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ALBUM REVIEW October 20, 2019

Marbin: Strong Thing

Read "Strong Thing" reviewed by Geannine Reid

Marbin consists of saxophonist Danny Markovitch, drummer Everette Benton Jr, guitarist Dani Rabin, and bassist Jon Nadel. Marbin has previously released seven albums: Marbin (Self-released, 2009), Breaking the Cycle (MoonJune, 2011), Last Chapter of Dreaming ( MoonJune, 2013), The Third Set (MoonJune, 2014), Aggressive Hippies (Marbin Music, 2015), Goatman and the House of the Dead (Marbin Music, 2016), and Israeli Jazz (Marbin Music, 2018). Their eighth album, Strong Thing, contains ten originals based in the jazz-rock fusion style.

ALBUM REVIEW August 2, 2018

Marbin: Israeli Jazz

By Chris M. Slawecki

Marbin's name and music come from the combined visions of saxophonist Danny Markovitch and guitarist Dani Rabin. Dani was born in California but grew up in Israel, where he met Markovitch and first formed Marbin as a duo in 2007. “Both Danny and I grew up in Israel listening to Israeli music, but we also grew up listening to jazz, rock, folk and blues," Rabin explains. “We felt it's appropriate to name the album Israeli Jazz because it ...

LIVE REVIEW April 15, 2018

Marbin at The Firmament

By Mark Sullivan

Marbin The Firmament Greenville, SC March 29, 2018 Chicago jazz-rock band Marbin is one of the great road warriors, having toured the U.S. extensively since 2011. They make fans the old-fashioned way: one at a time. The band was founded in 2007 by saxophonist Danny Markovitch and guitarist Dani Rabin in Israel (which explains the group name, a mashup of their last names). After moving to Chicago, they released their first album in 2009. Taking ...

ALBUM REVIEW February 27, 2017

Marbin: Goat Man & The House of the Dead

By Dave Wayne

It's truly been fun to watch Marbin grow and develop over the past few years. Their eponymous, self- released debut album, from way back in 2009, was a duet affair with the two principals--saxophonist Danny Markovitch and guitarist Dani Rabin--plying their talents on a clutch of brief and very intricate instrumentals. Sounding at times like an ECM release gone rogue, the duo's obvious virtuosity and poorly-suppressed manic energy made their subsequent forays into heavy instrumental rock no great surprise. Yet, ...

ALBUM REVIEW January 8, 2016

Marbin: Aggressive Hippies

By Dave Wayne

Far from being just another jazz-rock fusion band, Marbin occupies their own stylistic space. More an instrumental rock band than a jazz fusion band, Marbin's music seems to come from the guitar hero world of Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Joe Bonamassa. But there's a good deal of other stuff going on in their music. Steeped in blues, surf, and the folk music of their native Israel, in addition to jazz- rock, Marbin consistently avoids easy pigeonholing. Part of this ...

ALBUM REVIEW February 1, 2015

Marbin: The Third Set

By Glenn Astarita

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 ...

EXTENDED ANALYSIS May 31, 2013

Marbin: Last Chapter of Dreaming

By Dave Wayne

Back in the 1970s, fusion used to mean one thing; the melding of jazz improvisation and chord structures with the stylistic eclecticism and pure energy of progressive rock. As a recognizable formula emerged, it became common to hear the exotic strains of various ethnic musics in a jazz-rock fusion context. By the late '70s, its emphasis shifted again towards more accessible pop and R&B-derived sounds driven by the economic demands of the time, leaving us with smooth jazz. The 21st ...