Did you ever play in a jazz band during high school? Or become a "Stage Band Groupie"? Or even just use your chopsticks to rap out a jazzy drum riff or wish you could do with a trumpet what that guy you knew in Marching Band could?

Then you should have been at Whitaker Center on Tuesday, April 18, to enjoy Chuck Mangione.

Chuck Mangione is a modest performer. He doesn’t dance around stage. He doesn’t get into the glitz and glitter of the music industry. But in his performance at Whitaker Center, he proved he doesn’t have to. Chuck Mangione’s music still speaks for itself.

The evening opened with the nice rhythmic beat of "Land of Make Believe." A quarter way through the song, out walked the hatted flugal horn player. With a pleasant wave to the audience he joined in on the song. Following "Land of Make Believe" Mangione played a selection entitled "El Dubio," a real Latin-feeling song that was very well orchestrated. "El Dubio" can be found on his newest CD, The Feeling’s Back (1999).

Next, Mangione regaled the audience with a jazzed-up version of the ever-popular dramatic hymn, "Amazing Grace." After this song Mangione swung to the other extreme with a song called "Bounce along with Chuck." Here, he played "Follow the Leader" with the audience (he being the leader, of course) —proving that he has a sense of humor. The audience ate it up. This act was followed by Mangione and the band’s simply jamming exuberantly for a few minutes.

Mangione then played his Grammy-winning piece "Bellavia" which was named after his mother and means "beautiful way." The audience cheered when Mangione announced the next song, "Give It All You’ve Got," which was the theme of the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Prior to taking a fifteen-minute intermission, the band played the jazzy "Fun and Games." This would be the only vocal in the first half and featured Charles "Meatman" Meat.

Following the intermission, Mangione and band were back on stage with "Hide and Seek, Ready or not Here I Come" from Feels So Good and then the flowing "Bye Bye" from Children of Sanchez, followed by the rest of the songs on that CD, including a vocal and an instrumental version of the title song. Meatman provided the vocals. There were also peaceful saxophone, guitar, bass, and drum solos throughout the collection. People who may have played in jazz band during high school and college probably have run across Children of Sanchez at some point.

Mangione closed with the song that, as he put it, "put his two daughters through college," the title song from Feels So Good. Even those who did not know Chuck Mangione’s repertoire undoubtedly recognized this piece.

The encore was a song for Mangione’s godson, who has cerebral palsy, "Freddy’s Walking," and this presentation was as emotional as one would imagine.

There was tangible harmony among the band members, and the music was incredible. But it didn’t stop with the sound. Chuck Mangione’s interaction with the audience during the performance was a big part of the experience, as he is pleasant, sociable, and funny. Following the concert he signed autographs for many adoring fans of all ages.

So, The Feeling’s Back. We can tell, Chuck. And it is better than ever.