The atmosphere at the Hollywood Bowl was nice and cosy. And so was the music. And so is this 2 cdset. I enjoy at least three times a week!
Gé Kooijman

Chuck Mangione has been a favorite of mine since high school. This CD brings back memories from the time when things were much less hectic... This is a perfect CD for many occasions, mostly anything to do with romance....

I first bought this on vinyl in 1979. It was magic then, and is still magic today. Back when I was 17, I was spending a summer in Tucson with my grandparents, and that's when I bought this LP. I played it over and over on their old cabinet-size stereo. Later, I would listen to it on my home stereo turned up to "11", and I was mezmerized by the lush strings and soaring horn section. Chuck's improvisations escaped my meager abilities on the trumpet in high-school, but I could hum them from memory all day long. The rest of the band is truly at the top of their game, as well. Grant Geissman's solo on "Chase The Clouds Away" is simply the best guitar solo of any genre in the history of music. Charles Meeks, James Bradley, Jr., and Chris Vadala give the performances of a lifetime. My favorite track is "I Get Crazy". It's short, but powerful. The layered ending comes to an abrupt, but spectacular end in a great sixteenth note run. There are no bad tracks or "skip-overs" here. "B'Bye" is a great expression of mourning and loss sandwiched between two movements of a towering "Children Of Sanchez". The album cover photos clearly show the sheet music to "Legend Of The One-Eyes Sailor" and I wish that this work had not ended up on the edit room floor. Maybe the powers-that-be will add the original set tunes back and release a full picture of this concert, warts and all (provided there are any warts, which I doubt). On the other hand, this was a 2 night event, so even with some editing, both shows could be brought together with all of the tunes included.

Over the years, I've probably listened to this album in some form or another probably 1000 or more times. It's the only recording I have on vinyl, cassette tape (remember those?) and CD. Now I play it over and over on my iPod, and on my computer thru iTunes. Funny how the tech has changed over the years, but you still keep coming back to the music that set your soul ablaze. Mick Guzauski, Jeff Tkazyik, and Chuck knew what they were doing when they sat down in the studio and mixed this album. The strings are rich and warm, the horn section is balanced and soaring, and the quartet sounds like they're in your room with you. If this didn't win the Grammy for sound editing, then I envy whatever recording did.

6 out of 5 stars.

All of the previous reviews will tell you that this is a great concert album. For me, this is one of those albums that fully blooms when listened to on good quality headphones - ones that completely shut out all outside noise and give high quality sound. When you experience this album in a pure environment, you literally feel as if you are in the middle of the stage on a cool summer evening in Los Angeles - true "surround sound". Having grown up there and attended many concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, I can say that this album evokes the experience like none other that I have heard. So put on your headphones, close your eyes, and enjoy the trip!

Recently, while looking here on amazon to see if Main Squeeze had yet been re-mastered and reissued, I encountered An Evening of Magic. I don't know why I did not already have this on vinyl. Perhaps I ignored it when it was released because I was justifiably leery of "live" recordings and then subsequently just forgot about it. Anyhow, when I saw that the entire Main Squeeze album was on this CD, I ordered it, Main Squeeze itself being unavailable at any reasonable price. And as it turns out, I was really missing out on some great music all these years.
An Evening of Magic features a live performance of Chuck Mangione with his quartet and the LA Philharmonic at the peak of his popularity. Mangione is absolutely on fire, its clear that he came to play. After one listen, all my reservations about how he would sound on a live album melted away. This is indeed Chuck Mangione at his finest.
Though the whole CD is excellent, I do have some favorite cuts. Highlights are a dreamy Chase the Clouds Away, the romantic Doin' Everything With You, the brassy Love The Feelin', the dramatic I Get Crazy, the mellow classic Land of Make Believe, the relaxing The Day After (Our First Night Together), and two movements of Mangione's rousing Children of Sanchez.
If you are as leery of "live" recordings as I usually am, you needn't be with this one. An Evening of Magic, Live at the Hollywood Bowl is one live recording that belongs in every jazz lover's collection.