Gap Mangione 'Diana In The Autumn Wind'

First ever vinyl reissue of Gap Mangione's Diana In The Autumn Wind, an exceedingly rare album, and a holy grail for sample spotters. It's been coveted by funk, soul, jazz and hip-hop collectors for decades, sampled by J Dilla/Madlib, A Tribe Called Quest, Large Professor, Ghostface Killah, Kendrick Lamar and Talib Kweli. But more than that, it's a stellar album in its own right. Recorded at the end of the 60s, Gap Mangione's trio session sits in that fertile zone where jazz musicians began absorbing funk, rock and studio orchestration without losing the improvisational spark at the music's core. The presence of a young Tony Levin on bass and Steve Gadd on drums gives the record remarkable rhythmic muscle, their playing snapping and breathing beneath Mangione's exuberant keyboard lines. 'Boy With Toys' bursts open with swaggering horns and nimble organ figures, the arrangement brimming with restless energy. The title track drifts into something more lyrical, flutes and electric piano weaving an intoxicating melodic haze. Later, 'Pond With Swans' sinks into dusky introspection, its sombre opening dissolving into a quietly majestic groove.