Rick Braun Plays Chuck Mangione
Available on CD/Digital
Over three decades and 20+ #1 Billboard hits into a genre-defining career, Rick Braun pours his creative soul into his first-ever tribute album, Rick Braun Plays Chuck Mangione. Sparked by Mangione’s passing in July 2025, this project is deeply personal; Braun performs every track using the cherished Giardinelli mouthpiece gifted to him by the legend himself during a meeting at the 2007 Long Beach Jazz Festival. This beautiful sense of continuity is further enhanced by Braun’s use of the same Couesnon flugelhorn he played as a student at the Eastman School of Music and with the band Auracle. The collection offers a fresh, joyous revisit of iconic melodies, featuring an extraordinary roster of collaborators including original Mangione guitarist Grant Geissman, saxophonists Richard Elliot and Tom Scott, keyboardist Philippe Saisse, and flutist Steve Kujala. From the soaring orchestration of "Land of Make Believe" to an amped-up "Feels So Good," Braun balances technical mastery with reverence. Describing the album as a labor of love that truly "took him over," Braun captures the "overwhelming sense of happiness" that defined Mangione’s impact, marking an auspicious and emotional start to his fourth decade of recording.
Track List:
- Land Of Make Believe [04:57]
- Doin’ Everything With You [04:51]
- Feels So Good [06:57]
- Long Hair Soulful [04:22]
- Give it All You Got [04:08]
- Do I Dare To Fall In Love [05:46]
- Bellavia [05:28]
- Love Wears No Disguise [04:46]
- Children of Sanchez [07:15]
Credits:
Charles F Mangione (Composer)
Track 1: Rick Braun (Producer, Mixing Engineer, Trombone), Philippe Saisse (Producer, Keyboards), Tony Pulizzi (Guitar), Darryl Williams (Bass), Gorden Campbell (Drums), Lenny Castro (Percussion)
Track 2: Rick Braun (Producer, Mixing Engineer, Flugelhorn, Trombone, Keyboards), Grant Geissman (Guitar), Tiffany Johns (French Horn), Alex Bailey (Bass), Lenny Castro (Percussion), Gorden Campbell (Drums)
Track 3: Rick Braun (Producer, Mixing Engineer, Trombone, Keyboards), Richard Elliot (Tenor Saxophone), Tony Pulizzi (Guitar), Carnell Harrell (Keyboards), Nate Phillips (Bass), Alex Bailey (Drums), Lenny Castro (Percussion), Ron Reinhardt (Keyboards)
Track 4: Rick Braun (Producer, Mixing Engineer, Trombone, Flugelhorn), Steve Kujala (Flute), Carnell Harrell (Keyboards), Tony Pulizzi (Guitar), Nate Phillips (Bass), Gorden Campbell (Drums), Lenny Castro (Percussion), Roger Kay Karshner (Composer)
Track 5: Rick Braun (Producer, Mixing Engineer, Flugelhorn), Philippe Saisse (Producer, Synth Bass, Keyboards), Tom Scott (Tenor Saxophone), Tony Pulizzi (Guitar, Gorden Campbell (Drums), Lenny Castro (Percussion)
Track 6: Rick Braun (Producer, Mixing Engineer, Flugelhorn), Richard Elliot (Tenor Saxophone), Tony Pulizzi (Guitar), Carnell Harrell (Keyboards), Nate Phillips (Bass), Alex Bailey (Drums), Lenny Castro (Percussion)
Track 7: Rick Braun (Producer, Mixing Engineer, Flugelhorn, Trombone, Keyboards), Steve Kujala (Flute), Grant Geissman (Guitar), Nate Phillips (Bass), Tiffany Johns (French Horn, Bass Trombone), Nick Lane (Horn Arranger, Trombone), Alex Bailey (Drums), Bud Harner (Cymbals), Lenny Castro (Percussion)
Track 8: Rick Braun (Producer, Mixing Engineer, Flugelhorn), Steve Kujala (Flute), Carnell Harrell (Keyboards), Tony Pulizzi (Guitar), Darryl Williams (Bass), Gorden Campbell (Drums), Lenny Castro (Percussion)
Track 9: Rick Braun (Producer, Mixing Engineer, Flugelhorn, Trombone, Keyboards), Grant Geissman (Guitar), Nick Lane (Horn Arranger, Trombone), Tiffany Johns (French Horn, Bass Trombone), Alex Bailey (Bass), Gorden Campbell (Drums), Lenny Castro (Percussion)