MARBIN

An interesting project led by two Israelis who started playing together in 2007 in Israel, but beginning with their debut album in 2009 they have been based in Chicago and have left quite the mark on that city's live scene. These guys play a ton and in fact they try to replicate what they do on stage in the studio when they record, live of course. Hundreds of shows every year mean that this is a band to check out if they are ever in your area. Eleven studio albums in fourteen years with the duo(guitar/sax) adding and subtracting musicians as they go.

A couple of former Pat Metheny Group members have been involved with this band starting after their 2009 debut was released. Metheny's former rhythm section have been playing many live shows with MARBIN and also playing on their studio albums like here. Essentially they are a four piece here with about 15 guests adding stuff. Fourteen tracks over 55 minutes. Tracks are between 2 and 5 1/2 minutes.

Funny but this record feel like a Prog Rock album with sax as opposed to a Jazz record with Rock tendencies. Does it matter? I'm just not feeling it with this album despite the impressive playing. Two tracks stood out in "The Ballad Of Daniel White" and the self titled closer. I prefer the sax more on those two, and understand that this is soprano sax so it can be a challenge. Guitar and sax are the solo instruments here and the chosen instruments of those two Israelis when they first got together in 2007.

Good album but not a keeper in my opinion. They have some interesting recurring themes on their album covers and I do like the cover art here.

Marbin fans have been spoiled over the last year or so, with both Danny and Dani releasing albums under the Marbin banner in 2020 which were basically solo releases showing a different side of the band, and then the powering 'Shreddin' At Stillwater' release earlier this year and now here we have 'Fernweh' which shows yet another side of the band. This time they are operating as a trio, so Danny and Dani are again joined by Jon Nadel, who this time is playing double bass. Why a double and no drums? That is because the guys have gone back in time, Dani is on acoustic, and we have a gypsy jazz album which sounds as if it could have come from the Thirties.

Anyone who has studied their jazz will be familiar with the Paris-based Quintette du Hot Club de France, which was formed by guitarist Django Reinhardt, but whereas he played against the incredible violinist Stéphane Grappelli, here Dani is with Danny in a relationship that has seen them play thousands of gigs together. This is music that just swings, really swings, and this totally different style shows the band reaching new heights. By removing the percussion there is room for everyone to breathe, and there is space within the sounds which allows the notes to really move. Of course, it would not be Marbin without the guys allowing themselves to go for incredibly high note density, but this is all about having it in its place, so there is also plenty of time for simplicity and delicacy which equate some truly beautiful moments. The bass line is never overly dominant, but it is sumptuous, and the breadth and width of those notes provide plenty of support for the melodic instruments on top.

This feels more restrained, more controlled and considered, than many Marbin releases, as if they have slowed down and taken a different look at the world, as many of us have over the past year, and the result is something very special indeed.

For a band that normally plays in excess of 250 gigs a year, the COVID pandemic had a major impact, resulting in the cancellation of more than 100 already booked gigs and Danny and Dani taking the longest ever break from live performance since they got together in 2007. So when the opportunity arose to record a live set at Stillwater Studios they jumped at it: It may have been eight months since they had been together but one would never guess that from the performance. They were joined again by bassist Jon Nadel and drummer Everette Benton Jr., Nadal has been with the band since 2016's 'Goat Man & The House Of The Dead' while Benton Jr. was on 2019's 'Strong Thing'.

Whereas the previous studio album, 'Russian Dolls' was very different in many ways, more like a solo album from saxophonist Danny Markovitch than a full Marbin release, this is totally different, with guitarist Dani Rabin relishing the opportunity to really let rip. Also, did you know that a saxophone can shred? Just listen to "Whiskey Chaser" if you want proof, as while there are times when both soloists take off on their own, it is when they are joined at the hip and ripping through the notes that they really stand out. Benton Jr. is a very powerful drummer, constantly providing fills and driving it on, while Nadal often has to provide the structure and melody while the two at the front go off at tangents. Their work ethic over the years means they have spent thousands of hours playing side by side, so Dani and Danny know instinctively when to drive, and when to sit back and let the other take control, and the result is a storming album which is powering fusion, but with a harder edge than many.

'Russian Dolls' came about in 2020 when saxophonist Danny Markovitch came across an old musical notebook when he and his wife were reorganizing their house. The songs inside were written when he was in a very different space, in that he was a new immigrant to America, had only recently left the army etc. Danny realized there was probably enough material for an album, so he spoke to Dani (guitar, bass) and asked what he thought. He agreed, as long as they could get in a good drummer, so they compromised and brought in a great one in Grammy and Golden awards winner Antonio Sanchez! The title was inspired by Danny's Ukrainian wife, who has some different sets of Russian dolls and had written an essay on them describing them as a vision of ourselves, a collection of different people inhabiting the same body (our teenage selves, young love, married, work etc).

This is quite a different album in many respects to what I generally think of as a Marbin album, and in many ways is much more of a solo album from Danny, which probably is not really a surprise given its genesis. The role of both Dani and Antonio is to provide support on an album which is far more straight jazz than the normal hard-edged fusion we have come to expect, although there are also some elements of Israeli folk and even some Latin. Danny has a wonderfully delicate and fluid touch on the sax, sliding up and down seamlessly, while his partner in crime has played literally thousands of shows with him so knows exactly what is needed to provide perfect support, while Antonio can sit on anything and get it right first time. Dani states that he is inspired by the likes of Charlie Parker, Julian "Cannonball" Adderely, Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet, and like those greats he manages to tread that fine line of incredible dexterity and skill with strong melody and passion, so there are times such as on the tango-like "Things of Dry Hours" where everything is slowed back and in a particular groove, whereas as others the note density it surreal.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable, yet quite different release from one of the top jazz fusion bands around.

Formed in 2007 by Israeli American guitarist Dani Rabin and Israeli saxophonist Danny Markovitch, (the bandname being taken from 3 letters of one surname, and 3 of the other) this 2014 album was actually their fourth release, and was their first official live recording. Although it has always been based around Dani and Danny, Marbin do seem to go through rhythm sections and this one was recorded with drummer Justyn Lawrence and bassist Jae Gentile, who also appeared on the previous studio album, 'Last Chapter of Dreaming', but would not appear on the next studio album, 2015's 'Aggressive Hippes'. At the time of this recording the band had played more than 1000 gigs in just over three years, so it is no wonder that they are incredibly tight.

The rhythm section provides the backdrop and foundation for the two lead players, who may combine in complex duets such as on "Culture", then at others they just provide support while the other goes off on a wild ride. There are times when the sax and combine together in a way which is very reminiscent of Allan Holdsworth, someone who they opened for previously, but for the most part these guys are way more aggressive than any other fusion band I can think of. It is fusion with a heavy edge, with Dani driving it hard and even when he is supporting Danny, he rarely sits back but makes sure the music is always in your face. There are times when the quartet drops into trio mode, but it never for too long yet allows for the dynamics to change and take on new meaning. The result is a live album by a band right on the top of their game, providing exciting and vibrant manner which only comes about when guys basically live on the road. Now if only they would come down to Aotearoa.

There are many bands out there where their main strength is in working together to create improvisations in a most seamless way, one or two instruments taking a spotlight while the other instruments work with them to create a background that usually is based around a theme, and all of the musicians trying to be engaged. These types of bands are usually best experienced in a live setting, such as "Phish", "Hawkwind" or almost any jazz/rock fusion band out there. This is the dilemma facing the band known as "Marbin", who try to approach their studio recordings by performing them like they are live. This band take their songs which have already been proven in live settings, and try to bring in the live atmosphere and the improvisational excitement and put it in a studio setting where it can be then recorded. They try to go beyond the excuse of "Well, we are a live band and we can't transfer that excitement to a studio recording".

Marbin has seen some worldwide success and has also established a cult following, and their fans attest to their strength as a cohesive band in their live shows. Marbin attempts again to bring this excitement to their 7th studio recording "Strong Thing". Dani Rabin (guitar), Danny Markovitch (sax), Jon Nadel (bass), and Everette Benton Jr (drums), is the foursome that makes up this jazz fusion band that performs songs that are all instrumental, but each song has a personality and a story. This album, released in December of 2019, consists of 10 tracks, 3 of which are divided up into 2 parts, which ends up with a total run-time of 57 minutes.

One of the pleasures you get from seeing them in a live show is that the band gets a chance to explain the story behind each of the strange and funny titles that these tracks have. A studio recording tends to take that away, and we are left only with the music, but there is also an advantage to that. It allows the spotlight to be on the music and the talent of the band. This is immediately apparent in the opening track "Messy Mark", which sounds like it would have an interesting story, but the joy and the excitement of the music is still there regardless. The music is quite heavy on the rock side of the fusion here, but the improvisation from the guitar and the sax is a lot of fun, especially from Markovitch's sax which flows, twirls and dives in and out of riffs and motifs as it plays around with the main thematic element, and this track just flies by at a tremendous speed that it's 8 minutes are almost hardly even noticeable. And, yes, you can almost picture yourself there at a concert bouncing along with the crowd and watching in awe as this band works together as if they can read each other's minds. So does their method work? For me, it does.

Another 8 minute track follows with "Spank Tank", and the lively and enthusiastic performance continues, with the guitar getting an early solo, showing off in runs and riffs with ease. With 2 long tracks starting things off, it makes one wonder if the band will wear out it's welcome with this assault of crazy and quite impressive soloing against a rock heavy background. Everyone is in the band is quite impressive with the bass and and a barrage of drums holding their own quite effectively while the lead guitar and sax do most of the improvising. They still get to show off, but is it too much all at once? Do we need a chance to breathe after all of this?

Well, that could be part of the reason for dividing the next track "Just a Little Bit" into 2 parts. Also, after the slam of the two previous and quite heavy tracks, this one takes things much more smoothly and easily along, softening things with a soothing, yet engaging sax providing the thematic and improvisational center for the track. The really great thing about this though, is, even with a smoother sound, the music still has a bit of a rough and tumble edge to it as it continues and becomes a little more intense, so you don't have to worry at all about this music sounding too "new-age" or bringing any memories of your tacky date night Kenny G music. This is full bore fusion, even when it's soft. Part 1 features the sax taking over the improvisation, while part 2 lets the bass establish the background and then bringing in the sax and guitar harmonizing with each other. Don't worry, though, the guitar gets to shimmer along by itself soon enough, and this part belongs more to the romanticism of the electric guitar. Again the mood begins soft and smooth and intensifies as it continues, resulting in more emotion from the guitar solo, and by the end of the track, you will be impressed.

"Alabama Sock Party" brings back a very lively sound with fast moving tempo and the bass flying along with the guitar churning out notes faster than your boss' secretary can type. It's crazy and wild, even when the sax takes over, and the bass line is finally more out front, and there is not a problem with all of the members keeping up with each other. This one is quite a tornado of notes and music. "Itchybun" has more of a progressive feel to it with a complex sound and changing textures, utilizing more of a dynamic feel than before. Most of the dynamic part is in the first half as it stays more chaotic in the 2nd half.

The title track comes next, and it is divided up into two parts. Like the previous track, this one has a more progressive feel. The first part is more moderate and led by the guitar while the 2nd part is quicker and based off of a rapid fire guitar riff, even though the sax gets to establish the theme that it later improvises around. "Fisticuffs" is also divided up into 2 parts. It seems to be based more around a tango style riff that the sax and guitar play around with. The beat itself is heavy and straightforward though, and the tango style really doesn't translate as well as it should as it ends up turning into another track that could have used some more dynamic and variety.

Sure enough, the excitement of a live show is quite apparent throughout the album. There are plenty of sax and guitar solos to make any fusion and improvisational jazz lover happy. What is lacking, however, is variety and dynamics. When the slower and smoother track comes along early in the album, the last half ends up suffering from a bit of overkill and not enough room to breath. No doubt that this band is talented, and in past albums, they were able to communicate their ability to work with more variety and dynamics, but on this album, there is a lack of this. Unfortunately, this brings the album down a bit as the listener might get tired of the tracks sounding too much alike, each one not having the personality to distinguish itself from the others. As each song and title has a story behind it, that translation gets lost in this studio setting, so even though the performance is exciting enough to give you a taste of their live shows, it gets lost in the band not communicating to the listener. It all ends up sounding impressive, but in the end, there isn't much that sticks in your memory when distinguishing one track from another. It ends up feeling like an average album, when in reality, it is better than average. The performances are top notch, but what it has in performance, it lacks in personality. It ends up getting 3.5 stars, but unfortunately rounds down to 3 in the end.

I remember the first element that caught my attention about this band named Marbin, was the curious cover art of their debut album, which reminded me a bit of Miyazaki's drawings, so then I listened to the music and liked what I heard. A couple of years after that discovery, I am here talking about Marbin's most recent album, which I knew thanks to Leonardo Pavkovic from Moonjune Records, the band's label. An album released in 2015 entitled Aggressive Hippies, whose story can be found and read on the Marbin ' Moonjune's bandcamp site; a curious and funny story, by the way. So Marbin has been frequently on my most recent listening sessions with their 2014 live album The Third Set, and now with this new one. Now I'll tell you why.

Aggressive Hippies consists of 53 explosive minutes divided in 9 songs in which Dani Rabin on guitars and Danny Markovitch on saxophone, provide wonderful compositions that are magnificently complemented by Greg Essig on drums and John W. Lauter on bass. The music they give us lies on the jazz fusion scene, however they bring several elements from rock, blues and experimental music. So during the whole album you will have a feast of energy and explosions in one hand, and some softer moments with some kind of jams in the other. An example of this, is the first song entitled 'Just Music', that I believe represents the global idea of enjoying the music without labels, because it is just music, you choose whether you like it or not.

'Y'all are Good' offers a great guitar sound making the rhythm first and later with some wonderful distorted solos, while drums and bass guide the structure and the saxophone adds its amazing charisma. I like a lot Marbin's music, and also it reminds me a bit of Mexican band Luz de Riada, which is one of my favorite national acts. But well, this song takes you to different roads, though in the end those roads take you to one destination: musical satisfaction. 'Intro' is a short song with a calm atmosphere in which guitar gives us a moment of relaxation. And it leads to 'African Shabtay' which shows us a bombastic and explosive sound since the very first second. Here we can appreciate the musicianship and how they spread their love for what they do, because one can easily notice that they get along very well and that they love writing and performing music, sometimes the music itself can give tell you the musicians' mood, and here I know they all were excited while recording this wonderful track.

'Juke Joint' is not that crazy as the previous track, this one has a slower rhythm led by saxophone that takes me a bit to Balkan territories. But that slower rhythm progresses and the intensity increases little by little; also, the leadership changes later when guitars take the baton and offer wonderful solos. It is undeniable these are creative and talented musicians, one can truly notice it on the almighty 'O'l Neckin'', a song that kicks asses, in which the drumming work is simply incredible, superb. Later, the saxophone shows how crazy it can get (and how amazing, of course). This is one of my favorite tracks on this album.

But I believe the pinnacle arrives with 'Morning Star', a 9-minute track whose first minute is very sensual and delicate, but later when guitar and bass join, the mood changes and it begins to build up new structures, adding a nice variety of textures and nuances that give as a result a wonderful experimental jazzy song whose different passages will not let you down, because no matter the changes and the directions, your attention and interest will be kept here. 'Aggressive Hippies' is the shortest track and the one with the happiest mood, a kind of rock-jazz that will suggest you even to dance. The last track is 'Jambo' which is an amazing outro, full of energy and power, where Marbin plays at its finest (well, in the whole album plays like this, actually) offering a extraordinary blend of jazz rock elements that can be devoured by your musical instinct anytime you wish.

What a great album by this wonderful band, without a doubt they earn a solid four-star rating, so please do yourself a favor and listen to it.

Enjoy it!

What an amazing band! Everytime I listen to Marbin, I simply wish to see them live in concert in the near future, because it is obvious they provide wonderful shows full of energy, jazz fusion/rock and craziness, one can tell by the music included in "The Third Set", a live album recorded from March to April 2013 and released a few months ago under the Moonjune Records label. Of course, I want to thank Leonardo Pavkovic for once again introducing me to wonderful groups.

The album features 10 songs and a total time of 65 minutes where Dani Rabin and Danny Markovitch, wonderfully joined by Justyn Lawrence and Jae Gentile, make first class music where our senses hide from reality and enter to a lunatic, yet adorable musical realm. The first track is "Special Olympics" and since the very first seconds one can perceive the energy, the power that these guy bring on stage, so it is easy to make a mind-trip and virtually attend to their show. The guitar work is simply amazing, this time more oriented to the rock side, but the jazz fusion side is always present somehow.

With "The Depot", they share a nice blend of rock & blues with a great progress, I mean, though it might start slowly, all of a sudden you realize they are jamming with a faster rhythm. Bass and drums prepare us for the show, while guitar first amazes us with its riffs, and later sax brings its cadency. "Crystal Bells" has a softer touch, relaxing sound produced by guitar, after a couple of minutes bass joins and a new structure is being prepared, later drums enter and now the music becomes trippy, rockier. It is always great when sax adds its special touch, there are some moments I would love to listen to it more frequently, however it appears when it has to.

"Redline" makes my wishes come true, because the saxophone has a main role here so it creates wonderful passages where the virtuosity of Markovitch stands out! There is craziness included in this track, and one thing is sure, you will enjoy it and you will shake your head. Some minutes later the guitar takes the lead, and the jam prevails, offering 8 minutes of pure bliss. "Culture" brings a sax introduction as a solo, almost two minutes later guitars, drums and bass enter and together create a magnificent act of deep intensity. In moments, they remind me of Mexican band Luz de Riada, whose live shows are as amazing as the Marbin ones.

"Vanthrax" sums up what we have been listening to so far: jazz fusion explosions, bombastic guitar riffs, great structures made by bass and drums, and the introduction of an exquisite saxophone in the right moments. "Rabak" provides craziness once again; I adore the energy the band implements, because it is simply contagious. Also worth mentioning they diverse inner changes in the songs, because they also give us relaxing moments, where one can take a breath after their faster moments.

One of my favorite tracks is "Splaw", here I totally love the bass player's work, it sounds clean and productive, always bringing the accurate rhythms no matter if guitar or sax are on their soft or crazy side. A wonderful blend of rock, jazz and even blues can be appreciated here. "Northern Oddyssey" is the shortest track, and it is about a ballad-like moment led by saxophone. Finally, "Volta" closes this wonderful live album. It has a sax oriented introduction, and then the expected explosion comes. So it goes until the very end, leaving us totally excited!

It is a great album without a doubt, recommended for those who love instrumental jazz fusion / jazz rock. My final grade, four solid stars.

Enjoy it!

US based band MARBIN was formed in 2007 by Danny Markovitch and Dani Rabin, and they released their debut album two years later. Since then Marbin has become firmly established as a live band, with hundreds of concerts all over the United States under their belt. They were also signed to Moonjune Records a few years back, and so far they have released two more studio albums on that label. "The Third Set" is their fourth full length production, and was released through Moonjune Records in the fall of 2014.

Marbin, as they come across on "The Third Set", appears to be a band that thrives on mixing elements from many different styles into their very own and specific take on jazz rock and jazz fusion. The sound is generally a gritty one, with plenty of details borrowed from traditional blues based hard rock, but generally explored within a jazz or jazz rock oriented framework. As Marbin comes across as an extremely tight live band, they manage to pull of their blend of styles in an excellent manner, and while they may get to be a tad too elongated or too chaotic at times they maintain a high level of interest throughout. A strong live album by a strong live band, and a production that merits a check by those who enjoy high quality instrumental jazz rock that blends in a fair amount of blues and hard rock, with a touch of metal as the icing on the cake.

Guitarist Dani Rabin and saxophonist Danny Markovitch started playing together in their native Israel in 2007, then after relocating to Chicago released their debut album in 2009. This gained them a lot of critical attention and they were asked to collaborate with 7-time Grammy winner and former Pat Metheny Group drummer, Paul Wertico on his album 'Impressions of a City'. The trio decided that they had a special chemistry together and that they wanted to keep playing and Paul brought in his former bandmate and current Pat Metheny Group bassist, Steve Rodby, to complete the line-up. What I like so much about this album is the sheer diversity of styles, and at times it is hard to comprehend that not only is it the same band but all from the same album as musically they are all over the place, which makes it fun not only for them but also to those playing the album.

Take "Mom's Song" for example, this contains some scat vocals and is gentle and restrained, but is followed by "Bar Stomp" which is a "Minnie The Moocher" with dirty guitars and plenty of emotion. The first time I played it I had to check what I was listening to as it is just so different to what is before and what follows. There is some wonderfully distorted and fuzzed guitar and slide guitar and a laid-back feel that just brings a smile to the face. But for all the times when they swap leads, moving through lots of different styles and antics, it is the very last song on the album that I have found myself returning to. In many ways it is the simplest, and is the only other song to feature vocals, but Daniel White has a commanding presence and the arrangement provided for "Winds of Grace" is perfect. In a perfect world this acoustic ballad would be top of the charts worldwide, and the sax would be seen as providing additional class with its' simple presence. But I guess this will just be our secret.

A wonderful album from start to the end. www.moonjune.com