Gijs Levelt
Inspired by several of my trumpet heroes (Miles Davis, Nils Petter Molvaer, Nicholas Payton, Roy Hargrove, Maurice Brown, Cuong Vu, and Jon Hassell), in 2017 I decided to immerse myself in the wondrous world of effects pedals. After a period of research and experimentation, I used them for the occasional project or concert, and created both live and pre-recorded music for several theatre plays directed by my wife, the director Mariken Bijnen.
After that, I composed the music for my solo album, which I recorded in my home studio. I had noticed that regarding the use of effects pedals, the sky is the limit, and in order to create a consistent sound and atmosphere for the album, I felt I had to limit myself. That’s why decided to use just my trumpet and a select number of effects pedals (a Whammy Pitch Shifter, Echo 1 Delay, Ditto Looper, EHX Freeze, and on two tracks a Line 6 Filter Modeller). I intended to turn inside out their possibilities. Also I set my self the goal to be able to perform all tracks live solo, so I stuck to the same signal chain. For each piece, I came up with a plan, consisting of sound, form, and content ideas, then turned on my recording equipment and improvised a version. Each one is a pure one-take, without any overdubs.
The use of effects pedals keeps on inspiring me, and I use them both in concerts and in the studio. I buy used pedals (good for the wallet, environment, and vintage if you’re into that. Hail to eBay), & I buy new pedals (good for the businesses and their product development).
I created this ‘Electronic ambient trumpet’ playlist for inspiration:
Atmospheric pieces with lots of improvisation, by wonderful trumpet players who manipulate their sound by the use of effect pedals or other electronic means. I'll update this playlist regularly, so do follow!
Bio
Gear
SETUP A
"In concert I mostly use one of two setups (pictures included): either setup A, often without the Line 6 FM4 Filter Modeler, for ‘world groove’ or ambient oriented music (I also used this setup exclusively for my solo album Spoken), or setup B for Funk/R&B/Dub oriented stuff. In the studio or for specific projects I use different setups. I keep on changing my setups depending on the musical demands or to improve things. I love to experiment and to explore new sounds and possibilities. "
PEDAL LIST:
Digitech Whammy
BOSS PS-6 Harmonist
DOD FX 25B Envelope Filter
Line 6 FM4 Filter Modeler
EHX Soul Food
EHX Echo 1 Delay
Boss RE-20 Space Echo
Strymon Blue Sky reverberator
EHX Freeze
TC Electronic Ditto Looper
TC Electronic Ditto Looper X2
Art Tube MP preamp
Suhr Koji Comp
Valeton Coral Tuner (use as mute button)
TC Electronic Brainwaves Pitchshifter
BOSS PW-1 Rocker Wah
JPTR FX Super Weirdo
BOSS SL-20 Slicer
SETUP B
Listen on Bandcamp
Gijs Levelt is a trumpet player, composer and teacher. In his work he explores the boundaries of world music, improvised music, contemporary composed music and pop music.
in 2021 Gijs released his debut solo album Spoken, containing eleven tracks for solo trumpet and effects pedals.
As a trumpet player, he is best known for his work with the Amsterdam Klezmer Band, with whom he has toured the world since 1997, released 15 albums and entered into various international collaborative projects. He was also founder and co-band leader of several crossover bands and ensembles, including Stricat, the Axyz Ensemble and Spinifex. Currently Gijs also performs with the funk band Naked Ears.
As a sideman and guest musician he has played with a large number of artists in different genres, from the Willem Breuker Kollektief to Chef'Special, in clubs, theaters and festivals all over the world.
Together with composer / flutist Ned McGowan, Gijs led the Karnatic Lab, a concert series, a series of festivals, a record label and a number of ensembles for many years. This organization, in which progressive musicians from different genres collaborated or presented their work, was of great significance for the Amsterdam new music scene.
Gijs Levelt composes music for his own bands and on commission for other artists and theater performances. Central to his composing process, he sets the balance between the head and the heart, and strives to make complexity accessible and to enhance apparent simplicity. For several years now, Gijs has been researching the use of effect pedals and other electronic means in combination with acoustic instruments in his compositions.
Media
To learn more about Gijs Levelt, check out these links!