LESLIE MANDOKI & MANDOKI SOULMATES RELEASE NEW PROGRESSIVE ROCK VISUAL ALBUM 'UTOPIA FOR REALISTS' EXCLUSIVE ZOOM TV INTERVIEW WITH RAY SHASHO

 

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

ENTITLED

THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

SERIES ONE

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

BY RAY SHASHO

 …Order yours today on (Collector edition) Hardcover  or E-book  at bookbaby.com and amazon.com

Featuring over 45 intimate conversations with some of the greatest rock legends the world will ever know.

CHRIS SQUIRE... DR. JOHN... GREG LAKE... HENRY MCCULLOUGH... JACK BRUCE … JOE LALA…  JOHNNY WINTER... KEITH EMERSON... PAUL KANTNER...  RAY THOMAS... RONNIE MONTROSE... TONY JOE WHITE... DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS… MIKE LOVE... TOMMY ROE... BARRY HAY... CHRIS THOMPSON... JESSE COLIN YOUNG... JOHN KAY... JULIAN LENNON... MARK LINDSAY... MICKY DOLENZ… PETER RIVERA ...TOMMY JAMES… TODD RUNDGREN... DAVE MASON... EDGAR WINTER... FRANK MARINO... GREGG ROLIE... IAN ANDERSON... JIM “DANDY” MANGRUM... JON ANDERSON... LOU GRAMM... MICK BOX... RANDY BACHMAN… ROBIN TROWER...  ROGER FISHER... STEVE HACKETT... ANNIE HASLAM… ‘MELANIE’ SAFKA... PETULA CLARK... SUZI QUATRO... COLIN BLUNSTONE… DAVE DAVIES... JIM McCARTY... PETE BEST

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. 

The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music fan. 

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.

I recommend this book to rock music enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious to learn new things by going back in time.

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

MORE BOOKS BY RAY SHASHO

LESLIE MANDOKI AND IAN ANDERSON SAY THANK YOU! JULY 7TH 2020 ON INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS WITH RAY SHASHO -7 PM PT/10 PM ET ON BBS RADIO

L E S L I E

M A N D O K I

 (MANDOKI SOULMATES)

and 

IAN ANDERSON of JETHRO TULL 

release

“#WeSayThankYou” 

expressing the feelings of gratitude

 many of us have felt in these troubled times 

EXCLUSIVE

In 1991, Ian Anderson, Jack Bruce, and Al Di Meola became founding members of Leslie Mandoki’s band project ManDoki Soulmates, and for almost three decades, Leslie Mandoki has continued to unite a “who is who” of the icons of Anglo-American and European rock and jazzrock in the Mandoki Soulmates band.

IAN ANDERSON with LESLIE MANDOKI

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, Steve Lukather, Eric Burdon, Greg Lake, Al di Meola, Randy and Michael Brecker, Peter Frampton, and Jon Lord.

The Soulmates concerts are marked by the musical synergy of all these musical icons united in one supergroup of Grammy award winning legends, where everyone’s egos come second. Original Soulmates compositions and collective improvisations on highest levels are just as much part of the concerts as world-renowned hits of the individual Soulmates members. “One stage – one band!”

With his Soulmates Leslie Mandoki raises Jazz-Rock back to socio-political relevance, to quote him in his own words: “Even in times of Twitter, social media and short news on the smartphone, when mental laziness often blocks the perception, music for us is still like a love letter to our audience – handwritten with ink on paper.”

This band is pure sophisticated JazzRock, or as Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake & Palmer) put it: “One of the best bands you will ever hear!” As the world continues to be consumed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson sings and plays flute with Mandoki Soulmates mastermind and leader Leslie Mandoki.  Mandoki has found inspiration and a new spark of hope amidst the chaos.

He has penned a powerful new song in appreciation for the heroes who have emerged in this global crisis, the nurses, doctors, and other health care providers as well as the grocery store clerks and food delivery personnel who have stepped up to serve their communities. The new song, entitled simply “#WeSayThankYou,” expresses so clearly the feelings of gratitude many of us have felt in these troubled times.

Mandoki explains, “As an artist, I feel it is my duty to contemplate ideas for a better world. Now, like so many of us, I suddenly have the time. Let us grab this uncommon moment of pause together and take a new approach to the problems of the world. And let’s take a hard look at who this crisis is casting in a heroic light, and who comes out the villain.” 

The duet is available through the Purple Pyramid imprint of indie giant Cleopatra Records, Inc. and is Mandoki Soulmate’s first release in the recently inked partnership with the L.A.-based label. Additional Mandoki releases are set to follow later this year.

Leslie will be donating the royalties from the sales, syncs, and airplay of “#WeSayThankYou“ to a To-Be-Announced Charity. 

“#WeSayThankYou” was written in the context of Leslie’s own isolation in Germany, where his doctor wife, Eva, is a first contact physician. 

Ian and Leslie have worked together for over 20 years on various collaborations with his jazz-rock band Soulmates featuring the good and great of classic rock and jazz. Mandoki’s Soulmates toured North America in 2018.

MANDOKI SOULMATES

 with

IAN ANDERSON

we say thank you

available at

 iTunes Store, Apple Muisic and Amazon Music

MANDOKI SOULMATES

NEW

  DOUBLE ALBUM

RELEASE

Living In The Gap 

+ 

Hungarian Pictures

at iTunes Store, Apple Muisic and Amazon Music

For more information about Leslie Mandoki

and Soulmates

visit

http://www.twitter.com/lesliemandoki

https://www.mandoki-soulmates.com

https://www.instagram.com/themandokisoulmates/

https://www.facebook.com/mandoki.soulmates

Mandoki Soulmates with Ian Anderson

https://orcd.co/mandoki-soulmates-with-ian-anderson

Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull website

http://jethrotull.com/

LESLIE MANDOKI 

APPEARS

JULY 7TH 2020

7 PM PACIFIC/10 PM EASTERN

on INTERVIEWING THE LEGENDS

with RAY SHASHO

BBS RADIO ONE

www.bbsradio.com

MY NEW BOOK IS FINALLY OUT!

ENTITLED

THE 

ROCK STAR CHRONICLES

SERIES ONE

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

 …Order yours today on Hardcover or E-book

 at bookbaby.com 

Featuring over 45 intimate conversations with some of

the greatest rock legends the world will ever know.

CHRIS SQUIRE... DR. JOHN... GREG LAKE... HENRY MCCULLOUGH... JACK BRUCE … JOE LALA…  JOHNNY WINTER... KEITH EMERSON... PAUL KANTNER...  RAY THOMAS... RONNIE MONTROSE... TONY JOE WHITE... DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS… MIKE LOVE... TOMMY ROE... BARRY HAY... CHRIS THOMPSON... JESSE COLIN YOUNG... JOHN KAY... JULIAN LENNON... MARK LINDSAY... MICKY DOLENZ… PETER RIVERA ...TOMMY JAMES… TODD RUNDGREN... DAVE MASON... EDGAR WINTER... FRANK MARINO... GREGG ROLIE... IAN ANDERSON... JIM “DANDY” MANGRUM... JON ANDERSON... LOU GRAMM... MICK BOX... RANDY BACHMAN… ROBIN TROWER...  ROGER FISHER... STEVE HACKETT... ANNIE HASLAM… ‘MELANIE’ SAFKA... PETULA CLARK... SUZI QUATRO... COLIN BLUNSTONE… DAVE DAVIES... JIM McCARTY... 

PETE BEST

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.

The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music fan.

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.

I recommend this book to rock music enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious to learn new things by going back in time.

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