MANDOKISOULMATESWINGS OF FREEDOM

BEACON THEATRE Jan 29 2018NEW YO

RK

CITY

LESLIE MANDOKI | NICK VAN EEDE CUTTING CREW | BOBBY KIMBALL TOTO CHRIS THOMPSON MANFRED MANN‘S EARTH BAND | CORY HENRY KLAUS DOLDINGER DOLDINGER’S PASSPORT | BILL EVANS | RANDY BRECKER JULIA MANDOKI | JOHN HELLIWELL | MARK HART | TILL BRÖNNER

Tickets may be purchased at , www.ticketmaster.com at 866-858-0008 or by visiting the Beacon Theatre Box Office. Ticket master orders are subject to service charges. Tickets for people with disabilities may be purchased through Ticketmaster. All rights reserved.

www.mandoki-soulmates.com | www.facebook.com/mandoki.soulmates | www.msg.com | www.redrock.de

In Celebration of the 2018 GRAMMY Week to benefit MusiCares

thermore, the “Wings of Freedom” concert series can be experienced on a concert film as well as a book and Arthaus-documentary called “Longing for Freedom.”

With his Soulmates Leslie Mandoki raises Jazz-Rock back to socio-political relevance, to quote him in his own words “Especially in times of echo chambers, filter bubbles and alternative facts, us non-compliant mu-sical rebels and idealistic freethinkers cannot help but feel directly involved. We do not claim the one objec-tive truth for ourselves, we just try to be authentic and honest, and support common global values for free people in a free, colorful and tolerant world. We want to build bridges and write songs, that unite us rather than divide us. Our music is not a short message, it is a handwritten love letter to our audience.”

ABOUT THE MANDOKI SOULMATESLeslie Mandoki founded the concept group ManDoki Soulmates in 1992 with such acclaimed musi-cians as Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), Bobby Kimball (Toto), Jack Bruce (Cream) and jazz-rock star Al DiMeola. In addition to these luminaries, for more than two decades the ManDoki Soulmates band has united legendary icons of Anglo-American rock and jazz-rock in a remarkable lineup including DavidClayton-Thomas, Chaka Khan, Chris Thompson, Steve Lukather, Nick van Eede, Eric Burdon, Nik Kershaw, Greg Lake, Randy and Michael Brecker, Bill Evans, John Helliwell, Mark Hart, Tony Carey, Mike Stern, Midge Ure, Anthony Jackson, Victor Bailey, Pino Palladino, Paul Carrack, Cory Henry, Peter Frampton, and Jon Lord. Over the last 25 years ManDoki Soulmates has released 10 albums of new recorded music in Europe and played scores of concerts.

MANDOKI SOULMATES “WINGS OF FREEDOM” CONCERT IN NEW YORK CITY AT THE BEACON THEATRE ON JAN. 29 IN CELEBRATION OF

THE 2018 GRAMMY® WEEK TO BENEFIT THE MUSICARES FOUNDATION

ALL-STAR LINE-UP OF ROCK AND JAZZ MUSIC LEGENDS TO INCLUDELESLIE MANDOKI, BOBBY KIMBALL (TOTO), JOHN HELLIWELL, CORY HENRY,

CHRIS THOMPSON (MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND), NICK VAN EEDE (CUTTING CREW), RANDY BECKER, BILL EVANS, TILL BRÖNNER

A dreamer in New York! Standing ovations for ManDoki Soulmates at Beacon Theatre in New York!

New York City. What a sensational music experience! Following the invitation of the Grammy organizers, Leslie Mandoki and his Soulmates played a fantastic U.S.-debut concert at iconic Madison Square Garden’s Beacon Theatre in New York City. The show took place one day after the 60th Grammy-Awards celebration.

This concert was highly anticipated by the American press and media praising the ManDoki Soulmates as “musical rebels” and a supergroup of countless Grammy award winning legends.

After the award-winning successes of the “Wings of Freedom” concerts in Europe, the ManDoki Soulmates played their first concert in the US in the Beacon Theatre.

The Soulmates concerts are marked by the musical synergy of all these legendary musical icons united in one world-star band, where everyone’s egos come second. Original Soulmates compositions and collective improvisation skills on the highest levels are just as much part of the concerts as the mega-hits of the indi-vidual Soulmates members. “One stage – one band!”

Every music lover’s heart warms to moments like these: German star-trumpeter Till Brönner dueling with his personal musical idol and world´s finest Jazz-trumpet legend Randy Brecker, or improvisation genius Bill Evans and John Helliwell from Supertramp painting musical pictures on saxophone and clarinet, or Soulmates-youngster and Hammond virtuoso Cory Henry on his breathtaking keys-flight exploring musical freedom at the top-level of creative virtuosity.

Leslie Mandoki and his band members Nick van Eede (Cutting Crew), Chris Thompson (Manfred Mann’s Earth Band) and Bobby Kimball (Toto), exceeded the expectations with a spectacular 3 hour set at the high-est musical level. The audience, many opinion leaders and decision makers of the entertainment industry among the guests, celebrated the band with standing ovations.

This official Grammy salute concert in New York, to benefit the Grammy´s MusiCares, was the first U. S. ManDoki Soulmates concert of the nationally and internationally awarded “Wings of Freedom” concert series playing legendary European concert halls and venues like l’Olympia in Paris, Hammersmith Apollo in London, Konzerthaus in Berlin, Palais des Festivals in Cannes and the Sziget Festival in Budapest. Fur-

Wings Of Freedom Concert Tour - Paris, London, Berlin, Budapest, Cannes, New York

Six concerts played to packed houses at the iconic venues of L‘Olympia in Paris, the Hammersmith Apollo in London, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, at the Budapest Park, where the ManDoki Soulmats returned for the 25th anniversary of the Sziget Festival and at the Beacon Theatre in New York City.

Many Soulmates came together to spread the message of “Wings for Freedom” and the audience witnessed musical synergy at its best with Chris Thompson (Manfred Mann‘s Earth Band), Nick van Eede (Cutting Crew), Tony Car-ey (Rainbow), Randy Brecker, Bill Evans (Miles Davis Band), John Helliwell, Bobby Kimball (Toto), Cory Henry (The Funk Apostels), Klaus Doldinger (Doldinger`s Passport), Till Brönner and David Clayton Thomas (Blood Sweat & Tears), Mike Stern, Midge Ure (Ultravox), Mark Hart (Crowded House), Melanie C. (ex. Spice Girls). In addition, Al Di Meola joined the stage for the concert in Berlin, and it was a great honor that Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull played in London.

The “Wings of Freedom” concert tour received awards for this concept-concert series from the Prime Minister of Bavaria, and by Paul Silk, president of MIDEM, the leading international music market. The award was given to Leslie Mandoki and his Soulmates for drawing attention to the values of a free and tolerant Europe with their mu-sic, and for building bridges between different cultures as the core concept of the tour.

L‘Olympia, Paris

Hammersmith, London

Konzerthaus, Berlin

Budapest Park, Budapest

Beacon Theatre, New York City

Budapest, 31. Januar 2018BUDAPESTER ZEITUNG

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PANORAMA

The Mandoki Soulmates vor dem Beacon Theatre: Randy Brecker, Bill Evans, Cory Henry, Till Brönner, Julia Mandoki, Leslie Mandoki, Bobby Kimball (TOTO), Chris Thompson (Mannfred Manns Earth Band), Nick van Eede (Cutting Crew) und John Helliwell (Supertramp).

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“A High-flying band who bring a plethora of complex musical sounds and arrangements to the table. ”

“Picture a typical 17-year-old with dreams of pursuing a music career and changing the world. But to actually do it? Not so typical.”

“Jaw dropping show...; Man-doki, who escaped Communist Hungary as a youth in the 60s, decided to follow his father’s dying words, to “live your dreams, not dream your life.” Having dreams of performing with legendary artists from the US, including members of Cream, Toto, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and Blood Sweat and Tears, Mandoki has achieved all that he dreamed and more!”

“An inspirational star-studdedperformance!”

“Song after song, hit after hit, highlighted the musical dex-terity and expertise of those assembled on stage–whether it was Randy Brecker’s Dizzy Gillespie-esque solos, Cory Henry’s deft command of the Hammond, Bobby Kimball’s effortless vocal range on “Rosanna,” or Nick Van Eede’s acoustic open to his 80’s hit “I Just Died In Your Arms To-night...On this night, these cit-izens of the world called the Beacon their home.”

For those assembled it was clear that home is not only where the heart is, but where the hits play and never sound better. ”

The ManDoki Soulmates - A unique experience.

In 1992, Ian Anderson, Jack Bruce, and Al Di Meola became founding members ofLeslie Mandoki’s band project ManDoki Soulmates, and for over 25 years since, Leslie Mandoki has continued to unite a who’s who of the icons of Anglo-American and European rock and jazz- rock in the ManDoki Soulmates band.

The remarkable lineups in the band’s recordings and performances over the years has included singers and players including Ian Anderson, Jack Bruce, David Clayton-Thomas, Chaka Khan, Chris Thompson, Bobby Kimball and Steve Lukather, Nick van Eede, Eric Burdon, Nik Ker-shaw, Greg Lake, Al di Meola, Randy and Michael Brecker, Bill Evans, John Helliwell, Mike Stern, Anthony Jackson, Victor Bailey, Pino Palladino, Paul Carrack, Peter Frampton, and Jon Lord.

The Soulmates have recorded five studio albums with original music in English, working in Les-lie Mandoki’s studios at Lake Starnberg, Bavaria, neighboring Munich. Most songs are written by Mandoki, with additional material from other members such as Nik Kershaw or Ian Anderson, and published by Mandoki’s Red-Rock Music. These albums all broke into the Top 40 of the European album charts, with the latest release reaching into the Top 10. Additionally, Mandoki and some of

the Soulmates recorded fresh arrangements of some of their well-known hits for the “Legends of Rock” and live albums.

Currently Mandoki and his Soulmates are writing new songs and preparing their next studio pro-duction. It is a very special time, with all the band members coming together at Mankoki’s lakeside residential studio complex in Bavaria, breaking bread and reflecting on the world, staying true to the band’s idealistic and visionary musical and social principles, which continue to provide the cre-ative impetus for new work even after many years of collaboration. “As sentimental as it may sound, we’re not kidding about being soulmates,” says Mandoki. “It is really the way that, over the years, we have come to be a real band, and generate new and continually relevant music, both recordings and in concert experiences.”

Along with their studio albums, the Soulmates have played scores of concerts with stellar lineups the world over, many with historic significance. Their first big gig was in front of 40,000 people at the inauguration of Budapest’s Sziget festival, which today is one of Europe’s biggest music festivals. More recently, their legendary Friendship Concert celebrating the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification played to over 35,000 in Budapest.

This band is pure sophisticated JazzRock.

OUR CATALOGUE.

“MUSIC FOR US

IS STILL A LETTER OF LOVE, HANDWRITTEN WITH INK ON PAPER” – LESLIE MANDOKI

Leslie Mandoki – the artist speaks.

In 1975, together with my Hungarian friends Laszlo Bencker and Gabor Csupo, I escaped through an active rail-road tunnel from dictatorship and censorship into the freedom of the West. Laszlo was a friend from my conserva-tory days in Budapest; Gabor, a young animator, ultimately went to Hollywood and established Klasky/Csupo, with global success stories such as The Simpsons, Rugrats, Duckman, and Real Monsters.

In our hearts, we took with us the idealism of our teenage years, the dreams and visions, the music and the art, and still today we remain committed to living these dreams.

More than ever before, I feel such a deep gratitude for the chance I got as a refugee to find a new home in Ger- many, and for the luck—and freedom—to pursue my youthful aspirations, and indeed to make some of them real. All these dreams came true through music.

Of course, I haven’t played only the songs that my artist’s heart was striving for. But being a “pop star” with several number one records, or being a studio musician at hot sessions had their positive aspects. They brought informative encounters, opened great doors, and established lifelong friendships.

As a songwriter and producer I had the immense privilege to enjoy so much confidence and trust from many excel-lent artists. At the beginning of this phase of my career, I wrote songs for Amii Stewart and Jennifer Rush, serving as producer for Jennifer as well. Joshua Kadison and I created the wonderful “Americana” album, and I had the honor of composing and producing hand-in-hand with Lionel Ritchie. Working with Chaka Khan and the Temptations took me into the Motown world, and Toto’s musicians took me to the west coast rock scene and sound. With the masterminds of Jethro Tull, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Cream, and Supertramp, I was immersed into the world of British rock; The Brecker Brothers, Mike Stern, Bill Evans, Steve Kahn, Anthony Jackson, Victor Bailey, and Al Di Meola opened the New York jazz scene to me. With Nik Kersehaw, Howard Jones, Midge Ure (Ultravox), and Nick van Eede (Cutting Crew), I had the good fortune to walk in the world of sophisticated pop.

As satisfying as it is to work with successful artists, the process of creating debut albums and new musical encounters is still the aspect of this business that excites me most, and I am most gratified to have had a hand in developing platinum debut albums for several young artists.

Our studios outside Munich are a dream for any musician. Here we can realize our visions without limits—tech-nically or acoustically. We’re able to support all levels of artistic creativity, in music production or film and TV soundtracks, from Bavaria to Hollywood. I’m particularly proud of the title song of the most successful No.1 Ger-man TV export, and as well for acting as a musical director for exciting and ambitious theatrical productions for Disney – from “Mulan” via “Atlantis,” to working with Phil Collins in “Tarzan” and “Brother Bear”(both Oscar- and Grammy-winning), and also Elton John’s “Road to El Dorado” for Dreamworks.

It was an honor to play and produce music for Dr. Angela Merkel’s election campaigns. I also had the great privilege to be the musical mastermind behind the Champions League final at Wembley stadium in London. A few years ago, we had a great project to dramatize the Bible musically on 24 CDs with a top end cast. For many years now, I have been the Musical Director for the Volkswagen Group, including VW, Audi, Porsche, Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini. With this sponsorship, the Soulmates played non-ticketed concerts in the US—in De-troit for the opening of the famous Detroit Motor Show, and in Miami Beach for the opening of Art Basel.

A very special form of fulfillment for me is bridging the gap between music and other areas of our society, as here we may emotionally express our actions through our music. Today, I experience valuable and intense encounters with opinion leaders and decision-makers—leading personalities from politics, economics, media and art within our musical surroundings. In my own personal background, my many intensive personal encounters with Mikhail S. Gorbachov were most formative. It is humbling that he referred to me as an “old friend” in a recent TV interview.

After I escaped to the West in 1975, at the intake center for asylum seekers I was asked as a refugee what I would like to do for work after our adventurous escape. And I just answered that I had come to the West to play music together with my idols and musical heroes including Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson, Cream’s Jack Bruce, and Al Di Meola. At the time, people just gave me an odd smile. Less than 20 years later, those three became the founding members of my “new” band-project: the ManDoki Soulmates. In 1994 on my return to Budapest, our band, featuring Ian Anderson, performed at the Sziget festival, Europe’s largest rock festival, in front of an audience of 40,000.

With the “ManDoki Soulmates” project, I was able to make my dream come true. In February 2013, we cel- ebrated our 20th anniversary with a great concert in the Palace of Arts in my birthplace, Budapest. Now, after making music together on more than 10 albums, deep and meaningful friendships have developed among the many legendary icons of jazz and rock in the band. From time to time, we meet at my home and studio complex at Lake Starnberg, in the countryside near Munich, where we live together, share meals, and create new music.

Over our innumerable concerts, many stars have joined us: Robin Gibb (Bee Gees), Roger Hodgson (Supertramp), Jon Lord (Deep Purple), Chris de Burgh, Peter Frampton, and, on occasion, Chaka Kahn. Hence, I was able to form “supergroups” for the “50 Years of Rock” TV shows, which were the most successful prime-time shows on German television up to that time.

Another landmark concert for the ManDoki Soulmates in my hometown of Budapest took place in August 2015 in front of more than 35,000 spectators. As a concert dedicated to friendship and tolerance, it was an honor that so many artists from America, Great Britain and Germany accepted my invitation. With the motto “legendary friend-ship,” the goal was to turn the stage into a melting pot of cultures, and we had the pleasure of playing with my Soulmates from the USA and Great Britain, including Chris Thompson (Manfred Mann‘s Earth Band), Nick van Eede (Cutting Crew), Nik Kershaw, Midge Ure (Ultravox), Tony Carey (Rainbow), as well as with the fantastic jazz virtuosi Randy Brecker, Mike Stern, and Tony Lakatos, along with Supertramp’s legendary John Helliwell.

It was very important to us to send a signal from the stage to show how we can build bridges and overcome bound-aries through music, and foster the values that make up our tolerant society. In talking about this landmark perfor-mance in advance of the show, my theme was “No tolerance for intolerance” in our societies’ futures.

The creative spirit of the 1970s, when artists where striving not only for individual virtuosity in musical expression but also for unlimited and unrestricted individuality and freedom, has sparked a lifelong passion in me for social-ly and politically relevant music with high artistic standards. I was just 16 years old when my father lost his fight against cancer. I promised him that his grandchildren, whom he would never be able to meet, would never have to read censored newspapers. 60 years ago, back in 1967, TIME magazine named the Hungarian Freedom Fighters its “Man Of The Year.” The story of these freedom fighters, their struggle, and their longing for freedom in 1956, combined with my dedication

to the grandfathers of my children, has inspired me to spread the message of freedom to others with the power of music. This spirit gave us the title for our concerts, for as we all know, dreams can only fly on the wings of freedom.

In 2015 I explored a new creative dimension with a book and film called Wings of Freedom. Central to these pieces are the themes of longing for liberty and the freedom from censorship in the historical context of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, and Hungary’s role in the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989. It was an honor for me that many opinion leaders, historical personalities, politicians, artists, and close friends lent their voices to this project, people including Mikhail S. Gorbachev, Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), John Helliwell and Joel Katz, prominent American entertainment and media lawyer.

The story was also delivered with the help of my Soulmates, a bevy of extraordinary talents, especially on our“Wings of Freedom” concert tour in 2017. After we played to packed houses at the iconic venues of L‘Olympia inParis, the Hammersmith Apollo in London, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, we re-turned to the Sziget Festival for its 25th anniversary with a big open-air concert in Budapest. It was extremely gratifying to receive awards for this concept-concert series from the Prime Minister of Bavaria, and by Paul Zilk, president of MIDEM, the leading international music market.

The circle of freedom, so to speak, was completed with our great US debut concert at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, January 2018. I must say to all my Soulmates – in, behind and in front of our stage – thank you for shar-ing our vision, for being in my life, and for allowing me into yours. Your love of music and your longing for freedom propels our performances.

Mental laziness blocks the perception. Especially in times of echo chambers, filter bubbles, and alternative facts, we non-compliant musical rebels and idealistic freethinkers cannot help but to feel directly involved.

We do not claim the only objective truth for ourselves, we simply try to be authentic and honest, and support common global values for free people in a free world. All day long we hear about the things that divide us; however, we must focus on what unites us. That is what “Wings of Freedom” and ManDoki Soulmates stand for.

Music sent me off in search of my dreams – and I proudly wear the label of a dreamer. Music has taught me to follow my dreams. And these dreams can only fly on the wings of freedom.

Like my father said to me just before he died: “Live your dreams and do not dream your life.”

Artists.

Nick Van Eede

The Brit Nicholas “Nick” van Eede is the founder, heart, and soul of the British cult band Cutting Crew. As a composer and singer, he has had global hits such as “(I Just) Died In Your Arms” and “I’ve Been In Love Before.”

For more than ten years, Nick van Eede has been one of the principal singers in the Soulmates. His charismatic and powerful voice has graced many Mandoki songs on the Soulmates albums. During numerous ManDoki concerts around the world, Nick van Eede has been an essential feature.

Chris Thompson

Ian Anderson once said during a session at Mandoki’s studio that Chris Thompson is the “Pavarotti of Rock Music.” This exceptional singer, born in Britain and raised in New Zealand, joined Manfred Mann’s Earth Band in 1973. It’s Chris’s voice on many of the international hits of the band such as “Blinded By The Light” and “Davy’s On The Road Again.” Not only a stellar vocalist, Chris wrote “You’re The Voice,” with which John Farnham had a No. 1 world hit.For almost 20 years, Chris Thompson has been a permanent member of the ManDoki Soulmates and has left his mark on many of Leslie Mandoki’s songs with his unique voice.

Bobby Kimball

Bobby Kimball became world famous as a singer and founding member of TOTO, with his distinc-tive vocals on many of their mega-hits, including “Africa,” “Rosanna” and “Hold the Line,” With a total of six Grammys, he is one of the most successful and well known singers of our time.

As a founding member of the Soulmates, Bobby Kimball has contributed since the early 1990s to every Soulmates album and has been an ever-present fixture at live shows of the ManDoki Soulmates during all these years.

Mark Hart

As a member of respected rock bands like Crowded House and Supertramp, Mark Hart has established himself as a gifted and compelling musician. For more than two decades he has contributed his talents to critically acclaimed albums such as Crowded House’s “Woodface,” and “Together Alone,” as wellas Supertramp’s “Free as a Bird,” and ‘97 platinum “Some Things Never Change.” He has played and recorded with such artists as Ringo Starr, Chrissie Hynde, Peter Case and Sam Phillips.

Cory Henry

With 30 years and two Grammy Awards, Cory Henry is an absolutely exceptional jazz artist on the Hammond B3 and piano. His two studio albums were on the American Billboard charts despite their experimental jazz gospel sound. In addition to the band “Snarky Puppy,” which enjoys a high reputa-tion in the worldwide jazz scene, he tours with his band “Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles” through America and Europe.

Bill Evans

Bill Evans is one of the greatest jazz and fusion saxophonists in the world. He began his career in the 1980s on six joint studio albums with Miles Davis, and then with John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra. His outstanding skills and expansive musical range were demonstrated by Evans in the appearances with jazz legends such as Randy Brecker, John Scofield, Lee Ritenour or Herbie Hancock, and also in crossover projects with Mick Jagger, the Allman Brothers, and Willie Nelson.24 solo albums and several Grammy nominations have singled out Bill Evans one of the most success-ful jazz saxophonists of our time. Bill has been a permanent member of Leslie Mandoki’s Soulmates since their first album in the early 90s; since then he has performed on all Soulmates albums and at dozens live concerts.

Randy Brecker

Randy Brecker is considered to be the world’s premier jazz fusion trumpet player. Musically rooted in jazz, he crosses every border to rock effortlessly. Randy Brecker has played with the great jazz virtuosos of our time, as well as with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, and Frank Zappa. He is an original member of such landmark jazz rock bands as Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Larry Coryell’s The Eleventh House. In 1975, together with his brother Michael, he founded the “Brecker Brothers” and immediately won two Grammy Awards.In Leslie Mandoki’s Soulmates project, Randy Brecker has been a member from the get-go in 1991 to- gether with his brother who died in 2007. Since then Randy has not only played on all the ManDoki albums, but is also an on-stage perennial with Leslie Mandoki and the Soulmates.

Klaus Doldinger

Klaus Doldinger is the most prominent and successful jazz musician in Germany. Since the 1960s he has performed around the world with the jazz virtuosos of his time. With his bands Motherhood and Passport, he found his way to Jazz-Rock and Fusion. Passport, with Udo Lindenberg on drums, expe-rienced huge success in the US and was considered the German Weather Report. Klaus Doldinger is also known as a composer of film music, with notable successes with the title songs for “Das Boot” and “Tatort.” In 1975 Klaus Doldinger introduced Leslie Mandoki to the Munich jazz and studio scene, and has ever since shown him the way to musical self-realization.

John Helliwell

John Helliwell became known as saxophonist of Supertramp, which has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide. The sound aesthetics of Supertramp were marked by the unique saxophone sound of the exceptional musician Helliwell, who has also used the clarinet for a distinctive sound in rock music. His melodious musicality has added that special something to the many Supertramp pieces that became world hits. His credits also include Pink Floyd, The Who, The Doors, and Jimi Hendrix. For more than ten years John Helliwell has been a permanent fixture in the ManDoki Soulmates, both during the album productions and live concerts.

Till Brönner

The trumpet player Till Brönner is, along with Klaus Doldinger, one of the most important “jazz am-bassadors” of Germany throughout the world. The multiple Echo award winner was nominated for the Grammy Best instrumental Jazz solo in 2009. He has been a close musical friend of Leslie Mandoki for years, and they have performed at many joint concerts.During his first recording for the Mandoki Soulmates he played a solo with one of his heroes, the multiple Grammy award winner Randy Brecker on the album “Aquarelle”.

Artist Statements.

John Helliwell

“Leslie is also the captain of the ship, the ship of the Soulmates that plows its way across humanity, and Leslie knows where to steer. The Soulmates are people with heart, and it comes over. Real people playing real music. That´s what I like to do. It´s nice to relax under the umbrella of Leslie. He´s like a big umbrella getting everyone inside. I quite like that.”

Al Di Meola

“A lot has to be said for Leslie Mandoki’s personality and how he can bring everybody together, and that’s a great testament to his ability to produce, you know. Great producers pull people together and have a very good way about them.

“It takes his persistence as a producer, because he’s kind of like a Hungarian Quincy Jones, where he puts us. He consistently makes it happen. And that’s a special talent that he possesses.”

Ian Anderson

“Leslie is the master chef in the kitchen, mixing all these exotic spic-es and mystical musical influences together. He is a great musician, and it´s very rare that you get good musicians and good record pro-ducers in the same person. The performance is what Leslie is looking for. He is the mastermind – we just turn up for work. It is essentially a pop structure with a lot of detail and adventurous musicality. Leslie has brought these elements together.”

Nick Van Eede

“He has this ability to gather the greatest players and they love it, they want to do it and it works. There doesn’t seem to be any egos going on—big stars and it’s just everybody sharing the dressing room and the whisky, the stories. And that’s unusual, so hats off to Leslie!I don’t know anybody else in the world who can pull this off.

“If you look back over the history of the Soulmates, before I became involved, he had, with respect to us all, even bigger stars like Phil Collins and Lionel Richie and so on. Leslie has an ability to make that happen and the musicality—and the writing is sensational.”

Chris Thompson

“It´s a big thing with a lot of different artists. It´s special in that way, that it´s like nothing else I guess. We have a great time. I´ve been playing with the band for a long time, they´re good old friends.”

Bobby Kimball

“When I come over and work with Leslie, I want to give him the best that I have. It’s such an honor to come and work with all of the great musicians that he assembles. I absolutely think it’s in a classof its own. Every one of the characters gets to shine. I learned so much from all of these guys and to come and be able to work with them and make the kind of music that Leslie is successfully trying to achieve – it’s such a wonderful feeling.“Leslie will always be in the middle here, and with each project he does, it becomes a little closer to being almost like a local band. We’re melting together as a group now and each of us feels a little more like ‘Wow, let’s get the band together and play a concert.’”

David Clayton-Thomas

“So, you know, you add to these wonderful, singable melodies Leslie’s lyrics, and you have a very strong statement and they become unmistakably ManDoki albums. What I enjoy most is the meaningfulness, politically, socially and otherwise, of the Mandoki lyrics.”

Cory Henry

It was really cool to see a bunch of people from different walks of live and from different music backgrounds are coming together to share and to create a new ex-perience. It was fun and it was enlightening, I´ve learned a lot and I´m happy to be here and to be part of such an amazing event. We all come together for this com-mon cause and we have a deeper level of understanding through the music. I´m the youngest member of this group and I´m just happy to be among them. To be able to communicate with them like you would do with your brothers and sisters or parents, the moments we share in the songs, this feels very familiar and very home, almost like in church. Leslie is just a cool cat and he attracts cool cats and that´s an amazing thing to say, because there´s not a lot of cool people, especially not on that level.

Randy Brecker

“The music was very well thought out and not easy to play. We played their arrangements and gave some input, told them what we thought about the arrangements but basically, everything was writ-ten, 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, in my book. He is a very excellent musician.”

Bill Evans

“Leslie let us do our style, play what we play, combines it with other influences, with other kinds of music and creates interesting music that I don’t think has any category sometimes. He sort of pushes the boundaries of pop music and it’s nice to be a part of a project that has such a great feel to it, with musicians who take it to the highest level.”

Artist Statements.

Till Brönner

“Leslie Mandoki is not only a musician and a producer, but he is all in one and he is a guy who brings it all together. And when someone is like that, he creates things which make sense musically and which are happening on a very high level.”

Peter Maffay (18 No.1 albums in Germany)

“Leslie coaches his projects very well, and it is an outstanding quality in him that he can combine so many people in one project and forms something beautiful out of it.

The segment Leslie occupies together with his team is definitely not occupied by anyone else the way Leslie does. His area of expertise – the King!”

Steve Lukather

“He really is like the Hungarian Quincy Jones… There is a jazz-sen-sibility and improvisational sensibility that I’ve never heard before.One of the most generous, gracious people I’ve ever met is Leslie Mandoki… I got to jam with some of my childhood heroes… and we’ve all become friends. He’s a wonderful guy, he’s become a very close friend of mine… after doing a few records and hanging out with him and his family – who are absolutely wonderful people – you know it just makes me smile – when I see him I’d love to work with him. Anytime he wants me to play, I’m there!”

Nik Kershew

“He’s a one-off, Leslie really is! He’s got incredible energy for music.I mean, he roams the world, looking for musicians to get his projects and he really cares about detail and getting things right. And that’s kind of a rare thing nowadays, I think.”

Chaka Khan

“Leslie and myself, we have the same musical DNA and together we can make it great. We’ve been working together for twenty years. I’m so happy about this close friendship and the musical, creative collaboration. He’s a true Soul brother. I’m here to celebrate 20 years of Soulmates and 20 years of music at its best! He is a great human being and that helps to make a great musician. Someone who is very sensitive, he has some kind of magic going on with him. He´s very unique. He can bring people together and pull the best out of people and get everyone to work together. He is like an alchemist. And Ilove him very much.”

Jack Bruce

“Well, he is a very warm person, but I think his great talent is the vision that he has when he’s writing the songs, coming up with the ideas. He actually can hear, who’s gonna be doing what, how it’s going to be realized – who’s actually gonna be doing it. I think it’s a great talent. So I think it’s that. That’s a great talent to have. The one who comes to mind, the greatest person who had that kind of talent was Duke Ellington, that I can think of. He knew exactly who should be in his band.”

Artist Statements.

Greg Lake

“What is great about it, is the bringing together of a lot of really gre- at musicians, who understand each other. We almost don’t need to speak. Because we speak through the music and I think, that is the beauty of it. The reason I do it, is because I like Leslie – we are fri- ends, but I also enjoy playing with the great quality musicians. You hear a lot of different music. You know, music from all spheres: there is jazz, there is rock, there is soul ballads, you know, a whole mixture of music that is played by one of the best bands you will ever hear. That’s why I do it. It is fun to play in this atmosphere, when the mu-sicians just play for the love of music really. It is a wonderful feeling. It´s more like a family. You hear the expression, and you often hear musicians say, that there is a lot of love in the room – that is what you feel right here. You know – that is just the way of music.”

Midge Ure

“Leslie is one of these guys, who is connected to just about every musician we know and he manages to pull together a really unique set of musicans, so that every concert he does is different from the previous one.There is no doubt that what Leslie tries to put across is about tolerance in an intolerant world.I think we‘d all strive to send that message out there. And Leslie seems to pull together people who think along the same lines, as I am. So, it’s not just a musical thing, it’s an ethos.”

Joel Katz

“In 1975, Leslie Mandoki chose to ‘live his dream and not dream his life.’ He decided to write music and play these songs with a varietyof superstar musicians, who were his idols when he lived behind the Iron Curtain. In 1992, he founded the concept group, ‘ManDoki Soulmates’ with such acclaimed musicians as Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), Bobby Kimball (Toto), Jack Bruce (Cream) and jazz-rock star Al Di Meola.”

20 years of ManDoki Soulmates at the Palace Of Arts in Budapest.

In February 2013 the Soulmates celebrated their 20th anniversary at the Palace of Arts opera house in Budapest. For more than four hours the band played with a stellar line-up, the likes of which has rarely been seen before on stage.The release on double-DVD and three CD set in Germany was a great popular success and received much attention in the media.

The release was TOP 10 in Germany.

Legendary friendship Open Air concert in Budapest.

A real melting pot was on stage with musicians from the US, UK, and Europe – including Chris Thompson (Manfred Mann´s Earth Band), Nick van Eede (Cutting Crew), Nik Kershaw, Midge Ure (Ultravox), Tony Carey (Rainbow), Randy Brecker, Mike Stern and Tony Lakatos, Super-tramp legend John Helliwell, as well as Aura Dione, were all playing together with the Hungari-an rock legends Charlie, Havasi and Szakcsi, all in front of 30,000 people.

The location was unique: the stage was built on the banks of the Danube in Budapest with the famous castle to the back and the Hungarian Parliament in the front.

For more than 4 hours, the ManDoki Soulmates rocked the audience!

Klenzestraße 1a82327 Tutzing Lake Starnberg

GERMANY

www.mandoki-soulmates.comwww.redrock.deinfo@redrock.de

Tel.: +49 8158 / 99 55 0

For photos, videos and mp3s:

http://mandoki-soulmates.com/presskit