by Mark Kadzielawa

Marbin is a very exciting new instrumental group mixing jazz, rock, and bits and pieces of just about any other style you can imagine. The band consists just of two players. Guitar player, Dani Rabin, and saxophonist, Danny Markovitch. Marbin is often aided by other musicians, but the core of the band is the above mentioned duo.

The group formed in Israel, but chose to relocate to United States, making Chicago its new home. Soon after relocating to Chicago, Marbin cut their debut self-titled album. The recording was solid, it put the band on the map, and showed a lot of potential. Marbin began to gig around town, and sometimes even in their own apartment. They continued to grow and develop songs for the second release.

Marbin attracted the attention of MoonJune Records, and released its second album "Breaking The Cycle." The new album marks a big musical growth, and shows the band realizing its great potential. It's a monumental release, in a musical sense. Full of passionate melodies, and great interaction from the two key players. "Breaking The Cycle" is aided by a number of established stars such as Paul Wertico or Jamey Haddad just to name a few. The album shows Marbin as a band maturing at a very fast pace, and finding its own original style and direction.

Dani Rabin and Danny Markovitch are two very confident individuals who made their dream come alive, and now they are taking it to another level. The band is receiving a lot of attention, and the album is getting a worldwide recognition. Both players are excited to discuss the steps leading to this very "breaking" moment.

How did you first get interested in music?
Dani Rabin: I was exposed to classical music at an early age, but the first time I remember enjoying it, was a Metallica concert in Israel when I was about 13. I was more drawn to the fashion than the music though. I got interested in music a while after I started playing guitar.
Danny Markovitch: My dad plays the accordion and my brother plays piano, so music was always a part of my life.
What made you pick up an instrument?
Dani Rabin: When I was 15, I was very into metal and playing seemed like a logical step.
Danny Markovitch: My brother was a jazz pianist, and he encouraged me to pick up the saxophone.
How did the two of you meet?
Dani Rabin: We met when I came back to Israel on summer break. I came with a drummer from the U.S. and we hooked up with Danny (Markovitch) and a bass player and started a fusion band together.



What kind of scene did you have in Israel?
We were never a part of any scene. Scenes are about musicians replacing the audience and reassuring their colleges how good they all are. We just played shows (a lot of shows) for real people.
What was the initial spark that made you work together?
We booked some studio time and our drummer ended up having some stomach flu. Me and Danny decided to use that time to do a duo studio improvisation and Marbin was born.



When did you realize the chemistry was right?
Right away!
I understand name Marbin has a story behind it, can you explain it?
It’s just a combination of our last names (MARkovitch and raBIN.)
How long did you function before you relocated to U.S.?
About a year.
Who's idea was it to move to U.S.?
Israel is not a good place for ambitious musicians and opportunity wise due to its size.
How did you go about finding a base in the U.S.?
We followed our drummer. We came to Chicago to play with our fusion band and after about 3 months of being here we decided to focus on Marbin.
How long did it take to write the songs for the first album?
We write together and usually finish each song in one sitting. I think all the songs on that album were done on different days, so 8 days because the 2nd the 6th and the 8th track were improvised in the studio on the same day.
Your first album is a self-release, was it easy to put it all together?
We had a very good financial arrangement, and since we are a duo, it was cheap and very easy comparatively to the second one.
When listening to Marbin one gets a sense of style, how long did it take you to establish it?
It was there all along. We write the music that we want to listen to.
How did you go about having your music heard?
We did everything we could in terms of playing out, touring, digital promotion and sending press kits, but our music wasn’t heard yet. Our first record got great reviews but I have the feeling that it was heard by more critics than normal people.
Your style tends to be somewhat difficult to pin down, how would you describe it?
It's our songs played our way. We are interested in delivering great melodies that ride on interesting colorful textures, and then play some bad-ass improvised solos. That’s what we like in instrumental music.
Also, in the meantime you're worked with Paul Wertico on his solo album. How enriching was the experience for you?
Paul is our favorite jazz drummer in the world! Before we moved to Chicago, I remember telling a friend of mine that we are going to move there and get in his band, and that’s exactly what happened. Playing on the album was the first time we played together. Since the music is all improvised it wasn’t a challenge. We just had to show up on time, be ourselves and hope that he likes what he hears. Thankfully he did.
Your contributions to the Wertico's album are very visible, it's like a band within a band. How do you view it?
The freedom of playing in that band is hard to explain. It’s an exploration and you are encouraged to try things. We try to be ourselves in Marbin, and in the Mideast/Midwest Alliance, and I think that it comes across the same. We (I mean Marbin) work together all the time and developed a way of interacting that creates that feeling of a band within a band.
Since releasing the first album how would you say the band progressed?
We started writing songs that are more harmonically active. Our second album "Breaking The Cycle" has drums, bass and percussion so we came out with a batch of songs that make room for that addition.

The newer songs clearly take a solid step forward in the areas of melody and arrangements. How would you describe the new material?
Just as you said it: A step forward. It’s the music that we want to hear.
How different was the overall recording process from the first record?
Very different. We recorded the 1st album as a duo so we had complete control over everything. This time each of the musicians brought their own personality to the table.
Do you find yourself more proficient in the studio nowadays?
Yes. We recorded a big portion of this album on our own, and are about to start the 3rd Marbin album in a month or two where we will be taking care of the majority of the recording process.
The new album included some additional musicians. Who was it, and how did they get involved?
Paul Wertico on drums, Jamey Haddad on percussion, Steve Rodby on bass, Daniel White, Matt Davidson, and Leslie Buckleman on Vocals. All these people were handpicked to fit our songs.
Many of these names are very prolific. How were you able to get them to perform on the record?
When the music is good people want to be a part of it, and we were blessed working with great musicians.
Do you have any problems re-producing the music live?
We don’t try to reproduce it. Our live show definitely has a raw energy that can’t come across in recordings, and our recordings have a complexity that can’t come across in live shows.



Also, you do some very intimate shows in your apartment. How did this come about?
It's cold in Chicago and we don’t want to leave our apartment and we figured that the audience is leaving theirs regardless. The funny thing is that in our last apartment show the president of MoonJune record from NYC came, and we ended up getting signed to his label. So our advice to other young aspiring musicians is this: never leave your house to play shows outside because you never know who is going to come over!
Now, that you have a label behind you. What are the plans to promote the new album?
We’re super excited to be working with Leonardo Pavkovic and to be a part of the MoonJune family. We have some tour planned for the fall. Our plan is to play as many shows as possible, and hopefully get some national press.
Is there a hope Marbin might tour in support of the album?
As of now, Marbin is going to tour the Midwest in the upcoming months and go on some international tours in the fall. For our itinerary please visit our website.
Your music often has a soundtrack vibe to it. Would that be something you'd consider along the way?
Of course. We will sell out as soon as someone buys us out (laughter...)
What are your general hopes for "Breaking the Cycle?"
Artistically the album is what we wanted it to be. We hope to sell at least 40,000 copies.

Links:
www.marbinmusic.com