I've already lamented the fact that the only song off Mangione's Bellavia that's currently available in electronic form is the title cut. Today, I offer another piece of evidence to justify my lament.

Listen to the Wind has all the elements of a great piece of music, and I'll start with the metaphor of the title. It starts out with a lazy, worm afternoon breeze. It's almost melancholy. Makes you want to mosey on out into the back yard, mint julep in hand, to lay in the hammock and soak up a little sun.

But, there are storm clouds on the horizon. The wind picks up a bit, but dies back down for a few moments. The calm before the storm. And then the storm hits, full force, with a masterful marriage of jazz quartet and orchestral instrumentation; passages where strings assume the role of the sax section in a more traditional big band and others where the unique voices of French horns and other orchestral instruments are woven into a complex texture of rhythm and sound--colors that would rival the the best Persian carpets.

The rhythm section is as tight as it gets, and you'd be hard pressed to find a better example of a drummer's skill at driving the pace than this song. The solos are exquisite examples of the musicians craft, full of twists and turns and near call-and-response-like interactions between the soloists and the rest of the musicians. In Mangione's solo, one can detect hints of his apprenticeship with Dizzy Gillespie. Gerry Niewood's reed and woodwind work is among his best, and that's saying quite a bit for anyone familiar with the body of his work.

And, for my friend deadmandeadman, if the Marc Cohn catharsis I offered up in my recent comment is a bit too overwhelming, then listen to this song for a bit. I hope you find it as invigorating as I do.