I was there. This is a great song, and there were many others along with it. I had the chance to meet Don after the concert (out on the street) and he told that he had been in Nashville producing music for the Judds. He took me by Chuck's dressing room - where his family had a feast set up - and I got to meet some of them. They invited me to stay for a bite (I didn't) and I felt as though I was truly in the presence of greatness that evening. Beautiful people, beautiful music, beautiful city of Rochester. ❤
This is very pleasant and could go on for 60 minutes and it wouldn't be too long. I used to live in Rochester. I miss it. Gap Mangione once gave me permission to use one of his songs behind an animated commercial I did for Literacy Volunteers. I really appreciated it. These are wonderful people!
I went to RIT in the 1970s, at the "new campus" in Henrietta. Rochester was a truly incredible city for the arts at that time, it was so vibrant for a small city! We had the superb Eastman Theatre, the Eastman School of Music, the Rochester Philharmonic, our home grown musical heroes the Mangione Brothers, Don and Bat - and so many other local talents. We had America's top photographic arts community with Kodak, the RIT Photo College and Xerox providing the pulse, plus the George Eastman House, and Strasenburg Planetarium nearby. RIT, U. of R. and Nazareth College provided a high-powered intellectual environment that was second to none. Every weekend my friends and I would attend the RPO concerts and get student tickets for a couple of dollars! We'd invite our dates from outlying "girl's schools" like SUNY Geneseo and Brockport to our "big city" for a taste of some real culture! What a wonderful opportunity to hear a great orchestra! During the week, there was a student concert nearly every night at the Eastman, such as the school's jazz band, symphony, or classical instrument recitals. These were GOOD performances by America's most talented youth! I remember there was a jazz club on the top floor of one of the downtown high-rises, the name of the restaurant escapes me now. Top name acts like Maynard Ferguson would always come up after playing NYC, and I saw a lot of greats in that room. It wasn't until after I graduated and left Rochester that I realized my prior blessings. Living there exposed me to far more top quality music and art than I could ever imagine. You would have to live in a major eastern city to find a comparable environment. My 4 years in Rochester changed me immensely, and gave me a deep appreciation for things that I still cherish today. Sadly, I understand the city is no longer as magical as it was back then; it was most definitely a special time to be living there. I will always be grateful for having lived and studied in Rochester.
I grew up in Rochester in the 80s and loved reading about your memories. I agree with everything you said -- Rochester was a great city for classical, jazz, and pop/rock music. In the 80s, I saw Michael Brecker at Eastman and Wynton Marsalis in a small club downtown. Together with local heroes Chuck Mangione and Cabo Frio , it made a big impression on me as a young kid and made me a music lover for life. p.s. Were you thinking of the Changing Scene, the revolving restaurant at the top of the First Federal tower? Or maybe the restaurant at the top of Midtown Tower -- I forget its name?
Born and raised in Rochester, having heard so much beautiful music over 50 years, Chuck and 'families' being some of my favorites, I wonder what he thinks of present-day Rochester.....terrible city with it's violence... always such beautiful memories from times gone past. It's not what it used to be, at least for me anyway.
Remembering “Local Bands” back in the Sixties…. It usually went like this. A band would rather haphazardly & almost clumsily get on stage. Then pick up their instruments and fiddle around “adjusting things” for a minute. While talking between each other as if to agree on how exactly to proceed and assure each other that they were in tune and were “ready”. Not so with the Show Stoppers. The stage lights are low to off… the crowd milling about talking with friends (probably about the Band)… General bar chatter. Nobody being drawn to notice the stage. And then… as if from nowhere….KAPOW!!!!! Music & Lights! Loud and clear and done to perfection! Donnie - singing “1, 2, 3! ... 1, 2, 3! Oh, Uh, Alright… Got to know how to pony … … …!” Done to absolute perfection and continuing the entire set without a hic-up! Absolutely nothing short of amazing and pure entertainment.
My wife and I attended that great concert. While that song may seem a bit schmaltzy and a bit too long, I view it as a touching tribute to the hometown of 2 of our city's favorite musical sons...Chuck and Don. It was a nice moment and the audience loved it. Haven't heard it probably since 1984. Nice memory.
Grandissima composizione ! Grande Don Potter....... Chuck compositore sensibile insuperabile, meravigliosi tutti gli altri musicisti, anch'io ho inciso questo brano sebbene in tiratura limitata. Ciao a tutti dall' Italia
Charming and beautiful. So glad I found this a few days ago. I watch it once a day. I visited Rochester a few times this year and watched Gap Mangione with his New Blues Band and also the orchestra. Wonderful watching them play this piece too.
Thanks for posting; I have been looking for this for years! I was at this concert -- celebrating Rochester's sesquicentennial -- in 1984. IIRC, Mangione was originally supposed to play an outdoor concert in Manhattan Square Park, but it was rained out. He then played two shows later that summer at the Eastman Theater. I was at the matinee, and then I watched the broadcast of the evening show on WXXI-TV21. I was 13 years old -- truly a life-changing experience.
