Guitarist Dani Rabin and saxophonist Danny Markovitch started playing together in their native Israel in 2007, then after relocating to Chicago released their debut album in 2009. This gained them a lot of critical attention and they were asked to collaborate with 7-time Grammy winner and former Pat Metheny Group drummer, Paul Wertico on his album ‘Impressions of a City’. The trio decided that they had a special chemistry together and that they wanted to keep playing and Paul brought in his former bandmate and current Pat Metheny Group bassist, Steve Rodby, to complete the line-up. What I like so much about this album is the sheer diversity of styles, and at times it is hard to comprehend that not only is it the same band but all from the same album as musically they are all over the place, which makes it fun not only for them but also to those playing the album.
Take “Mom’s Song” for example, this contains some scat vocals and is gentle and restrained, but is followed by “Bar Stomp” which is a “Minnie The Moocher” with dirty guitars and plenty of emotion. The first time I played it I had to check what I was listening to as it is just so different to what is before and what follows. There is some wonderfully distorted and fuzzed guitar and slide guitar and a laid-back feel that just brings a smile to the face. But for all the times when they swap leads, moving through lots of different styles and antics, it is the very last song on the album that I have found myself returning to. In many ways it is the simplest, and is the only other song to feature vocals, but Daniel White has a commanding presence and the arrangement provided for “Winds of Grace” is perfect. In a perfect world this acoustic ballad would be top of the charts worldwide, and the sax would be seen as providing additional class with its’ simple presence. But I guess this will just be our secret. A wonderful album from start to the end.
