The Mandrakes

The Mandrakes’ album“The World in Black and White”(originally titled “The Mandrakes” and was called “The World in Black and White” only when it was released as a CD) was Caspi’S first production project in 1971. Caspi arranged and produced all songs from this album, four of which he composed: “Take It”, “Meir Agassy Wants to be Famous”, “Ms. Adriana Bloomental”, “Who’s Counting”.

In 1978 The Mandrakes celebrated twenty years and the Israel radio program “Kol Israel” had a special public radio show conducted for them, called“A Mandrakes Evening”.The duo sang the best of its songs since their beginning on that show, with new arrangements by Matti Caspi. Caspi also wrote a new song for that show called “An Old Song” (lyrics by: Ehud Manor).

Caspi arranged all the songs in their album“They are Riding and Singing”(1979) where also appeared the song “An Old Song”.

For their album“The Suburban Mandrakes”from 1985, Caspi arranged the song “There Goes a Year”.

In 1986 The Mandrakes recorded the album“Forgotten Melody”which featured songs like ”Avinoam a Jolly Good Fellow”, and “There is and It Seems”. Matti Caspi was the album’s musical manager, arranged all the songs and played all the instruments: guitars, accordion, harmonica and mandolin.

Also in 1986, following the concert “Hammam” came out the album“Five pm - Fifty Years Since the Spanish Civil War”.It was a show consisting of translated songs by Federico Garcia Lorca, and it featured The Mandrakes, Paco Ibanez, and Baldi Olier. Matti Caspi was the album’s musical producer.

From the album cover of “The World in Black and White”: “The Mandrakes duo, Israel Gurion and Benny Amdursky, were pictured in the eyes of the public as attached to their guitars, with wonderful smiles and voices. The record presented to you is different than the rest of The Mandrakes’ albums thanks to Matti Caspi’s touch, arranger and producer. The accompanying orchestra has taken the place of the guitars and the result is different, interesting and wonderful. This record is an example of a wonderful production where the arranger, Matti Caspi, charted another kind of sound, a little different than the folk songs the duo was used to performing that time. Its uniqueness is in its diversity”.