Gaspare "Gap" Mangione (born July 31, 1938[1]) is a jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader from Rochester, New York, United States.
Born and raised in Rochester, Mangione's younger brother is Grammy-winning flugelhornist Chuck Mangione. Members of a music-loving family, both Gap and Chuck took up instruments. In 1958, they started performing together as the Jazz Brothers, eventually recording three albums for Riverside Records.[2]
In 1968, Gap Mangione released his first solo album, Diana in the Autumn Wind, featuring drummer Steve Gadd and bassist Tony Levin in their first recordings, and new compositions and arrangements by Chuck Mangione [3] who conducted as well.
The 1970s brought more solo albums along with tours with his own group and many as featured pianist in his brother's orchestral performances.
In the 1980s, Mangione began to spend more time playing in and around Rochester and less time on the road. In 1990, he formed the Gap Mangione New Big Band, which remains the premier dance and concert big band in the Rochester area. The New Big Band has released four CDs since 1998. Many major rappers and producers, including Jaylib, Talib Kweli, Guerilla Black, Ghostface Killah, Slum Village, and People Under The Stairs have sampled Gap's Diana in the Autumn Wind for their recent works.
Today, Mangione continues to make regular appearances at Rochester locations, among them the Woodcliff Hotel and Spa (since May, 1987), Pier 45 at the Port and the Rochester International Jazz Festival, as well as private gigs; he can be found playing solo, with the 14-piece New Big Band, the "New Blues Band" (a quartet) or his sextet. He and Chuck continue to play together, mainly for appearances with symphony orchestras, or with Chuck as special guest with Gap's big band.
In 2004 he received the Artist of the Year Award from the Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester.[4]
Mangione lives in the Rochester suburb of Greece, New York with his wife, Janet; his children are Ardis Mangione-Lindley and Jason Mangione.[5]
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