70s jazz musician Chuck Mangione dies aged 84

Chuck Mangione, best known for his hit song Feels So Good, has died aged 84.

The American musician, who was a composer and also played the flugelhorn and trumpet, rose to fame as part of Art Blakey’s band in the 1960s, before leading the Jazz Brothers with his brother, Gap.

But it was in 1978 that he achieved worldwide fame with the release of his jazz-pop single, which reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

It’s now been reported that Mangione died this week, with outlets in his native Rochester, New York referencing a funeral home notice that also revealed he died in his sleep at home on Tuesday.

Born in Rochester in 1940 to Italian parents, Mangione started music lessons aged eight and formed his first jazz band while still in high school, which included his brother.

He attended the Eastman School of Music from 1958 to 1963 before joining Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.

In the late 1960s, Mangione went on to become a member of the band The National Gallery and also served as director of the Eastman jazz ensemble from 1968 to 1972.

He won his first Grammy Award in 1977 in the best instrumental composition category.

His work on the soundtrack for the 1978 film The Children of Sanchez then won him his second Grammy – for the best pop instrumental performance.

Two of his compositions were also used as themes at Olympic Games – Chase the Clouds Away at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec and Give It All You Got at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York.

Following the success of Feels So Good, which initially ran for a mammoth 9 minutes and 42 seconds, Mangione and his band featured with a 70-piece orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl in 1978.

Aside from music, Mangione also appeared in TV shows including Magnum, P.I. and King of the Hill.

In 2009 the musician faced tragedy when two members of his band – Gerry Niewood and Coleman Mellett – were among the 49 passengers killed when Continental Airlines Flight 3407 crashed into a house near Buffalo, New York.

In a statement Mangione said: ‘I’m in shock over the horrible, heartbreaking tragedy.’

Across his career Mangione released 30 albums and was nominated for a total of 14 Grammys.