MARBIN — Aggressive Hippies (review)

MARBIN — Aggressive Hippies album cover Album · 2015 · Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
js
When Marbin first hit the scene in 2009, they presented a sort of jam band/art rock hybrid, with several tracks revealing jazz fusion leanings. Last year’s live CD, “The Third Set”, finally showed Marbin unleashing their inner mounting birds of fire fusion attack that you knew was there all along. Much of “Third Set”s direction came from guitarist DanI Rabin, who really came alive on this live set, and moved up a few notches in the ranks of guitar fusion fretboard heroes. With their new CD, “Aggressive Hippies”, Marbin continues in this high energy rockin approach to fusion, but this time around, saxophonist Danny Markovitch has a more pronounced presence and is up for matching Rabin ‘blow for blow’.

As mentioned earlier, Marbin’s approach to fusion leans to the rock side as they can often recall early Mahavishnu, Tommy Bolin with Cobham and Miles’ mid-70s rock band with Pete Cosey. DanI Rabin is one of those guitarists with a fluid singing tone along the lines of Jeff Beck, Steve Vai and Oz Noy. Danny Markovitch’s sax playing avoids the long lines of the post bop players, but instead goes for fast punchy repeating riffs that are similar to a rock guitar style. DanI and Danny together are reminiscent of Miles’ mid-70s rockin sax/guitar attack via Pete Cosey and Sonny Fortune. Some of these influences may be there, but Marbin definitely has their own sound, possibly a little more melodic and upbeat than these possible influences.

The big pluses with Marbin are their high energy level, strong melodic writing skills and a sense of sheer uplifting joy in their music. This is not a band going through the motions looking for another buck. Although “Aggressive Hippies” is a studio album, it was recorded as a live jam in the studio, and that really comes through. Generally, “Aggressive Hippies” is every bit as loose and ‘live’ as their preceding live set released in 2014.
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