They met in 1977 while attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston. They were introduced by Bill Frisell, who was giving Magdalena Thora, the former German television star from Munich, some lessons in playing jazz standards. They were subsequently married on Dec. 5, 1980, shortly after Mike had joined Billy Cobham’s band and before he would hook up with Miles Davis.
Theirs has been an enduring partnership, both matrimonially and musically. And while they were determined to keep their respective careers separate early on, Mike and Leni have been touring a lot together in recent years, including tours of Brazil, Australia, Japan, Italy, France, Germany and China in 2025 and an upcoming European tour in April.
It seemed rather timely, then, to post this Valentine’s Day cover story for the February 2003 issue of Jazziz magazine:
Photos by Tom LeGoff
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