If you were impressed by Marbin's 2011 release Breaking the Cycle, then you will be in for quite a surprise on their brand new CD Last Chapter of Dreaming. In the span of barely two years, the instrumental fusion outfit has grown considerably in both their songwriting skills and even musically, no doubt helped by all the constant touring they do opening for the likes of Allan Holdsworth & Scott Henderson, and the resulting Last Chapter of Dreaming is a complete monster of an album, and a real winner for MoonJune Records.
Marbin in 2013 are Danny Markovitch (sax/keyboards), Dani Rabin (guitar), Justyn Lawrence (drums), and Jae Gentile (bass), and they've included a few guests here on this latest CD, including jazz luminaries such as Steve Rodby, Jamey Haddad, Paul Wertico, and others. There's a nice mix of bombastic, heavy jazz-fusion numbers like "Blue Fingers" and "On the Square", featuring muscular rhythms, stabbing sax, and lean, mean guitar work, as well as more sedate pieces that touch on prog, folk, and jazz. "Cafe de Nuit" is a lovely little number featuring Rabin's deft acoustic guitar work and Markovitch's soothing keyboards, while "Volta" is a sumptuous, soaring track featuring alluring sax melodies and irresistible rhythms, Of course, if you really love the more challenging & rocking side of the fusion genre, numbers like "Redline" and "The Ballad of Daniel White" will go a long way to scratching your itch for blistering guitar and complex rhythms. However, Marbin show here on Last Chapter of Dreaming that they've also adapted the ability to use subtlety within the confines of their intricate arrangements. "Down Goes the Day", "The Way to Riches", "Last Days of August", and especially the title track all feature adventurous passages but the band chooses not to bombard the listener with too many solos, instead injecting memorable melodies and tasty unison lines that stick in your head but still wow you at the same time. Rabin throughout is a talent not to be missed, whether it be on electric or acoustic guitar. At times reminiscent of Holdsworth, Henderson, as well as Carlos Santana, he has an explosive style but yet his more laid back passages are equally as mesmerizing.
Jazz-fusion, rock, folk, blues, prog-rock, bits of heavy metal, and straight jazz...it's all here folks in one nice little package. Last Chapter of Dreaming is a sizzling collection of music from a band that needs to be on your immediate radar if they aren't already.
Track Listing
1) Blue Fingers
2) Inner Monologue
3) Breaking the Cycle
4) On the Square
5) Cafe de Nuit
6) Redline
7) Volta
8) The Ballad of Daniel White
9) Down Goes the Day
10) The Way to Riches
11) An the Night Gave Nothing
12) Purple Field
13) Last Days of August
14) Last Chapter of Dreaming
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