CD-Review: Marion & Sobo – Gomera –

Fresh from the Press is a new “Gypsy”-Jazz Album of the “Marion & Sobo Band” with the title “Gomera”.

Here is a short excerpt from the Promo-Text of the Album: “New Gypsy Jazz, hugging the world by handmade acoustic music, filigran and colorful – even without drums high-energating”…

The bandsetup by Marion Lenfant-Preus (Voc), Alexander “Sobo” Sobocinski (Git), Frank Brembel (Viol.), Stefan Berger (Bs) and Jonas Vogelsang (Git) offer a bright mixed and colorful Album. If you really want to call it “Gypsy Jazz” you will have to decide by yourself.

Some “Jazz” is at least contained in the music of “Marion & Sobo” for sure. “Gypsy” in the contrary is for us just few in place, at least not enough to use it as marketing for this album. We would more call it “Worldmusic Mix with some Gypsy-influence” (see also further down).
But today meanwhile everything is beeing treated and sold as “Gypsy” (clothes, guitars, shoes, hats or … music). Because not only the word is “in”, but also so the style totally “en vogue”. Testemonial of this are the many Videos on Youtube and in social Media in which (mostly non-Sintis) present their music as so called “Gypsy-Jazz”. But back to the Album.

On the Album “Gomera” are 13 Tunes, some originals as well as some known Jazz-Covers such as “Puttin´on the ritz”, Que reste tíl de nos amours” or “Les Yeux noir (Black eyes)”.

Actually tunes like “Promesse” or “Vente anos” really have to do nothing with real Gypsy Jazz… but much more with south-american influences like the “Buenavista Social Club”.

The song “Opa Cupa” in contrary offers Balcan-influence of romanian Sinti-songs. Songs like “Moon” again are more or less World/Lounge/Chillout-Jazz styled.

All in all the somewhat disoriented choice of titles prints a pretty mixed impression on us, not knowing in which direction the Album really wants to head along…
Does it want to be pure “Gypsy Jazz” or does it more or less feature south-american Rumba- or even african Rhythms or experimental Chillout-Lounge-Jazz Sounds – tunes that are all completely different stylisticly, just bound together by the voice of Marion.

That said its not mentioned that the album “Gomera” has been made bad or played or sung weakly. But it feels a bit very much mixed, by the sheer blend of styles that lead in a wrong direction under the name of “Gypsy Jazz” under which its been marketed.

Maybe it would be better to choose another marketing claim such as “acoustic World-Jazz with Gypsy-influences”. Real “Gypsy Jazz” is something else, even if the solo playing of “Sobo” is close to it in some passages or the rhythm of some kind of “La Pompe” in some songs tries to suggest the implication of that genre. The Album is much better described by Roughtrade.com on their website like this:

The album “Gomera” by Marion & Sobo Band is a captivating musical journey that showcases the unique fusion of traditional African rhythms with contemporary jazz and world music influences

roughtrade.com

The “Marion & Sobo Band” paints an entertaining musical image and thus the Album “Gomera” will find its listeners which like and accept this style-mix. Our review: 3 *** out of 5 *****