Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Marbin: The Third Set

32

Marbin: The Third Set

By

Sign in to view read count
Marbin: The Third Set
Marbin is known for its extensive touring schedules, coupled with the instrumentalists' exhilarating interactions. But in the studio, the musicians present a variegated jamboree of acoustic-electric pieces, often layered with memorable hooks and textural soundscapes amid the frontline's invigorating solo jaunts. However, The Third Set captures the unit's explosive progressive rock and jazz rock nomenclature at its finest. It's an unrelenting feast for the aural senses as guitarist Dani Rabin and saxophonist Danny Markovitch generate lightning fast unison choruses and dynamic solo sprees atop the rhythm section's tight, razor-sharp focus.

The ensemble pulls out the proverbial stops, shadowed by heavy metal and hard rock overtones via Rabin's bone-crushing chords and echoing single note excursions that quite noticeably, get the spectators' juices flowing. For example on "Crystal Bells," the guitarist's bluesy progressions lead to screeching upper-register breakouts and super-speed paths of destruction. Other regions of sound are devised with psycho rock riffing and slamming backbeats at moderate to fast tempos. And Markovitch's fervent sax lines incorporate the jazz vernacular or jazz fusion when he goes toe-to-toe with Rabin during a surfeit of spiraling unison incursions.

Rabin proffers additional interest by alternating his guitar sound within various bridge sections and soloing spots, often yielding a rainbow-like assortment of tonal contrasts. Yet on "Rabak," the saxophonist's expressive lines accelerate the 4/4 groove, abetted by Rabin's galvanizing heroics and climactic sequencing, as he deconstructs matters and rebuilds tension. Here, they pose a sensation that something ominous is lurking in the shadows, leading to a steamy hyper-mode passage, featuring Justyn Lawrence's brisk soloing across the toms. Overall, an exciting no-holds-barred presentation, firmed up by the musicians' expert technical capacities and killer stage presence that transfers to disc rather effectively.

Track Listing

Special Olympics; The Depot; Crystal Bells; Redline; Culture; Vanthrax; Rabak; Splaw; Northern Odyssey; Volta.

Personnel

Marbin
band / ensemble / orchestra

Dani Rabin: guitars; Danny Markovitch: saxophone; Justyn Lawrence: drums; Jae Gentile: bass.

Album information

Title: The Third Set | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Moonjune Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.