Offering a masterful, inspirational fusion of intricate new age/ambient grace, intense emotional power and colorful, synth-driven mood swings, Jim Gelcer and David Vito Gregoli’s compelling dual track “Forgiveness” is the first lead single from and lays a dynamic foundation for their upcoming debut album Quiet Expanse – whose ultimate soul purpose, according to Gregoli is to “create a peaceful environment for the listener.”
The project brings together two storied musicians and dedicated yoga practitioners from different musical backgrounds, with the L.A. based multi-instrumentalist Gregoli working with countless new age and world musicians and Gelcer being a veteran drummer in the worlds of jazz and Indian kirtan music. “Forgiveness” and the upcoming collection came to fruition via modern technology, with a friendship based on mutual interests forged on social media resulting in the two composing and producing by sending digital files.
The piece evolved from an idea of Gregoli’s that Gelcer rewrote and arranged and ultimately played lead synth on. Building on the foundation of Gelcer’s hypnotic melody and modulations of sound intensity from wafting, dreamy and mellow to bold, sweeping “space music” in tone and feel, Gregoli adds the fascinating elements of a classical horn section, Scand inavian Nykelharpa (keyed fiddle), fretless bass and strings.
They start with a gentle synth wash before introducing the soothing energies of rising horns, subtle plucky harp strains and lyrical orchestral elements. Their “wall of sound” ebbs and flows in its intensity, with gentle elements (strings, basslines) that foster a more immersive soul seduction. In some ways, “Forgiveness” feels like an unforgettable film score seeking the perfect images – some finding us soaring up mountains into the clouds, others more earthbound, even romantic and intimate in nature.
Gelcer and Gregoli’s ultimate mission with Quiet Expanse is to create a series of recordings like Chuck Wild’s many Liquid Mind volumes. While a perfect meditational piece on its own, “Forgiveness” is also a splendid gateway to this inventive duo’s fresh world of sonic imagination.
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