Press Reviews

Austin Chronicle Music Poll '07-'08:

Top Ten Best 'Horns' (M-Squad)

Austin Chronicle Music Poll '06-'07:

Top Ten Best 'None of the Above'

Top Ten Best 'Horns' (M-Squad)

Austin Chronicle Music Poll '05-'06:

Top Ten Best 'Hip Hop'

Top Ten Best 'Horns' (M-Squad)

Austin Chronicle Music Poll '04-'05:

Top Ten Best 'Jam Band'


Club.Kingsnake.com

2007

by John Rucker

"I needed something different and found it. Jabarvy***** may be the biggest surprise find for me this year. Austin based, I caught half of their 2 hour set at a non SXSW event that blew me away. I’m a sucker for talent and this 6 piece, literally had it all. Soulful sax, virtuoso guitar, funky bass and great songs. Their sound ranged from Dave Matthews jam to John Coltrane jazz. Their version of Stevie Wonders, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” with extended solo’s and screaming horns exemplified why they are listed in the Austin Chronicles top 10 bands for 2006 in the “other” category. I’ll be making a trip back to Austin to see Jabarvy again, soon!"

SanAngeloLive.com

2007

by Mark Kneubuhl

"During the review process, music is picked, peeled and pitted with a zealous intensity like that of a first year med student dissecting his first cadaver. Admittedly, we at LIVE! are also guilty of searching for too much rhyme and reason when basically all musical events can be described as “Great fun,” “Good fun,” or “Should have stayed home and watched TV.”

So, in the review of Jabarvy’s weekend performance at the Steel Penny Pub (2412 College Hills, San Angelo, Texas) we’ll get right to the point: Jabarvy is GREAT FUN! If you love music –all kinds, and that pre-mortal feeling of being energized by sound, you’ve gotta see them.

Of the 20 or so different musical genres today, their musical passport is stamped with jazz, blues, R&B, jam, experimental, funk and a hint of swing. And in songs like “Climb to the Sparrows,” the band has successfully migrated into the folk realm.

“We sometimes have a hard time putting a label on our music,” said bass player, Ryan “The Sham” Jones. “I like to call it ‘intellectual.’”

When comparing Jabarvy to other groups (which is hardly fair to the artists, but we do it anyway), they’re almost a cross between Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass and Dave Brubeck, but with more vocals. Well, maybe they are like Chicago a little, too. And to further complicate this freaky mix, lead singer/drummer Andy Harn has a voice reminiscent of Steve Windwood.

Another unfair comparison might be to Tower of Power, but not simply because Jabarvy has a hot horn section in the ‘M-squad’. It’s more of the effect that impulsive, high-energy music can have over a person.

Beside just great music, there’s also a cohesiveness in the group like that of a well tuned marching band, which is no accident because they were once all members of their high school marching band in Lubbock. “Except Charlie, he was in the choir,” said Meg. “Charlie is the different one. We like to take our shoes off when we perform, but Charlie refuses.”

Jabarvy’s first CD, self-titled and produced, came out last August and is available on iTunes.

Personally, I think the Austin Chronicle should yank one of their guys off 6th street and send them over to the outskirts. Jabarvy is deserving of the exposure...with good things to follow."

CD Review - INSite

Magazine 10/06

by Sean Claes, editor

"This Austin-based six piece band sounds much larger than it is. With the saxophone taking the spot usually designated for the guitar, these guys are unconventionally amazing. Definitely jam-band material.

The beat is laid down by lead-singer/drummer Andy Harn, and the co-lead singer, Margaret Harn, is also on trumpets. The band is rounded off by Ryan Jones in bass, Meg Kemp on saxophone, Jon Olson on guitars, and Charlie Narayan on electric guitar.

I was lucky enough to check Jabarvy out for the first time at their CD release party August 10, 2006 at the Parish. I also happened to wander by them playing at the Troubadour Saloon on August 17.

The first thing I noticed was the tight groove the band laid down live. They were able to carry that feel over to their debut CD. Andy Harn has a very interesting skew on life and his lyrics are a testament to that. Like on the first song, "Legs, Feets, Sheets." Never did I think I'd jam to a song about a bed too small. The same for "Marcia Martian," a song about meeting an alien who can deliver love to all. "Now, Marcia's never been here before/ but for everything there's a first time."

There are a couple of instrumentals that sound great as well. These guys are on to something, and I can just hope many more people discover the sweet groove of Jabarvy.

To compare them to Austin's Grupo Fantasma is a little bit of a stretch, but they've got that wonderful musicianship and dedication to lyrical content that I found in Fantasma when I first discovered them a few years back. So, I highly recommend their self-titled debut (it can be found in Waterloo Records in Austin) and heading out to one of their shows. They are actaull in Austin four times in October, check out their site www.jabarvy.com/ for dates. If you're one of the million on 6th Street on Halloween, wander into the Troubadour, grab a beverage and sample them. You'll be back. CD Review - (A)

Lubbock- Avalance Journal

by William Kerns

"Each musician brings his or her own dynamic to Jabarvy."

Flanfire '06

by Duggan Flanakin

"Like Spirit (thank you, Andes brothers and family), Jabarvy IS a band that lives up to the totem, "The family that plays together (stays together)" - and this band has ALREADY lasted longer than the original Spirit lineup (yes, that's the title of Spirit's second release - and one of my favorite records of all time). After only one exposure, I am hooked, and I could listen to the band's debut record for a long, long time!

What's more - Jabarvy is from LUBBOCK -- and we are talking junior high daze and playing together for many, many years. The band threw quite a party at The Parish on Thursday to celebrate the release of their brand-new CD "Jabarvy" -- but their REAL CD release party was back in Lubbock last Sunday, where the band unveiled their T-shirts and tank-tops for the first time ... designed by the "M-Squad," a.k.a. the band's two-woman horn section, Margaret (Whitt) Harn (her NEW last name!) on trumpet and Meg Kemp on alto sax. As Jabarvy sez, "There's something about that dirt there in Lubbock that creates good musicians and great music."

Jabarvy has been playing around Austin for a while now - they were, after all, voted one of the city's top ten jam bands in 2005 - and the band has switched out personnel over the years. For example, singer Andy Harn used to front the band playing acoustic guitar, but now he rides herd from his drum kit. Ryan "Sham" Jones (the guy with the goatee) is the bassist, and lead guitar licks are shared by Charlie Narayan and Jon Olson.

The band's press kit tells us that "jabarvy" means "celebration of the spirit" OR "barefoot ceremony," while their myspace page says the name means "chosen family." Indeed Jabarvy reminds me of Spirit in its eclectic approach to music and song lyrics as well. I could only stay for part of the gig, but Meg and Margaret make for one of Austin's official top 10 horn sections (some would say a "perfect 10" horn section), and the band really has FUN on stage. Influences range from Beethoven (Ludwig, not the dog) to Bela Fleck to Herbie Hancock and Dave Brubeck and Chick Corea to the Allman Brothers, Pearl Jam and Steely Dan - and, yes, Snoop Dogg!

SONGS! (all lyrics by Andy Harn) -- but let's start with the powerful instrumentals -- 'Shamstrumental' by Sham, of course, 'Nice Young Lady Leaving for the North Country' by Olson, and the 'Outro Jam," which does have some lyrics ..."A dream for you, the catch of a perfect breeze .... a lesson that lesser tomorrows teach ... teach me the way."

Lady opens with a beautiful trumpet solo that gives way after a minute or so to a tantalizing guitar solo (also quiet); then the pace picks up, and the guitar gets sultrier and the cymbals overlay the melody; next comes the saxophone joining the fray, and the dance begins ... and the pace quickens again, and all of a sudden we are into full tilt boogie driven by a screaming sax. Shamstrumental sounds like something out of The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus -- except with a horn section.

'Sweetness in the Sunshine' is alt-country, and 'Legs, Feet, Sheets' is Andy's (he's a tall dude) lament that "I wish my bed had thought ahead and grown to be six foot-four." 'Way To Be' is folky ... "There's a place that's greener than you know, then you know that you're green, too." This is one of several duets with Andy and Margaret ... this song too shows the band's soft side.

'Syzygy' is a fast jazz shuffle and funky love song, while 'Marcia Martian' is a West Texas ode to looking up at the sky and daydreaming while hanging with one's best pals -- and spacing out, feeling that "we need more love down here" that maybe a spacewoman might supply.

'Through the Garden' is a richly textured song (has a rhumba feel) that again comes from spending time in nature - "Ever taller than the falling rain, between the weather and the wind, the sound of a thunder cloud is my passion; Gently waying on the frail breeze among the seed and the bone, the garden and living earth is my passion." The horns are hot hot hot here -- but so is the sassy guitar work.

'Climb to the Sparrows' is a wine song (and a love song of sorts) and a duet with Andy and Margaret -- but this song is notable even moreso for a guitar solo that would fit right in on an Allman Brothers (or Spirit!) live set ...

You can listen to lots of Jabarvy songs on their website (www.jabarvy.com) ... but I recommend that you waste no time in catching their live shows, which include various dates at the Troubadour Saloon and Momo's."

-Duggan Flanakin, Flanfire.blogspot.com

Study Breaks Magazine/

Cover Story

Lubbock/ Texas Tech edition (Fall '05)

Margaret at Fire & Ice makes the cover

"Influenced from everything from bluegrass to hip-hop, Jabarvy guarantees a show like you have never seen before."

Q101.com Review

by Andi, Lubbock, TX

"Just heard about this band from my home state from a friend. As far as I know you can only get it on iTunes but its well worth the download! They have a very new sound, sort of a mix of traditional rock, texas rock, alternative and ska. The leads are a male and female vocalist whose voices make an interesting, almost harmonious mix. Trumpets, sax, piano, and drums compliment, but don't overpower, the guitars and voices for a surprising twist. They also avoid falling into the trap of having a "signature" style--from an instrumental piece to a youthful, almost punky "marcia marcian" to a country-twinged "sweetness in the sunshine." They are quickly becoming one of my favorite albums to play on the way to work when I need a little pick-me-up. I would highly recommend downloading this one as fast as your internet connection will let you!"

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