The Marxophonies by Daniel Berkman
In 2016 I released my Christmas album "A Christmas Wish" which featured novelty zithers such as the marxophone, ukelin and tremoloa.
It was my attempt at bringing back and expanding upon an old album from the 60's called "Holiday Ukelin Fest" by String Solo Celeste.
I thought the concept needed to be revisited.
I was gifted the marxophone and ukelin by friend and colleague Frank Garvey and without knowing what they were, I did a YouTube search and decided to make music with them. The thought came early on to make a Christmas album, exploiting their rustic charm and aesthetic, but before embarking on a Christmas album I started to write for the instruments while doing the Song A Day challenge which was a peer driven competition of songwriters who would write, record and post a song a day for the month of February.
This was where I had amassed hundreds of songs and pieces using various instruments.
The year was about 2014 and my focus was on the zithers.
This is where the bulk of "The Marxophonies" came from.
Subsequent to that I pulled together "A Christmas Wish" in just a few weeks before Christmas. The tremoloa was purchased on eBay at the last minute and became a crucial part of the experience.
I'm hoping that The Marxophonies revives these instruments and their sonic potential. The music here transports us to different genres, sentiments and textures. I wanted to pay tribute to the past but flirt with the present.
I think The Marxophonies is some of my best work and I hope you enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed making it.
- Daniel Berkman (2025)
Tracklist
| 1. | Hand-me-downs | 4:40 |
| 2. | Coffee & Donuts | 0:40 |
| 3. | With You With Me | 3:53 |
| 4. | Leo Son | 2:48 |
| 5. | For Edgar | 3:48 |
| 6. | For Saint Colombe | 2:39 |
| 7. | Sanctuary | 2:38 |
| 8. | Sundowning | 2:08 |
| 9. | Sweetie Pea | 1:17 |
| 10. | The Girl Who Liked Rice A' Roni | 0:34 |
| 11. | Weepin Willow by Weepy Sales and the Tremoloa Tramps | 2:23 |
| 12. | when i tell | 1:51 |
| 13. | A Day At The Flea Market | 2:25 |
| 14. | For Good | 5:50 |
| 15. | Raisin The Bar | 2:43 |
Credits
License
All rights reserved.
Daniel Berkman is a Bay Area electronic musician, composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, looper and innovator of the Kora (a 21-stringed harp-lute from West Africa) and it's modern counterpart, the Gravikord.
Daniel composes for dance, film, instrumental, vocal and also has recordings under his electronic music moniker Colfax.