Every now and then during the recording sessions and concerts, we had a camera team with us for a documentary about the making of this record
to give you an intimate insight of our work. Here is what we had to say during filming, mingled with some of the statements given by the players for the liner-notes.
mystical musical influences together. The performance is what Leslie is looking for I guess.
He is the mastermind and we just turn up for work. And it was good doing it. It was nice - being with those other guys.“
...and that really helps. Every time we get together it's something new, something original, something very warm and something that we enjoy very much.“
...We had so many mutual connections already. The Breckers, Mike Stern and many of the "New York" guys had played in Blood Sweat & Tears. I met Ian
Anderson at The Fillmore East in 1969 and I used to know Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton before they played in the Greenwich Village and so on.... We all know each other very well, we go
back for years, and the only time we get together anymore is, when Leslie calls us, because we are doing different things. From the first album it was apparent that these guys are
operating on a very high level... production... musicianship... compositions... all world class!“
...has been a remarkable story! This story carries itself into the heart of their musical vision! A musical universe that embodies a cross section of pop and jazz
icons. The rare assemblage of fine musicians has been extraordinary on their projects throughout the years and more important is the extreme warmth of mutual admiration and friendship
that prevails! Thanks for letting me in and adding to the continued creative process that I have wholeheartedly enjoyed!“
this is what the English call 'muso' producer - someone coming from a playing background..., he appreciates players.“
in Room No. 2 at Abbey Road Studios, however! There, in the place where in the golden days I had the privilege to work with musicians like Graham Bond,
George Martin, Burt Bacharach and even the late, great Peter Sellers, I heard glorious, inspiring sounds from some of my favourite singers and players. And I was allowed to
add my voice to this! The work we did together those two days, Leslie and Laszlo and me, turned out to be some of my favourite vocal performances of recent times. And the
fun we all had afterwards at the Japanese restaurant with Margrit, little Corin (and not forgetting our biggest fan, Uncle Tufty) will stay with me forever. Come on guys -
do us a favour - don't leave it so long till the next time...“
I am invited and I love to participate. But the creators are others, Leslie and Laszlo. But there is also a lot of respect for one another, may it be Ian
Anderson or Bobby Kimball of Toto... And I feel honoured to be on an album with all these people.“
I mean, as far as they are pop songs, but then there is the jazz-sensibility and improvisational sensibility that I've never heard before.
He's become a very close friend of mine and I want to work with him - anytime he wants me to play, I'm there!“
It's hard to separate him or any of these guys from the project. They're so warm and they're so in love with music and life, it's just kind of one thing
you can't really separate the project, from the inventors of the project.“
To keep the balance was really Leslie's job. You know, I hardly work with anybody else. It's his concept, and I'm landing with what I do in the ground
of what he's doing. So, a lot has to be said about Leslie's personality, and how he can bring everybody together; that's a great testament to his ability to produce. Great
producers pull people together, and he has done that.“
with musicians who take it to the highest level. I have known these guys for years and it has always been a pleasure. I think, it's based on friends and
people knowing each other and all enjoying music and the same ideas about what we like to do. I enjoy playing with them.“
and I really enjoyed every minute of it. It's a great feeling to come together with all the other guys on these recordings... like with David Clayton-Thomas
who was one of my major influences when I was starting out as a singer, or the Breckers who I have admired for many years. It is a great pleasure for me to now be singing together
with David, something I never would have dreamed possible when I first heard Blood Sweat and Tears.“
in the sweeping projects of Leslie & Laszlo. Their productions call upon talents of mine that I sadly seldom use these days. That, in and of itself, is a great reward.“
They use great musicians, and so when they ask you to play on the album, it's a compliment, obviously.“
of a large group of musicians; it's like a family, where good music is what's important, and it's good music here. It is also very rare that I can work with a
producer who really pushes it to the limit, wanting to create exceptionally good music.“
it was such a great record, and of course when they called me to do this, I was more than happy to do it.“
and try to bring in our own musical sensibilities too. I think he writes with us in mind as well.“
They obviously have a lot of will to do this and are putting a lot of effort in this and it comes out great.“
and it always fits perfectly. I think that this particular album is the best thing that the guys have come up with.“
elegant, and memorable... just a joy to sing. Now we're into our new "Mandoki" project and it's just getting better... I think they
are writing more specifically for the artists involved in the albums... they know all of us so much better now, and the writing works to the strengths of each
singer... These are really gifted guys... and the finest musicians on the planet perform with them. It's really an honour to record in such fine company.“
It's good musicianship here.“ „...and Park Studios, it's way different from everything I have been in - a kind of state of the art studio; they are always
upgrading everything, everyday and it's in such a beautiful area...“
I sing my own stuff, but on this record Leslie said: - 'Come on, come on, sing...' - and I enjoyed the stuff, it was really adventurous,
and some of the tracks have much longer pieces of music, leaving a lot of room for the musician to improvise.“
We played their arrangements, which were very difficult, but very well written. We gave some input - told them what we thought about the
arrangements but basically, everything was written, and expertly written by the Mandoki group. Also the other people were very well conceived - all very well
thought out by Leslie himself, which is a very big compliment, I think. He is a very excellent musician.“
he has stretched the limits of pop-music by adding means that don't have so much association to this kind of music, to give it an artistic boost.
You know it's admirable. Leslie has an unique talent in assembling a lot of important people together, it takes a talent to do that, it's a real producer's thing and he's real good at that.“
I especially like the sophisticated harmony structure and also his highly intellectual, poetical lyrics. This music really comes
alive as a result of Leslie and Laszlo composing and arranging with specific musicians in mind - a task made all the more difficult given the large
cast of amazing musicians.“
...He pushes the boundaries of pop a little bit you know. I mean, he has - it seems to me - very pop based songs and he gets myself and people
like Al Di Meola and Anthony Jackson and people that can sort of push the boundaries of pop music, if he wants us to. His music is a combination of vocal pop mixed
in with jazz, mixed in with other kinds of music - different influences and it creates interesting music that I don't think has any category sometimes, you know, which is fun.“
The fact, that this diversity has been achieved with extraordinary characters, has been the reason for me to participate and this is an album to enjoy as well as it transcends joy and is a joy to be part of.“
„This project is very well coached, which is due to Leslie's outstanding trait of bringing many people together, binding them in a project to create something very beautiful...“
and so I enjoy it very much. It's an honour to be involved in this project. You know the way the album is done... It's all about the music.“
Leslie and Laszlo come up with great material, there are great songs. It's a lot more fun and a lot easier to come up with good ideas, when you have a good foundation to work with.“
there is always some really good music. In this particular time, it's rare to get actually real musicians together and really play, it's not all machines, programs.“
on this market, in the music business. I admire his flexibility and his creativity, making contacts, bringing people together, as I said, people of very different kinds of music,
and melting them together, so what comes out is a very homogeneous project.“
which means... also it's very opinionated people, very strong opinions. It takes a real diplomat, like Leslie to de-balance-everybody -
you know - to prevent everybody from one person from overrunning the next person - you know - because we are all bandleaders... In my band, what I say that goes.
This is the law. And the same with Jack, and the same with Ian, and you know we are very, very strong opinionated, very strong characters, but Leslie is so good
in balancing everybody, he makes everybody feel very much at home.“
It's a good balance. I think it probably would be true to say, we all kind of feel that having done this a couple times now, I guess we
feel like we are friends. But to begin with, you know, we were strangers...“
We are just like a band and that's the nice thing. When we get together we'll become a band. We just fulfil our functions and we are a band.“
everyone is a bandleader and has their own vision of music so to speak and gets together under... Leslie Mandoki and we're all kind of come together, had a conversation... it's a very interesting process and we - you know - follow Leslie's lead. He knows what he wants to hear and we all kind of work around what he says and it's very interesting to see how all these great musicians bend together and play together...“
is the vision that he has when he's writing the songs, coming up with ideas. He actually can hear who's going to be doing what, how it's gonna be realised.
That's a great talent to have. The one who comes to my mind, the greatest person who had that kind of talent was Duke Ellington that I can think of.“
or small obstacles, which in many cases are normally found in our business, do not seem to exist here. There is a homogeneous mindset among the musicians,
which is human and also springs from our common craft.“
I know it's gonna be a big event, because all of them are absolutely top of their game... and I know that a little piece of my heart will be there forever.
We are melting together as a group now; and each one of them feels a little more like: „let's get the band together and play a concert.“
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| Klenzestraße 1a | 82327 Tutzing | T +49 8158 9955 – 0 | F +49 8158 9955 – 99 | @ mandoki.soulmates@redrock.de