Search - Gideon Freudmann :: Cellobotomy

Music to view Salvador Dali By

jimnypivo | west of Chicago, USA | 12/12/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"What kind of music is this?



Gideon Freudmann is very much to the left of Avante Garde. If Frank Zappa were still alive today, they would probably be doing some collaborative work together. As with early Zappa, Gideon offers interesting, ambitious and beautiful musical gems in the middle of an offbeat and idiosyncratic haystack. In about every one of these compositions, he demonstrates his talent as a composer, arranger and performer.



Some of the pieces sound like background music for a Hungarian horror film (the title tune 'Cellobotomy' and `Ant Farm'). After a few listenings though, patterns of intelligence and beauty emerge.



Possibly the most intriguing thing about his music is that Freudmann spreads the application of the cello from Classical to other musical genres. He touches almost all of them---jazz, (`Squids in the Wind'), folk/blues (`Blueswing' -It reminds me of John Hartford's Austin Minor Sympathy'), bluegrass (`Sunrise'), international (`Old Country'), post-modern (`Nightcap'), Modern Classical (`Waldo's Waltz', `Rush Hour'), New Age (Nirvana Toast'), psychedelic (Opium Den), and boogie-woogie (Messin' with the Gid').



`Ringo's Boogie', 'Lavender Lemonade', `Opus 41/2', `Cello Bop' and `Caesar's Slumber' defy my attempt at classification.



If you are drawn to the unusual or weird, or attracted by bizarre things, you will appreciate `Cellobotomy' and Mr. Gideon Freudmann."