Musical masterminds are few and far between. So many musicians are skilled in their craft, but so few are able to perform to a superior level. The jazz duo, Danny Rabin and Danny Markovitch, of the eclectic group Marbin have a new release called Breaking the Cycle. It is just a phenomenal collection of musical artistry that stuns accomplished musicians.
The group had highly talented musicians working on this recording. Beyond Rabin and Markovitch the members of this group are definitely professionals. Paul Wertico comes to this group with a long list of accolades. While working with The Pat Metheny Group they were given Grammy Awards seven-times. The amazing clock like skills provided by this machine could not be knocked out of time by a wrecking ball. His dynamics lent to this CD is exactly what this band needed.
The low end of this project is provided by Steve Rodby and he carries out the task with perfection. Although some may think he isn’t playing much on these recordings, people need to remember that sometimes less is more. A musically trained ear listens to his performances and enjoys every note as he helps to hold it all together. He is a stealth bass player, you feel him, but you don’t see him.
Other special guests on Breaking the Cycle are Jamey Haddad on percussion, Matt Davidson on vocals, Leslie Beukelman on vocals, Makaya McCraven on drums, and Daniel White with lyrics and vocals. These five gentlemen made contributions to this masterpiece that is very impressive in their own right. Marbin would not be what it is without these contributions.
The song “Loopy” has a tribal and somewhat of a middle-eastern style to it in parts. Danny Markovitch makes the sax sound almost like a keyboard on this wonderful piece. The song has a strong musical canvas for Markovitch to play melodies over and he does it with impeccable care.
“A Serious Man” is smooth and has a sound that makes you feel like you are in a foreign land. Melodic sax pieces are very well complemented by the guitar as it floats so beautifully across the song. These two musicians feed off of each other’s accents and tones giving back to one another while creating magic. As they work together as one, they create music that is unbelievable to hear.
“Mom’s Song” is a sweet piece with some accented vocals that aren’t really saying anything, but also saying a lot. Leslie Beukelman and Matt Davidson provide the vocals on this track and “Western Sky.” Flamenco sounding guitar chords laid the rhythm to this slow piece that is sweet to the ears as the joyful sounding vocals help to accent the melodies played within the finger tips of Dani Rabin.
Makaya McCraven appears on drums on the song “Bar Stomp” which is a great piece with a lot of energy. The tap of the cymbals is constantly keeping time as Dani Rabin’s guitar comes to life within the work. The man obviously listened to Steve Vai or someone similar and most likely Dave Gilmour. So much of their styles are heard within Marbin. The beginning melody line to “Summertime” at one point during the song can be heard as it is definitely a recognizable riff. He strays off from the melody in a creative jazzy way. The feelings pouring from the guitar are just amazing within every note played.
“Outdoor Revolution” is a great Christmas sounding song. Nice picked out guitar chords are blended with saxophone creating a sound reminiscent of wintertime. Sounds like nothing really heard before, but has a feeling of warmth as it builds. It’s a song that could be left on repeat in a CD player and the listener would never get tired of hearing it.
“Western Sky” is a nice song that again has vocals that don’t say anything. A great song, but the vocals get to be a bit much after listening to this one for a bit. The accenting vocals are well sung, but they could’ve been cut a little short. Markovitch comes in to take over and helps the song that was almost ruined by the vocal line.
“Burning Match” starts out with a nice bass and sax accompaniment that is just perfect. Some nice guitar work blends its way into the song as the sax is the focus and then the drums come in. When they come rolling in the guitar takes over the song and picks out a nice slow solo with feeling. Sounds that are familiar to Jeff Beck come from the Dani’s guitar. The sax comes back into regain the song for a bit and then back to the guitar for some Brian May style solo that is just phenomenal. There is a feeling that goes through you as the sax hovers on some of the lower tones that gives you chills. The song suddenly climbs to an opera like level in change. Builds with the guitar and then mellowed out with the sax. Very dramatic and melodic exchanges of instruments occur as “Burning Match” comes to an end.
“Claire’s Indigo” is somewhat repetitious with a sweeping across the strings. The cymbal and other percussion accompaniment works well as notes flow from Markovitch. The clock like guitar rhythms almost ticks along like a clock. Another laid back calm piece from Marbin.
“Snufkin” sounds like a spinoff of some great musical with the percussive works within the beginning of this one. It has the feeling that it should’ve been in one of the great Gershwin compositions. The drums are chiming away as the sax goes crazy in a solo run.
“The Old Silhouette” sounds like an old style of song lead by sax with a strong rhythm being held by the drummer. The guitar blends with the song and sounds like dual saxophones. The song has a Pink Floyd feel. The jazzy complicated solos are as musically sound as anything that any of the big named guitar Gods could do. The sounds are very ethnic and old world as it flows with the melody line.
“Winds of Grace” is the only song on the album with vocals that are actually saying anything. Daniel White lends his creative side to this project for a track and puts together something that is mighty powerful. The guitar chords pick out a nice piece that allows White to tell his story. The vocal skill level of Daniel is rock solid. The song has a nice melody played by the sax. Nice acoustic sound from the guitar. Once the song is over you start to hear birds and waves hitting the shore. Then in comes the sax with a nice melody line that is just gorgeous. As Markovitch puts the finishing touches to “Winds of Grace” and Breaking the Cycle the notes come to your ears as if they were from the hand of God. If there is music in Heaven, this has to be what it sounds like.
These incredible musicians called Marbin released Breaking the Cycle in the spring of 2011 and it is a work of art. So many mellow sounds show off the skills of the virtuoso leaders of this band Dani Rabin and Danny Markovitch. They themselves and everyone involved are superior musicians playing stuff that will never be heard in pop music because so much of the music market is flooded with idiots. This CD is a compilation of songs that impresses the local area top guitar shredders. It is truly something that musicians themselves can listen to and be jealous. The members of Marbin should be proud of the work they did on this one as it is a musical creation that could be around forever. To the lucky individuals who bought the CD, it is instantly a staple within their music collection.
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