In September of 2018, the band recorded its first song from legendary supergroup Earth, Wind, & Fire and also paid tribute to the band Blood, Sweat & Tears as well. “It was an experience that we will cherish and remember forever.” When Leonid & Friends isn’t touring, band members are in the studio in Moscow immersing themselves in Chicago’s storied catalog of hits and deep tracks while preparing for the next tour. “We were so thrilled that Robert, Danny, and Michelle took the time to visit with us,” Vorobyev said. “I was expecting a warm greeting but I didn’t expect such a warm reception and with so much love and gratitude for us.” In Los Angeles, the band met its musical heroes, founding members of Chicago, keyboardist Robert Lamm, and drummer Danny Seraphine as well as Michelle Kath Sinclair, daughter of late, great Chicago guitarist Terry Kath. and driving for hours to attend our shows,” Vorobyev said. “The fans were so eager to see us that some traveled from as far as Hawaii and the Philippines not mentioning flying across the U.S. In early 2019, the band embarked on its first tour outside of Russia that had fans dancing in the aisles at sold-out shows in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Florida. However, Leonid & Friends hasn’t been satisfied with merely connecting with fans through videos and recordings. “All of my musician friends are highly professional,” he said. However, he credits his highly skilled bandmates for making each tune sing. In addition to scoring and arranging, Vorobyev oversees mixing and mastering of each song. The process of getting each tune just right is a painstaking labor of love. Also, Leonid & Friends has recorded two albums showcasing its tribute to Chicago. All total the videos have received more than 50 million views. Since then Leonid & Friends has recorded videos of other Chicago hits including Make Me Smile, 25 or 6 to 4, and Saturday In The Park. The result was a YouTube video that quickly went viral. No charts or scores of the song existed so Vorobyev transcribed the tune by ear. In 2014, Vorobyev decided to indulge his love for the band by gathering a few fellow musicians in a studio to record a video of them playing his favorite Chicago tune, Brand New Love Affair. “I loved so much the brilliant mixture of rock guitars, drums, and jazz horns with bright vocal harmonies,” he said. It was a nightmare, and I hated them all!” But that all changed when Vorobyev heard Chicago. Those musicians almost always were drunk and quite often tried to play with us our rock songs. “We were allowed to rehearse in the same room with a horns band. “In the early 1970s in the USSR, electric guitars, amplifiers, and drums were rare to find so at school we were playing self-made instruments,” Vorobyev explained. Ironically, Vorobyev wasn’t always a fan of horn bands, and as a teenager gravitated to the hard-driving guitar-based sounds of the Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Deep Purple, and Grand Funk Railroad. “We have only recordings and videos (to help us learn Chicago songs).” Chicago has never been in Russia, and none of us have attended their concerts,” said Leonid Vorobyev, a multi-instrumentalist who is the band’s leader. tours under its belt and hundreds of thousands of fans around the world, Leonid & Friends continues to astound its global audience with its unique ability in capturing the spirit, musicality, and fire of American supergroup Chicago.Īnd what is even more stunning is that Leonid & Friends, comprised of 11 of the finest musicians in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus, haven’t seen Chicago perform live, yet replicates the band’s complex arrangements amazingly note for note.
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