Mangione made us 'feel so good'

Chuck Mangione was a flugelhorn player, a trumpeter and a composer.He released more than 30 albums, and even did some acting.And yet, when I think of Mangione, it always comes back to a single song and it's the song most people know.It was a track that was released two years before I was born, a song where I knew the melody by heart.But, because it was an instrumental, it took me years to learn the name. That's just how it was when I was a kid. Nowadays, you can look down at a display on your car radio or cell phone to figure out the name of the song.In the late '80s, as a boy in suburban Cleveland, I had to listen to the rest of the Light Rock 105.5's setlist — which always meant at least two Phil Collins' songs — and hope that the disc jockey would mention the title.But I never heard the title. So, all there was to do was commit the melody to memory.It was sweet, smooth, catchy. A little bit of pop, a little bit of jazz. Mangione plays a beautiful flugelhorn, and its main riff is the most recognizable part of the song.But the track also has some excellent, playful guitar work from Grant Greissman.The song would come on the radio, and my day just got a little better.That's a pretty powerful thing.The tune was called "Feels So Good," which, frankly, summed it up. It was just so pleasant. And the album cut — at more than nine minutes long — never wears out its welcome.Mangione died Thursday at 84. I'm sure the news sent people all over the world back to that song.The Rochester, New York native had a long career, starting in the 1960s. He was prolific up until his retirement about a decade ago. Before he had solo success, he played with his brother, Gap, a pianist, and worked on sessions with legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis.It was a very successful career.And the song is terrific. Zach Baker is sports editor of The Courier.