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Ep. 140: Leslie Mandoki, "Music is the greatest unifier.."

Let\'s Talk Off The Podium with Tigran Arakelyan.

In this episode rockstar Leslie Mandoki talks about his early years in Hungary, being a refugee in Germany and eventual rise to stardom.

In 1991, Ian Anderson, Jack Bruce, and Al Di Meola became founding members of Leslie Mandoki\\u2019s band project ManDoki Soulmates, and for almost three decades, Leslie Mandoki has continued to unite a \\u201cwho is who\\u201d of the icons of Anglo-American and European rock and jazz- rock in the Mandoki Soulmates band.

The remarkable lineups in the band\\u2019s 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 Kershaw, Greg Lake, Al di Meola, Randy and Michael Brecker, Cory Henry, Bill Evans, John Helliwell, Till Br\\xf6nner, Klaus Doldinger, Mike Stern, Richard Bona, Anthony Jackson, Victor Bailey, Pino Palladino, Tony Carey, Mark Hart, Paul Carrack, 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\\u2019s 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. \\u201cOne stage \\u2013 one band!\\u201d

With his Soulmates Leslie Mandoki raises Jazz-Rock back to socio-political relevance, to quote him in his own words: \\u201cEven 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 \\u2013 handwritten with ink on paper.\\u201d

This band is pure sophisticated JazzRock, or as Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake & Palmer) put it: \\u201cOne of the best bands you will ever hear!\\u201d