Gijs Levelt & Gijs Levelt Spoken Quartet - Bustle (2022)

The work of an artist is inevitably a reaction to the character of the time, says Gijs Levelt (you may know him from the Amsterdam Klezmer Band and Spinifex). With 'Bustle' he and his 'super' quartet (keys Stefan Schmid, bass Mark Haanstra, drums Joost Lijbaart) provide the proof. The album is a multicolored reflection on corona times. “It was recorded during a chaotic period in between lockdowns, when society rushed to pretend everything was normal and the crowds were maximum. Everyone ran frantically, shopping, flying, driving, seemingly trying to make up for what they'd been missing for the past year and a half. People who hoped for change - green transition, less consumer society, more time for reflection - were disappointed. Society lacked spirituality.”