Just watching the videos again, I think this comment by JLB ("That was the most incredible ... by far!")
https://youtu.be/L609JsPFmmI?t=1214
also corroborates that MM wasn't the immediate first choice. You can only say "by far" if you have a point of comparison, and Mangini was the first to audition, so that comment can't have been about him. It was very likely about Marco.
Hard to say. That comment to me has always been a bit enigmatic. That clip is certainly edited to imply that James was completely gaga over Marco in general, but at the end of the day, all we have is an isolated comment out of context that was cleverly edited into the footage to create a certain appearance that may or may not have been true.
Oh, of course, there is only limited conclusions you can draw from that quote. But it definitely indicates that there was a drummer JLB considered to be far superior to the ones he had seen to that point. MM was the first, so it can not have been about him. And in the same token, MM was included in that comparison.
But see, the part that I bolded is what gives me pause. The footage is edited to
imply that that is the case. And he is definitely talking about Marco. But we do not know
what about Marco he is saying that about. For all we know, the entire comment could have been something like, "I didn't really care for his interpretation of the material as a whole, and I'm not sure he would be a great fit...but MAN! The ending fill he did on The Dance of Eternity... That was the most incredible by far!" Or it could have been his response to an interview question. Or it could have been
anything for that matter.
Believe me, I'm not trying to minimize his playing or anything. But it's just that the documentary was, again, meant to convey the auditions in a particular light, and with a dramatic "reality show" kind of flair. So not everything may have unfolded exactly how the editing of the footage might tend to imply. And, no, I don't have any inside knowledge, in case anyone is wondering. It's just that that comment has always been a bit interesting to me because it
could potentially mean a lot of different things other than what the editing would suggest.