video gum culture

    “The most talented young musicians in contemporary instrumental music are in a tough place.  Spectacular accomplishments by their predecessors are beyond mimicry or simulation.  Recent explosions in the accessibility of recorded examples of highly evolved forms from most corners of the globe can be quickly assimilated into the collective conversation that constitutes newer jazz forms.  For the musicians and listeners with open ears it’s a new world.

    The music of video gum culture forms a great place to drop into this layered, living world.  It’s playful without sacrificing discipline and fearless without a trace of empty aggression.  Gently insistent where necessary, the players and composers are nevertheless unafraid to lay back.  Choices about simplicity or complexity follow from the music itself instead of from self-imposed dogma on the part of the principle composers.  These pieces manage to be simultaneously visceral and highly intelligent.  Highly recommended.”

                - Bob Palmieri, producer / DePaul University

    “This new recording by video gum culture is a series of soundscapes that is clearly focused on taking you on a musical journey.  Like short stories, each part is uniquely different, but together it seems like it’s one thought process going through different filterings.  The music, with many different moods and textures, will wash over you in a very clensing sense.  I feel rejuvenated after hearing it.  Highly reccommended.”

        - Mark Colby, saxophonist / Columbia recording artist

soundtrack to ‘the door’

    “The Door’s surreal mood is abetted by an effective jazz soundtrack by Brian Citro and Charles Gorczynski. Many tunes are effective when heard apart from the film, particularly striking being the “Circle” tracks. Indeed, I would recommend the soundtrack on its own merits. As evidence, The Door won best soundtrack at the Lake County Film Festival... I’m always happy see more jazz scores, and one hopes The Door will prove to be an effective showcase for it’s composers.”

        - J.B. from J.B.Spins,  music and film reviews / NYU faculty

the leaves

“Tonal, minimal music reminiscent of Town and Country, or even Norah Jones composer Jesse Harris...”

        - TimeOut Chicago

    “Through freedom of expression and a well-planned course of attack, Citro and Gorczynski have created a lovely score that helps to interpret the film, while standing on its own as an innovative force in musical design.”

        - Jim Santella, Jazz Improv Magazine

colorlist

The music of charles and charles brings into sharp focus the sense of a friendship that deepens through time, that never accepts division as inevitable. Egoless yet full of intent, the songs speak an unguarded truth. They tumble forward with grace, as if being played in a timeless music hall where the coiled and twisted fingers of ambition never held court.  Words do not accompany the score but inside it many tongues are spoken. 


In light of the transcendently balanced qualities of the music, the symmetry of the group’s members makes sense: Charles Rumback and Charles Gorczynski are foremost composer/instrumentalists, while Matt Gagnon and Brian Bullard are principally engineer/sonic constructionists. Mirroring the music’s many-voiced nature, and despite all prior orientations, each member makes deeply felt marks across the spectrum, from the writing and improvisations to the arranging and beyond.


In the end what matters most is that the four have so patiently directed their talents to fashioning this solid statement, as well as to tackling the challenges of seamless translation from studio to stage and back again.  


There’s a lot happening here that defies an exact identity, defies links with a single continent or cultural style. Using what first seem to be simple motifs drawn from diverse styles, the initially-camouflaged patterns thicken with the power of montage.


In paying careful attention to all of the sonic details, you realize that several movies and their soundtracks are running thru one projector simultaneously. But one movie is coming back out onto the screen. Its soundtrack throbs with life.



Bill MacKay/November 2006

“Not to be mistaken with the grungy Icelandic indie-rock group by the same name, Leaves is a collaboration of four Chicago jazz/improv musicians weaving their individual sounds into a warm, autumnal blend of modern creative jazz, post-bop and the ambitious post-rock Chicago has become known for in the past decade. The focus of this album, recorded live during two spring 06 performances at Chicago's The Ice Factory, is the interplay of Tyler Beach's amazingly toned electric guitar and Charles Gorczynski's balmy saxophone. Beach echoes the likes of Bill Frisell, a jazz guitarist renown for the individual style he brought to a typically redundant instrument as far as tone goes, as well as a more restrained Jeff Parker of Tortoise fame, while Gorczynski's alto seems to descend from the school of Lee Konitz. They continually tease and dare each other in many directions over the slyly subdued and melodic drumming of Charles Rumback, the grounding bass of Dan Thatcher and garnishing electronic textures. Live at The Ice Factory rarely finds the talented musicians in a particular groove, but instead, themes and moods continually ebb and flow from melodic bop to restrained skronks with blaring technical prowess. They craft a sound that could as easily blend into the background of an art gallery, soundtrack an early, grey Sunday morning or provide welcomed ambiance to any knowing establishment.

        - M. Pardaiolo, Music-Versity

contact

            

claritytrio@yahoo.com