Today’s jazz Friday is me indulging myself having grown up in the ’70s. At the time Chuck Mangione (Wikipedia) did the impossible: He broke into the pop charts playing the Flugelhorn. I remember hearing his most popular tune, Feels so Good (Apple Music) (YouTube), playing everywhere. But the tune that I woke up thinking about a few weeks ago, one I probably hadn’t listed to since 1979 or so was Carousel with that sweet soprano sax from his Bellavia album. (iTunes) (Apple Music) (YouTube). This song just makes me happy. I think it would be a great song to play in the morning while you are brushing your teeth.

While Chuck did gain popularity as a pop star, he also has some serious jazz chops. He played with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers filling the seat held by Clifford Brown. Either way, no matter how you feel about jazz, take a minute and listen to Carousel and see if it doesn’t give you the same smile it gives me.