MARION & SOBO BAND (DE/FR/PL) shuttle back and forth with fascinating lightness between vocal gypsy jazz and swing, chansons and sonorities from Brazil to the Balkans. The French singer Marion Lenfant-Preus (who was raised in a bilingual family from France & the USA) and the Polish guitarist Alexander Sobocinski („Sobo“) present their own compositions, chanson-like songs and sensitive arrangements of folklore melodies that they weave into a very special, beguiling world of sound.
„We travel. We explore. We play“ is their motto. Their international roots, their experiences around the world and their everyday life are the the source of inspiration for their music and the stage is their home. No concert is the same while these talented musicians play/sing with charm, humor, finesse, artistry and enthusiasm to a cross-generational and cross-cultural audience.
MARION & SOBO BAND make us travel the world with each song from a café in Paris, a walk along the Donau, or dancing through the streets of Rio, New Orleans or Buenos Aires. Marion's love for languages transpires through her music as she sings in french, spanish, english, german, portuguese, albaresh, macedonian and romales. She also uses her multifaceted voice as an instrument for improvisation showing the same dexterity as the instrumentalists playing alongside her. The violin, guitars and double bass combine expressive and sensitive melodies with improvisation. They deliver an energetic and rhythmic sound without using any percussion instrument or drums. Instead, we follow the drive of the percussive guitars and their unique sound reminding us of the Selmer-Macaferri of the 1930s, and sounding both timeless and contemporary.
MARION & SOBO BAND naviguates both the jazz and the global music scenes by playing at festivals such as the International Jazzweek Burghausen 2019 (with world renowned gypsy jazz guitarist Joscho Stephan as their guest), and being chosen by the german cultural office NRW Kultursekretariat for the sponsorship "Musikkulturen" 2019/2020. The band also partipated in the finales of „Creole NRW“ global music competition in 2017.
Marion Lenfant-Preus // Gesang
Alexander Sobocinski // Gitarre
Stefan Berger // Kontrabass
Frank Brempel // Violin
Jonas Vogelsang // Gitarre
