messing with pvc
Messing with PVC is the ongoing folk music and jazz collaboration by Gijs Levelt on trumpet and Ned McGowan on the contrabass flute. In Dutch ‘Messing’ means brass and ‘PVC’ stands for the unique and versatile contrabass flute. For their debut CD and tours, they have invited the spirit-full Martha Mavroidi with her fabled spine-tingling voice and Pino Basile, master of the frame drum and cupa cupa.
With one foot in tradition and the other in innovation, this quartet combines danceable Balkan rhythms with beautiful heartfelt songs in a playful manner. Messing with PVC has been playing concerts throughout the Netherlands for four years, including tours to Sofia, Bulgaria and New York, United States.
The American/Dutch musician Ned McGowan works as flutist, composer, teacher and organizer. His playing and compositions have won awards in both the classical and jazz genres and he has performed and given workshops throughout Europe and North America. One of his specialties is playing the contrabass flute, a rare instrument with a tremendous wide range of possibilities.
Dutch Jazz and Klezmer trumpetist Gijs Levelt has played with most bands in Holland, including regularly with the Amsterdam Klezmer Band. Besides co-directing the Karnatic Lab with Ned McGowan, he is also the leader of the Balkan/jazz ensemble, Deep Fried Angel Fish. More info can be found at: www.gijslevelt.com
Growing up in her native Greece, Martha Mavroidi not only learned Greek folk music as a singer and player of lute and percussion, but she also pursued her love of Bulgarian folk music, studying with Dessislava Stefanova and Galina Durmushliyska. Currently she is a Ph. D. student of Ethnomusicology at U.C.L.A on a Fulbright Scholarship.
press quotes
“…a magical reference to unsuspectly deep layers, winding through the infinite dwellings of antiquity – the voice and flute, brought to earth by the trumpet.”
Natalia Ilieva, Kultura weekly, Sophia, 2002
“The music of Messing with PVC Extended is authentic and striking. The name of the band itself suggests a confrontation with something unusual, post-modern… Ned, Martha and Gijs play various instruments in their compositions, accompanied by Martha’s unique vocal tunes. They found their main musical themes and motifs in Bulgarian folk music, and later they added Romanian, Indian and Gipsy motifs in their improvisatory repertoire. Their music is not pure jazz or pure folk, but rather the combination of these two and some other musical ideas.”
Fjolla Ceku (The Aspecter, Bulgaria)
..messing with pvc Messing with PVC is the ongoing folk music and jazz collaboration by Gijs Levelt on trumpet and Ned McGowan on the contrabass flute. In Dutch ‘Messing’ means brass and ‘PVC’ stands for the unique and versatile contrabass flute. For their debut CD and tours, they have invited the spirit-full Martha Mavroidi with her fabled spine-tingling voice and Pino Basile, master of the frame drum and cupa cupa. With one foot in tradition and the other in innovation, this quartet combines danceable Balkan rhythms with beautiful heartfelt songs in a playful manner. Messing with PVC has been playing concerts throughout the Netherlands for four years, including tours to Sofia, Bulgaria and New York, United States. The American/Dutch musician Ned McGowan works as flutist, composer, teacher and organizer. His playing and compositions have won awards in both the classical and jazz genres and he has performed and given workshops throughout Europe and North America. One of his specialties is playing the contrabass flute, a rare instrument with a tremendous wide range of possibilities. Dutch Jazz and Klezmer trumpetist Gijs Levelt has played with most bands in Holland, including regularly with the Amsterdam Klezmer Band. Besides co-directing the Karnatic Lab with Ned McGowan, he is also the leader of the Balkan/jazz ensemble, Deep Fried Angel Fish. More info can be found at: www.gijslevelt.com Growing up in her native Greece, Martha Mavroidi not only learned Greek folk music as a singer and player of lute and percussion, but she also pursued her love of Bulgarian folk music, studying with Dessislava Stefanova and Galina Durmushliyska. Currently she is a Ph. D. student of Ethnomusicology at U.C.L.A on a Fulbright Scholarship. press quotes “…a magical reference to unsuspectly deep layers, winding through the infinite dwellings of antiquity – the voice and flute, brought to earth by the trumpet.” Natalia Ilieva, Kultura weekly, Sophia, 2002 “The music of Messing with PVC Extended is authentic and striking. The name of the band itself suggests a confrontation with something unusual, post-modern… Ned, Martha and Gijs play various instruments in their compositions, accompanied by Martha’s unique vocal tunes. They found their main musical themes and motifs in Bulgarian folk music, and later they added Romanian, Indian and Gipsy motifs in their improvisatory repertoire. Their music is not pure jazz or pure folk, but rather the combination of these two and some other musical ideas.” Fjolla Ceku (The Aspecter, Bulgaria)