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Gap Mangione's Family Holidays is a sassy, brassy, big band affair for the Christmas season. Gap, the brother of famous horn blower Chuck Mangione, is a keyboard man and has supported the likes of Nat King Cole. His relatively large ensemble (the liner notes list 18 musicians) is a polished group of jazz professionals, and they hit all notes with the right combination of verve, upbeat exuberance, and mellow reserve.

Family Holidays offers up 15 tracks; about half of these are cherished holiday chestnuts. The remaining cuts present some big band bravado in unfamiliar territory; great numbers like Chuck Mangione's "Sweet Cheryl Lynn" are sweet treats that blend naturally with the more traditional holiday tunes. This well-matched mix of familiar fare with creative alternatives gives the CD easy replay value, especially as the Christmas season moves forward. Even the most well-worn holiday pieces (like "O Christmas Tree" and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town") have stylish arrangements that give them a bold new look. The only track that seemed slightly out of place was the "Tarentellas," a saucy folk dance number with carnival undertones that is sandwiched between the introspective "Amazing Grace" and "Silent Night." Although just about everything works wonderfully on Family Holidays, my favorite cut is probably "The Way We Celebrate New Year's," a great Michael Franks composition with Cindy Miller contributing the album's only vocal. Cool!

This big band jazz album is an excellent choice for your special holiday party this December. The mood is fun, yet sophisticated. The musicianship is flawless. Everything swings in the sweetest way.

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)

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From the liner notes:

The Musicians:
Gap Mangione: Piano, Keyboards
Steve Gadd: Drums
Grant Geissman: Guitars, Synthesizer, Percussion
Tony Levin: Electric Bass (Tracks 5,6,9,10,13,14)
Neil Swainson: Acoustic Bass (Tracks 1-3,8,12)
Gerry Niewood: Alto, Soprano Sax, Flute
Andy Weinzler: Tenor, Soprano, Alto Sax
Pat LaBarbera: Tenor, Soprano Sax
Ex Xiques: Baritone, Soprano Sax
Dennis Tribuzzi: Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Jeff Jarvis: Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Jack Schantz: Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Pat Carney: Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Mark Kellogg: Trombone
John Hasselback: Trombone
Bob Kalwas: Bass Trombone
Cindy Miller: Vocals
Ted Warren: Drums (in studio)

All arrangements by Gap Mangione except:
Grant Geissman ("Santa Claus is coming to Town." "The Way We Celebrate New Year's," "Carol of the Bells")
Andy Weinzler ("Silent Night") "Sweet Cheryl Lynn" and "What Are You Doing On New Year's Eve" adapted from other arrangements (Chuck Mangione, Rob McConnell, respectively)

Produced by Gap Mangione
Consulting Producers: Grant Geissman, Larry Swist
Executive Producer: Gary Polisseni
Recorded and Mixed by Larry Swist
Mastered by Larry Swist

From the Web site:

Born in Rochester, New York, Gap (Gaspare) Mangione was raised in a closely-knit, Italian family where music poured from the radio and phonograph. Papa Mangione would regularly invite visiting musicians home to pasta dinners -- gatherings which were often followed by impromptu jazz sessions. By the time Gap was 13, he was playing the blues on the family piano and encouraging his brother, Chuck, to join him in improvisations; at 15, he was writing and arranging for local big bands.

Gap Mangione has always loved big bands. His first experiences with them was as a youngster when his father would take him and his brother Chuck to hear the best of them in live performance. As a teenager he was arranging for and playing in semiprofessional groups. During his college days at Syracuse University, he was house pianist at the 1200 seat Three Rivers Inn Theater Restaurant and played in big bands accompanying the likes of Sammy Davis, Jr. and Nat King Cole. His first solo recording, Diana In The Autumn Wind, introduced the big band writing talents of Gap Mangione and Chuck Mangione to a national audience. Today, Gap has his own big band and sustains a passion for and a fascination with the sounds and possibilities of this wonderful musical entity.

The most recent edition of the Big Band, was formed originally to play a 30-week engagement at a dance club in 1990. Assembling the best musicians who lived within driving distance of Rochester, Gap set to work writing for the group and gathering musical contributions from others including Dizzy Gillespie and Chuck Mangione. The resulting combination of musicians, arrangements, and variety of material has kept the band in demand from dance clubs and jazz festivals to formal gala social occasions, from concerts to business entertainment functions.

This band with its compliment of three trumpets, three trombones, four saxophones, rhythm section and vocalists, includes in its repertoire arrangements from the swing era bands through the more modern big bands to a cross section of the best in popular music, arranged specifically for this group. The emphasis is on quality, style and variety. Gap Mangione's big band CDs include.. "Family Holidays." Each is a jazz oriented delight.

Gap Mangione

Family Holidays

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Track List