Interviewing The Legends: #Hungarian

LESLIE MANDOKI

Singer, Drummer, Record Producer,

and Founder

of MANDOKI SOULMATES

UTOPIA FOR REALISTS:

MANDOKI SOULMATES:

NEW PROGRESSIVE ROCK

VISUAL ALBUM

EXCLUSIVE LIVE ZOOM TV INTERVIEW

Running together through a tunnel to escape Communism for freedom tends to make for life-long bonds. For Leslie Mandoki and Gábor Csupo these bonds have now come to fruition in ways that are the things of dreams. This is the story of the new world-wide, multi-format release on the Sony Inside Out label of Mandoki Soulmates “Utopia for Realists,” in which Leslie Mandoki’s culturally relevant, socially aware prog-rock, flavored with the virtuosity of jazz-rock, is tightly integrated with visionary concepts from world-famous animator Gábor Csupo for Mandoki’s magnum opus “Hungarian Pictures,” inspired by the music of Béla Bartók.

In 1975, three Hungarians—Mandoki and Csupo, along with Leslie’s musician friend László Bencker—ran through that tunnel to freedom and new lives. Gábor Csupo founded the animation studio Klasky Csupo in Hollywood, producing era-defining shows such as The Simpsons, Rugrats and Duckman. At the refugee camp, Leslie Mandoki had the audacity to tell the resettlement officer that he come to the West to play music with Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull and Al Di Meola, world-renown jazz-fusion guitarist. Stunningly, both Anderson and Di Meola became founding members 30 years ago of the Mandoki Soulmates band.

With his Soulmates, including over the years many of the brightest lights of progressive rock and jazz, Mandoki has created a sophisticated and mature new music, combining the intellectual and artistic essence of British prog-rock with the virtuosic brilliance of the New York jazz-rock and fusion scene. Mandoki and Csupo have now collaborated to create the extraordinary new release “Utopia for Realists” based on the Mandoki Soulmates concert marking the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Csupo’s brilliant idea was to merge high-end animations based on Bartók’s favorite Hungarian paintings with film scenes ofthe Carpathian lowlands, where the composer was inspired by traditional folk songs. The result is a wonderful visual reflection of the joyful music being created on stage and in the studio. This new and unique “Visual Album” brings these Hungarian Soulmates together again to create a thrilling and joyful holistic experience for the eyes, ears, and soul.

PURCHASE

MANDOKI

SOULMATES

UTOPIA FOR REALISTS

New Progressive Rock

Visual Album

Entitled "Utopia for Realists", the BluRay “Hungarian Pictures” presents a completely new audio-visual work. It fuses the concert film of our epic Prog Rock suite “Hungarian Pictures”, which we performed to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, with top-class animated paintings and atmospherically condensed shots of the Hungarian landscapes merged with film scenes of the recording sessions in the studio.

The package is completed by an audiophile CD with the original studio recordings of the Prog Rock suite. Available as a Limited CD/Blu-ray Media book, Gatefold 2LP + CD + LP-booklet, Standard CD Jewel case & as Digital Album. On ‘Utopia For Realists: Hungarian Pictures’, Leslie Mandoki plays together with Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), Jack Bruce (Cream), Nick van Eede (Cutting Crew), Chris Thompson (Manfred Mann’s Earth Band), Bobby Kimball (Toto), David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat and Tears), John Helliwell (Supertramp), Al di Meola, Mike Stern, Randy Brecker, Till Brönner, Bill Evans, Cory Henry, Richard Bona, Tony Carey (Ritchie Blackmores Rainbow), Jesse Siebenberg (Supertramp), Steve Bailey, and Julia Mandoki. Mandoki Soulmates staged a global live stream event earlier this year which has achieved over half a million plays on Youtube and over 700.000 on Germany's leading TV channel ARD since its release. Watch it in full here: https://youtu.be/gDDpdhuC4Rg

Available at

www.insideoutshop.de/Artist/Mandoki_Soulmates/22514

and amazon.com

NEW SINGLE "THE TORCH"

For more information about

MANDOKI SOULMATES VISIT

www.mandoki-soulmates.com

official website

www.utopiaforrealists.mandoki-soulmates.com

new album website

www.facebook.com/mandoki.soulmates

facebook

www.instagram.com/themandokisoulmates

instagram

LESLIE MANDOKI

Discography

Back to Myself (Jupiter, 1982)

Children of Hope (Gong, 1986)

Strangers in a Paradise (Titan, 1988)

Drums and Percussion (Selected Sound, 1991)

Out of Key...with the Time (Electrola, 1992)

People in Room No. 8 (PolyGram, 1997)

Soulmates (Paroli, 2002)

Soulmates Classic (Sony, 2003)

Legends of Rock (Paroli, 2005)

Aquarelle (NEO, 2009)

BudaBest (Sony, 2013)

MANDOKI SOULMATES

DISCOGRAPHY

Soulmates Paroli Records -2002

Soulmates Classic Red-Rock Music, Sony Music -2003

Legends of Rock Sony Music, Paroli Records -2004

Aquarelle album Sony Music -2009

BudaBest Sony Music -2013

Living In The Gap + Hungarian Pictures Red Rock Production -2019

Utopia For Realists (Hungarian Pictures) Inside Out Music -2021

LESLIE MANDOKI

APPEARS WEEK OF

JANUARY 7TH 2022

on INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS

with RAY SHASHO

STREAMING at

THE CLASSIC ROCK MUSIC REPORTER

(classicrockmusicwriter.com)

Classic Rock Here And Now

Music Tried And True

Facebook LIVE

YouTube

RAY’S BEST-SELLING BOOK

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CHRONICLES, TRUTHS, CONFESSIONS AND WISDOM FROM THE MUSIC LEGENDS THAT SET US FREE

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THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

BOOK TRAILER

BOOK REVIEW

-By Literary Titan (5) STARS

The Rock Star Chronicles, by Ray Shasho, is a splendid book written by a music enthusiast who has poured their heart and soul into it. It’s a story of a boy who loved rock music, and his obsessive passion of it earned himself the name Rock Raymond. He went to school but instead was schooled in all matters of music while his peers were buried chin-deep in coursework. He then became a radio DJ and has now compiled a book on all interviews he held with Rock gods who raided the airwaves back in the 70s and 80s. It’s a compilation of interviews with outstanding vocalists, legendary guitarists and crazy drummers in the rock music scene. Each interview gives a reader an in-depth view into their personal lives and the philosophies that guide their lives which all serve to humanize these great icons. For readers who are old enough to call themselves baby boomers this book will bring old memories back to life. Millennials, on the other hand, may think of this book as a literal work of the Carpool Karaoke show.

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Ray Shasho masterfully gets the interviewees talking. He smartly coaxes answers from them with crafty questions designed to get a story rolling out of them. The artists talk about diverse issues ranging from music, politics, and their social engagements. Having been on the music seen all his life, Ray Shasho knows the buttons to press, how to get them comfortable about talking about their lives.

The book’s cover is befitting of its subject matter with the leather look offering a royal background to the golden letter print. It speaks to how high a level rock music holds in the pecking order- arguably, modern music as we know it has originated from blues and rock music. The second noteworthy thing is the use of high-definition pictures to reference the musician being interviewed in every sub-chapter. This ensures that the book is for both original rock and roll lovers and aspiring new ones. Together is makes for a refreshing and consistently enjoyable read.

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https://literarytitan.com/2020/05/03/literary-titan-book-awards-may-2020/ Gold Award Winner