happened to be coming in and out ready to make a record.

And, but he was doing what he did.

She did what she did.

And when you walked into that house, you knew you were welcome.

You knew whatever it was that you were all about was fine, and it didn't matter.

And that's really beautiful because I think, you know, the artists life, the musicians life can be tough.

You're on the road.

You're really trying hard to practice your craft.

You're probably dealing with like dodgy club owners and everything else to have some sort of beautiful space.

And I think a lot of that spirit comes through in the music too.

And I want to hear some of from Bob what it's like getting into that world.

But first I am going to take one of our calls.

We have my colleague John Andrus from WXXI, a classical 91 five, has been in town for many years and has some memories to share.

Well, hello, Mona, and, congratulations, a wonderful program so far.

I have three quick story.

First of all, I remember a place called Haley Morris's Alley on the corner of Ridge Road West and Dewey Avenue, where Pat McGrath and Don Porter were singers, and they were good friends of track man John.

And, story told.

Chuck and Joan would be there at 4 a.m. in the morning doing, his music along with that McGrath and D Harry Potter.

Well, they all assembled were friends and loved up there.

And our own station, WXXI TV carry that live from the Eastman Theater, where he conducted the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

As I heard you mentioned earlier, mono and one final note I, remember Rochester broadcaster and radio owner Jack Filipino ended his long stay.

BBF 950 radio in 1978 with Feels So Good, and he opened his brand new morning show on WDR FM two days later with the same piece.

And I thought that was, pretty special.

And I want to thank you for assembling many of the truck mangione and company CD's for us to use not only on classical, not only one side, but on the route and other venues as well.

So this is quite a Rochester legend.

Gap mangione still alive and doing well and playing excellent jazz.

So what do you think about that?

Well, thank you so much, John.

And I want to invite anyone else who has a memory or a story, because it seems there's so many throughout our community, whether it is as a listener, that moment that you first heard as music or at a club or at a gig or on the bandstand, the number to call is 1844295 talk.

That's 2958255.

You can email connections at Zorg and they'll share your messages with us.

And if you are, popping over to the WXXI news YouTube channel, there's also a place to comment there as well.

So, Bob, what was it like stepping into this sort of musical family and world after you listened through all those records as fast as you could?

Oh, it was amazing.

I actually, you know, reminiscing about the, the pasta dinners that at artists grandparents house, that was that was pretty awesome.

Yeah, that, that that is a very fond memory.

But I mean, musically, it's like, you know, once I sort of felt like I was catching my groove and, you know, really developing my sound.

On, on the gig, I remember, you know, some, some seminal moments, like when Chuck would say things to me that at at the time, I didn't realize how important it was.

There was I remember there was one night it was in Buffalo, of all places.

It was just before we were about to sort of hit the road, playing bigger venues and stuff.

And, and he said to me, he's like, I notice that you're you're trying to play things at times, maybe a little bit too close to the record.

And he said, I hired you to play like you.

I didn't hire you to sound like the record.

He said, I guarantee if you play like yourself, you're going to play better and you won't be so uptight.

Yeah.

And then there might there might have been a couple of other adjectives in there, but but we're, you know, we have FCC things to worry about.

So but that was it was a really important message.

And and it's at the end of the day, it's like what you do as a jazz artist.

It it only means a lot if it's honest and that that's, that's something that, you know, the study of jazz involves a lot of transcribing, learning things by ear.

And, you know, developing your aural skills.

But at the same time, you have to be careful that what you're doing leaves room for your for your own creativity.

And I think from that moment forward, I had I had a comfort and ease to, to be more like myself.

And that was, that was really, really amazing.

And I felt like as, as, as I evolved on the gig, it just it became more and more and more fun.

And, you know, he sometimes he would he would turn to me and, I would always play this classical guitar thing out in front of, the children, the Sanchez suite.

And sometimes he would.

You can't see it, but, on the radio.

But he would like, you know, he would stretch his hands out and say, you can go for a while, and, and and the first time he did that, it was a little bit scary.

And I'm thinking, like, I hope I have enough to say.

And then, and then after a while, I think I, I developed enough things to say.

And then sometimes he would, he would push his hands a little closer together.

If time was going by a little too quickly at, at the, at the concert.

But that's a feeling we know well on the radio with.

Yes, yes, yes.

So yeah, he was the conductor of the producer and the star.

So and that's him finding his musical voice to read the early memories where he really thought he was going to be a hard bop player.

You know, he played with Art Blakey, he played with dizzy, and he sort of had a certain vision for what a jazz musician was in a club in New York City.

But his career when so many different directions.

I have a recording of a mass movement, the Gloria children and Sanchez.

And so I guess if you have some thoughts on how he found that musical voice over time or.

Yeah, did that sort of play out as you knew him personally?

I think that the idea that the music people always know, oh, Chuck, me and Tony feel so good.

The reality of the situation is, if you go back to the early stuff, it just still warms you right there.

The hill where the Lord hides.

People will stop me and say, that song changed my life.

I got my first job and my boss said that Friends in Love concert changed everything in my world.

And so to go back and to look at some of that maybe not so popular music and then watch how it evolves.

But it was so complicated, so complex, so many layers to it.

And then you hear the children, the Sanchez decade, you know, decade or so later, and it still carries that weight of the origins with the orchestra back in Rochester.

I mean, you have to remember, he went to every major city in the United States, right?

And he decided to come back to Rochester always.

This was always home.

So there is that family route here.

But there's also a musical set of roots here.

The original players that he began with when he was a kid and strolled up and down, Jazz Street is, is there.

We have black and white photos from that time, and he's still friendly and and spends his time with them.

Right.

So to the very end, so I think today to stop and reflect on the, the music, it's to understand the whole library of music.

I walked down the aisle to a song that he wrote.

I walked back down the aisle to love the feeling.

And then our wedding dance was to Bolivia.

Right.

So when I say he wrote the soundtrack for our whole family, I feel that in my absolute core, and we all do, the idea that I can explain it.

No way.

I he he really felt as though this all just came to him and, and if if that's the case, that is the coolest gift, right?

To be able to just see that in so many layers and to be able to make it.

And he was such an you were saying as a conductor, like such an intense conductor.

So when it was time for those horns to come in, he would say, hit me in the face, right?

He wanted them to do their job.

And it was intense.

But man.

So so that's what I'm saying.

Sitting on that stage, you could see that all transpire, his back to the audience.

But they felt it and he knew what they needed.

And it was phenomenal.

Right.

That the, you know, the original Gloria, where the choir is sitting on, unbeknownst to everybody in the audience.

And then when it's time for them to do their thing, they stand and the whole entire easement theater takes a collective and bam!

That's how the music comes to him.

And it was it was an absolute.

He didn't need him onstage the whole time.

He just needed him for that one tune.

And wow.

So there was a little element of fun and surprise, and there was, but there was always that deep seriousness about the music and what it needed to mean in order for it to have a value.

And before we get to our next caller, Debbie, I want to say that reminds me of something Jeff Isaac said about both being inspired to come here to Rochester to study with Chuck.

But also he compared him to Leonard Bernstein, to George Gershwin, these multifaceted, sort of inspired artists.

Well, when I came to the Eastman School in 1969, one of the reasons I came to Rochester was somebody sent me a Chuck Mangione recording, and when I listened to that, I was inspired by his music enough to want to come to Rochester and study at Eastman School, where he was teaching.

He was the director of the jazz band when I was a freshman in 1969, absolutely trumpet in that group.

So I worked with him in that context.

And then in 1970, I went to see the Friends and Love Concerts, a groundbreaking concert he did with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

And it was a life changing event for me, to watch somebody who was so creative with the symphony orchestra.

The thing that was great about his music is he used pop elements, jazz elements, Latin elements, folk music elements, and classical elements all together to create a very unique sound, which was kind of the inspiration for my whole career, as well.

And after that I started working with him professionally in 1975 until about 1982, right when he had the success of, the, Feel So Good.

And then the children of Sanchez and these other great concerts, it was just amazing to tour with him and play places like the Hollywood Bowl and have 18,000 people be there to see him and his music.

So he was an incredible inspiration to me.

So yeah, that sense of the different styles and of course, that you've experienced over the past, what, three decades now, any of the amazing Jeff Isaac RPO pops concerts and his conducting that again, is another thing inspired by that connection we do have on the line.

Debbie from Henrietta, who has memories, is a freelance writer who got to interview Chuck Mangione.

And I would love to hear some of those.

Hello, Debbie.

Hello.

How are you?

Good.

I'm glad to have you here to be part of this, memory and sharing in the conversation.

Thank you so much.

I was driving, doing some errands, and I heard that you guys are talking about Chuck Mangione.

I'm like, oh, man, I got to come.

I have to come.

So I have to silence.

One is, yes, I'm a local freelance writer.

My full name is Debbie Roxanne Waltzer, and I had the privilege of interviewing Chuck by phone.

Probably a good 15, 18 years ago.

For a piece for.

I think it was the Democrat and Chronicle.

It might have been Rochester Magazine, and I can't remember exactly which, because I did a lot of pieces.

But I called Chuck and he said, I got to call you right back.

I said, no problem.

I'm putting in a chicken and this is the oven.

And he says to me, that's okay.

I'm doing a sound check at Hilton Head.

So, I mean, it was comfortable.

It was just, you know, just what you would think from Chuck Mangione.

Anyone that can produce that kind of beautiful music, what a beautiful personality he had.

So it was just a very comfortable conversation about his music.

But previous to that experience, when I was a teenager, I attended one of his concerts and heard a song that has stuck with me since I was 16 years old that he wrote called look to the children.

I don't know if you're familiar with that piece or not, but it was sung by Esther Satterfield and I believed John Potter together.

It was one of those concerts, and it is one of the most incredible pieces I have ever heard.

I think most people would agree it is gorgeous.

The lyrics are beautiful about children and how this world is really meant for them, and we need to do everything for them, but I don't hear that song anymore.

I personally play it on the piano.

I play a lot of Joni on the play on the piano, but I would love if we could resurrect that piece.

Looks to the children.

But they're my thoughts.

Chuck, me and Johnny was a blessing.

It is so sad that he's gone, but he's not gone, and he'll never be gone.

I believe that Chuck and Joni is Rochester and Rochester.

Chuck, me and Joni.

Thank you Debbie, thank you so much.

And both, my guests here are artists, and and John Lindley and Bob Snyder are nodding along about that song.

So both of you have some thoughts?

Yeah, that's I think it's an amazing piece of music.

It's like, it might be like the coolest pop tune ever written.

Seriously.

And, I think it was probably 2 or 3 months before, before Chuck passed away, I had reached out and I said, hey, I want to do a concert of of your your music.

At my next faculty recital, I tend to do things with, I play a lot, you know, with guitar, piano, duet with, with my buddy Paul Hoffman.

And that's songs because the first song that that we're playing in Hatch Hall.

Yeah.

And, do we know when that concert's coming up?

February.

Okay.

Yeah.

Hatch Hall.

Yeah.

Beautiful space to hear music.

Yeah, yeah.

I mean, the the Rochester, the look to the children.

You have to understand the history there.

Right.

So you have first of all, my uncle Chuck, my Aunt Josephine and Joe and my dad gab, our three outrageously close siblings.

I mean, still to this day, right?

He and my dad walked every day, got their little exercise at 1030 every day.

They'd get out there and they'd go for their little power walk.

And my aunt is the glue that holds that whole trio together.

There is no doubt that if you met one of them, you've automatically met the other two.

They travel in that pack.

They're six kids.

So my cousins Nancy and Diana, Chuck, daughters, my cousins Cheryl and Freddy, my Aunt Joe's children and my brother and I gaps kids.

We this family has.

When everything happened and we got the news, the family was together within a half an hour.

The whole family, that's how this works.

So they would watch us and we were growing and we were the kids in this look to the children era that they were looking out for.

They said, you know, every generation wants their kids to have it a little bit better.

But in this case, that song is really just to make sure that you're understanding.

They're so simple and so good to each other, and kids in general will be friends and they will do kind things.

It's the learned negativity that he was warning.

I think all of us, a little bit about in that song.

But that's the that's the thing.

And.

Yes.

And I think my father is, he's playing a gig on Sunday in Rome, New York, at the Rome Jazz Festival.

And I think it's going to, you know, it's going to be, first of all, it'll be amazing and magical because it's with the big band.

But I think it will also be, a little, you know, let's not I don't even know what the right word to say is.

It's definitely going to be a different experience playing that music, that Mangione music, in light of these past, you know.

Yeah.

Two weeks.

Thank you for sharing, especially at this time where, you know, we're all sharing a loss of, in a way, a musical icon, a colleague, a friend and neighbor.

But this is family for you.

So I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with us.

And this is artist man Joni Lindley.

She is daughter of gap mangione and niece to Chuck, me and Joni, who were paying tribute to this hour here on connections, also joined by Bob Snyder, who's associate Professor Jessie's at the Eastman School of Music, but also a friend and an alum of the Chuck Mangione Band.

And I've really appreciated the calls.

We'll have more after we take our one break for the hour here on skies, connections.

Coming up in our second hour, a conversation about Tourette Syndrome.

What do you know about Tourette?

Anything you do know if you don't know, someone with Tourette syndrome probably comes from mass media, and it's probably not a fully accurate representation of what it is like living with Tourette.

We're going to talk about stigma, myth, reality, and more next hour on connections.

Support for your public radio station comes from our members and from Bob Johnson, Auto Group.

Proud supporter of connections with Evan Dawson, believing an informed public makes for a stronger community.

Bob Johnson Auto group.com.

You're listening to connections on WXXI news.

I'm Mona Hola Swami here.

As part of Arts Friday, we're celebrating the music and legacy of Chuck Mangione.

We're inviting you to join in the conversation.

We've already heard some great memories and stories, favorite songs that are perhaps sometimes underappreciated or not.

The number 1 or 2 first mentioned hit.

So you can add your voice to the conversation by calling 1844295 talk.

That's (844) 295-8255.

You can also share your story through the email connections at xorg, and catch us on the Sexy News YouTube channel and like, comment and subscribe as they say.

I am joined here by Chuck man, John, his niece, artist, and Joni Lindley, who has wonderful memories of touring with the band and being part of some of these famed concerts, like at Red Rock and Red rocks and experiences Music, and Bob Snyder, guitarist, associate professor of jazz studies at Eastman School of Music and an alum of the Chuck Mangione Band.

Possibly a bit controversial, Bob, but, what was it like, for you?

A dedicated, dyed in the wool Red Sox fan playing with such a great Yankees fan?

This is no joke.

The day of my audition, Chuck had to excuse himself and said, sorry, I have to take a call from George Steinbrenner.

And and then it was it was like one of those, like, Harry Potter moments where it's like, Harry feels like like Voldemort.

It's like.

It's like entering his head.

And but I was I was just trying to be cool.

Like, that's on me or Red Sox fan.

Don't, don't do it.

And then, and and and then and then he said something like, yeah, yeah, it's about this upcoming thing.

I'm going to play the anthem at the stadium.

This coming May, but it's a little ways away.

And, and then it was later there was, there is someone else that was there taken an audition who was playing drums, and he got sent out a little bit early.

He asked me to stick around and, and that's when he asked me to to be in the band.

And then.

And then he asked me a little bit about myself, but I still didn't.

I didn't tell him I was a Red Sox fan.

Yeah, but then, then that that George Steinbrenner call about playing the anthem sort of became a thing because it was it coincided with my first time playing at the famed Blue Note jazz club in New York with Chuck.

And then, it was a few days before we were headed to the Blue Note and he said, what are you doing on this afternoon?

During during that week, I think it was either the Saturday or the Sunday.

And, and I said, I said, I'll probably just be chilling, you know, I won't be doing much getting my rest.

And, and then he said, why don't you come to the Yankee Stadium with me?

And at that point, he knew I was a Red Sox fan, and they were playing the Red Sox.

And so he takes me out onto the field with him while he's doing his soundcheck, and all the Yankees are gathering around Willie Randolph at that point as an assistant coach.

And then, is Don Mattingly's towards the end of his career.

And as, as Chuck is playing it, playing a couple of notes on his flugelhorn into the microphone, Don Mattingly comes up behind him and, like, taps him in the butt with a baseball bat, and he turns around and he sees it's Mattingly.

It's it was hysterical.

And then the game started out okay.

We were we were actually sitting in George Steinbrenner's luxury box upstairs.

But George wasn't there.

And, and then one of the sluggers for the Red Sox hit a huge home run.

And I got up and I cheered, and he said to me, he said, the next time you get up, you won't be taking the stairs down.

So the next he was joking, of course.

And then, and then the Yankees, they crushed him that day.

But, but it was a deep relationship with those Yankees.

Yeah, yeah, they would come to the concerts and he would go to the game.

Well, later, later that night, Bernie and Gerald Williams came to the Blue Note, and I didn't know that they were there.

And there's a knock on the dressing room door, and I open it and I'm like, oh my gosh.

And and then Bernie says to me, he's like, I really like your playing.

Could I get some guitar lessons?

And I said, does it matter if I'm a red star?

And then Chuck came out of his dressing room.

He's like, who are you talking to?

So, it was it was hysterical.

Oh, we have, another call.

This is Bill in Fairport, who has memories of his first live jazz concert that changed his life for Trunk Band.

Joni, by any chance, is this Bill Tiberius?

If you're calling from Fairport.

No, not Bill.

Tiberius.

Different, bill.

But.

But our son was in the jazz orchestra with Bill Tiberius.

So he is.

He was a great, a great jazz guy.

Well, I just want to say I was in high school when Chuck Van Jones first concert, album came out of Friends of Love, and he was going around to orchestras and, and he went to the Utica Symphony Orchestra and played with them at every high school within within the the county brought all their music students down to the concert so we could experience live jazz.

The first time any of us have ever been to a live jazz concert, coming from, up in the Adirondacks area.

And it was fantastic.

And it started a lifelong love of jazz on my part, listening to his music and others, and I and as I recall, you know, jazz is good stuff because my, my wife was going to grad school in DC, and she called me when I said, hey, my friend has two tickets, to to hear some jazz guy.

I said, well, what's his name?

Said, oh, it's something like Tipsy Gillespie.

You perhaps mean Dizzy Gillespie.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I said, take the tickets.

We're going.

So, you know, we we love the Rochester Jazz Festival.

We've loved Chuck Mangione.

Both of us, grew up with it.

It's such a sad thing to have him gone, but his music will live on, and he's had such an effect on so many people and so many kids at the time who had never heard anything like his music before, playing with an orchestra.

You know, he was just fabulous.

Just fabulous.

Oh, Bill, thank you so much for sharing that story.

And Tipsy Gillespie is something that's going to stay with me there.

Happy Gillespie that's my favorite.

I got my big t shirt with Tipsy Gillespie on the front of it.

You know.

So we are, discussing all things Chuck Mangione, remembering the music, personal memories, sharing stories, the number to call to be part of this connections discussion here is 1844295 talk.

Or you can email connections at WXXI award.

But something that Bill said reminded me of something that we talked about on the phone artist.

That was an interesting moment for a lot of people who are listening to the Beatles and She Loves You, and that kind of changed a lot of people's world.

But then what was often purely instrumental music was sort of another shift for listeners.

For music fans, I think.

So, when you listen to instrumental music, you get to decide how it makes you feel, and songs with lyrics are mostly what we listen to on the radio.

And it's been that way since.

There's what been a radio.

So but the idea that he could put emotion into songs and let you decide how it made you feel, and that some, some we talked about, Bob and I, before this show started to they talked about how it made the people in Poland feel about their solidarity movement.

Children of Sanchez became their anthem.

And, Bob was at that concert performing at that cancellation.

I'm going to let Bob tell that story.

Yeah, yeah, the I didn't I had no idea that the the main theme from Children to Sanchez was like the theme song of the solidarity movement.

And, in Poland, and especially with all the things going on in the world today and that part of the world, that's it was, you know, very, very, very powerful.

And, it was it's so ironic that, that must have been 90, I think it's 1995.

There's like some recent YouTubes from that that have been posted.

And it was the music was so powerful.

The people were there were more people in that theater than there should have been.

Probably in Monroe County.

The fire marshal would have, like, shut down any venue that was, you know, that was Overpacked.

There were there are people standing and sitting in the aisles, and the at the end of the children, the Sanchez suite, the crowd, this literally erupted.

It was it was so powerful, I didn't I had no idea until until afterwards that it was it was such a big deal for them and that that was like maybe just a little more than ten years after, after after, you know, Poland was able to extricate from the Iron Curtain and, and of all places we were playing in was the the old Communist meeting hall that in that decades time had been turned into a beautiful theater with amazing acoustics.

And then the other part of the facility turned into a casino, but they still they had like I walked around the theater, they had all of the old, communist meeting hall, like, translation.

Like if you needed a certain language, you could plug your headset into this or to.

That was pretty wild.

Yeah.

And so that's kind of amazing because that's music by an American musician, a Rochester.

And for a movie about a story from Mexico.

Exactly.

I only recently realized that's from a movie.

I want to see if we can screen it at the little the movie called The Children of Sanchez.

And then resonating with the democracy movement in Poland is really speaks to something about the music or about our shared humanity.

I yeah, I think it's I mean, there's there's definitely the the lyric is, is very powerful.

But there's just something about that, the melody, it's just it's so beautiful.

And I think people, people really embraced it especially, especially over there.

Yeah.

It was, it was amazing as it was a moment I'll never forget as long as I live.

Right.

The, the lyric, all, all men need a place to live with dignity.

Was, I think, something that absolutely meant it still does.

It means.

But he watched the, draft drafts of this of the children, the Sanchez film, where, you know, Anthony Quinn is literally wobbling on a horse and they're like, we're going to redo that part, don't worry.

But this is where we need this song, and this is where we need that song, and can you do this?

And he checked into a hotel and spent Labor Day weekend writing this symphony, this magnificent piece of music, and it became the soundtrack of the film.

The film did not impress anybody into any great deal, but the, but the soundtrack did, and that was and that's I think when people say I really felt something, it very often is.

The next sentence is Shonda Sanchez.

That is, we have, I think, music.

There's a few stories like that.

There's a bittersweet LA lazier and apparently that play total jump.

No one's really into it, but the music is some of people's most favorites.

Yeah.

So yeah.

And that's, we have a comment from All Fair.

Robin Rochester was wondering about musical influences.

Was Chuck influenced by any of his contemporaries, like Steely Dan or.

And I also have heard from someone else who said that, that was the beginning again, that instrumental music that they sort of turned their relative turn to listening to Chicago and more jazz influenced pop bands at the time.

So, yeah, I don't I don't know if if Chuck was is influenced by, some of the contemporary pop groups, I, I if anything, I think it would be, you know, maybe some of the, the, the side musicians, the supporting cast that might have been checking out some of some of the different sounds, whether it was like, you know, some groovy effects or a particular kind of drum groove or something that I think Chuck's music is in its own category.

But maybe some of those influences, sort of, you know, crept in from, from some of, some of the side players.

And I think the man, Johnny Music was his vibe.

It was it was what he felt, what he heard.

And I think but I think the early influences.

Right.

Like he called dizzy Gillespie.

His musical father, Dizzy Gillespie, had that up to trumpet and he gave one of them to Chuck, and that was a prized possession.

It meant so much to him when the when there was the earthquake in Italy in the 1980s or 1980, 1980, and he brought in his musical friends, his, his absolute influences.

He brought Dizzy Gillespie and he brought Chick Corea and Louis, you know, Steve Gadd came in to play drums and they all waited their turn.

And it was an all nighter.

We were up all night in this Rochester hotel, raising $100,000 for Italian earthquake victims.

But on the stage was, you know, his All-Star, his favorites, his influences.

So I think it was more of those people influencing, the early days and then letting him do what he wanted to do with it.

And speaking of 1980, before we take another call, that's the year of the Miracle on Ice, right?

And Chuck wrote a song for that Olympics.

I only learned that recently, but several people have talked to me about that.

Yeah.

What is that one called again?

That is, give it all you can.

You got.

Yeah.

He he also composed the, the fanfare for the Olympics.

So for the, the entire Olympic broadcast, that was, that's that's his you know, that's also Chuck's.

So it's amazing.

Yeah.

That's, and, give it all you got is on the, Fun and Games record.

Right.

Well, we went to the, Lake Placid Museum there to celebrate the Olympic Museum, and he's, he's on the wall, and my kids are like, wait, there's uncle Chuck.

Yeah, right.

This is a big deal.

He played live, and my husband asked him what was the most difficult gig you've ever played?

And he said that one.

Why?

Well, first of all, you're playing live in front of the planet, right?

Billions of people with a B, but also your feet are on ice and you got to play the horn.

And he said it was so stinking cold.

And and then it was like, wait, you got to wait a minute.

No, you got to wait five more minutes.

And now he's frigid and he's shaking and he's nervous and but he pulled it together.

Breathe deep.

Play that horn for the world.

So I think, you know, I'm glad that Steve asked him that question, but it was, not the answer.

I'd expected.

It was.

It's hard for it to be cold for any musician, but horn players, especially when you're holding a metal instrument.

Right.

Which, before we take our have one more call, I want to mention something just a lot of people have asked me, I think, if they're not as familiar with musical instruments about the flugelhorn, which I think he did end up finding, or found him at the Eastman School of Music.

It's sort of a wider spaced instrument, a lower, a slightly mellower relative of the trumpet.

He called it the pregnant trumpet.

Yeah.

And he went everywhere with it.

And he would say, you got to keep this.

It's like he said, my horn is like a woman.

You've got to keep her close.

You got to hug her.

You got to take care of it.

You've got to make sure that you are doing everything all day along with this person.

And then at night, then, you know, here you are at this concert and now this, this, this living thing that he toted with him all day.

He really felt a very strong connection to that horn.

And he would he would take it everywhere.

So there were times I was with him late at night, getting late night food after gig, even one time at night.

Tahoe's.

That was insane.

Yeah, he's got the horn.

Well played too.

Oh, yeah.

About it.

Oh that's cool.

Yes.

Yeah, it was amazing.

But I mean, he would it wasn't like there were no snooty little airs about him.

Like he came and played at my elementary class and the, you know, my friends who are now we're grown ups, the artist.

You remember when he came to our fifth grade class?

He would there was no, Oh, no, I'm too cool for that.

He would come to Mendon High School and cheer for my son's basketball games.

All for years.

You know?

And and it was.

There was no, I guess you could, you know, a lot of people could take that and it would go right to their head.

But he still just stayed a family guy, a regular guy who would carry his horn around and play for nickels.

Yeah.

You just it's inspiring.

I like musically inspiring, but but his connection to to the community and the way he inspired generations of of kids like myself to learn music, to study music, to try to get great at it.

That's that's a legacy that, that very, very few other artists can, can say that I did that.

Well, speaking of memories, I think we have time for one more from Peyton Aranda, who has memories of the Freddy's Walking concert.

Hi.

Yes, I used to be a day camp counselor for, United Cerebral Palsy.

And one of my camp kids was Freddy, many, many years ago.

And I was just wondering if you could give me, you know, some of the background, about Freddy's walk in concert and, and some of your musical thoughts as well.

I thought sadly, centerfield was just stunning.

And she and Dan Patrick to bring everybody to tears.

That remains one of my personal favorite songs ever.

So my cousin Freddy was.

Yeah.

Yeah, he was.

He was a big baby, and he wasn't walking.

And, you know, he he had these big blue eyes and this huge smile and just couldn't get walking.

He just kept.

Right.

They say they finally said this is where he needs to go.

He he, gets all the help he needs here in Rochester.

Thank you so much.

Everybody in Rochester who pitched in and helped him and, he began walking.

And so, yes, he decided to write this song in tribute to the, to success that Freddy had.

And I will tell you, Freddy is a real fat.

He's my my absolute.

He's adorable.

And he does everything.

He's got it.

Freddy has an adult, successful life.

And this is not like some sad song.

And it was it.

Freddy has real jobs, real lives, real girlfriends, real everything.

And he's a real person.

This was not an imaginary tune like land to make believe he was writing this song about someone who meant so much to him, and he knew the potential, and he wasn't going to let this get in the way.

And so it didn't.

And now, yeah, no, it absolutely has not held him back at all with that inspiration.

Well, thank you so much, Pat, for bringing that up in our last couple minutes.

I feel like we could keep sharing wonderful stories and music.

Perhaps each of you could choose one song or perhaps, you know, an old bootleg on YouTube or something we should be finding.

What's another thing, Lou?

We've heard a few songs that are perhaps not the number one most famous that we should be digging into.

That's really great to explore.

So do you have any favorites to recommend?

Whether it's a performance or a song?

Oh my gosh.

And how long do we have?

You know, so can we take the second out?

I was about to say, I just noticed we also have an email from Polly says remembers hearing that gap and Chuck saved a baby's life.

Oh yeah.

That's a huge story.

Okay, the essence of it is they're they, they're in the grocery store, and this girl, young mom, comes running down my baby, my baby's, drowning in the bathtub.

So, you know, my dad does his 50 hour, like, Franklin High School track team up the stairs.

Chuck's right behind him.

They go upstairs, they fish the baby out of the bathtub.

My father is not.

You know, he's like, He pushes and pushes and pushes on this baby's chest, and he's trying to do everything that he can.

And all of a sudden, the baby takes a breath and they, the fire department arrives, and my dad and my uncle Chuck walk back down the stairs quietly from this woman's apartment.

And the street is full of people who are silent.

Fast forward 40 years.

My dad's at the, Lodge Wickliffe playing, and a man walks in and he says, the baby.

Oh my gosh, maybe you get off the hook for the favorite songs then, or we'll have to follow up and make a little listening playlist of suggestions.

But otherwise I want to thank so much.

Artist man Joni Lindley, daughter of Batman.

Joni, niece of Chuck Mangione, for sharing family perspective and memories of sharing the music.

Bob Snyder, who teaches guitar and jazz at the Eastman School of Music and is an alum of the Chuck Mangione Band for sharing his musical memories and personal stories, as well.

And to our whole production team Rob Braden, Julie Williams, Chris Neville and Golding, Katie Abner, our volunteer Mary Hassan, Colin and everyone who makes this show work together.

And to Myles as well, making this all work for radio, streaming, podcast and on YouTube.

Thank you for listening to connections from Sky news and.

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