Gideon Freudmann
CelloBop
I'm going on tour, playing a string of silent film shows at Performing Arts Centers in Montana, Idaho and Washington.
I've mentioned Sherlock Jr many times. I'm a full on Buster Keaton fanboy and this film is one on my favorites. Maybe even THE favorite. But man, that's a tough call. So I've gone and set up a tour playing this film in theaters all around the northwest (except for one where I'm doing Phantom of the Opera).
Here is an excerpt of Sherlock Jr .
Along the way, I'm attending the Montana Performing Arts Consortium where I'm fortunate to have been selected to showcase. I could see making a habit of playing silent film shows in Montana.
I've been finding some excellent collaborators and the luck keeps coming! I'm playing with Sheila Weindendorf, an outstanding pianist, in Freeland, WA on Sept 27th.The duo is called 4 & 88.
I recently scored a documentary film called, Max: A Short Life, and I'm honored to learn that it was awarded Best Original Score at Touchstone Independent Film Festival! YouTube Channel
Over the years I have watched my online biography gradually devolve as some journalists comb the web for info to help "write" a piece. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for the press, but there's a lot of recycling. As mistakes get repeated, they become perceived as facts. At some point a writer said I was born and raised in New Hampshire. Nope. So I'm working on my new fake bio. Here's what I have so far: –– Gideon Freudmann was born and raised in New Hampshire where he studied bass for the first 9 years of his life. Then at age 8 he switched to the bassoon. He eventually went to trade school in Taipei where he majored in cultural engineering with a focus on cello performance.
It's always exciting to announce the release of a new CD! This is the first concert album in my catalog. Trio Quartetto is a Portland based group (except for me) with Courtney von Drehle on accordion, Ralph Huntley on piano and Ji Tanzer on drums. The album includes mostly originals, a few covers and a groovy tune in 7 by Ralph the mutton-chopped pianist. There's a palpable sense of joy on this recording; it's a pleasing blend of music that is rehearsed, improvised and some happy accidents.
I've been playing some of these pieces for years but never put 'em on an album till now. Others are alternate versions of tunes from earlier albums, and some of the songs are as new and fresh as a summer rain.
I made a few cassette albums back in the olden days, then graduated to LP just before wax started waning. Then it was CDs all the way, baby! "These are here to stay" we were promised. But now discs are becoming quaint and maybe creeping toward extinction. How's my sales pitch going so far?
But CDs work like a charm, allow you to play a whole album as it was conceived, they come with album art, liner notes AND can double as coasters. Everybody love shiny coasters!
For now this album is only available on CD. You can get a copy for $15.
Venmo: @Gideon-Freudmann
Paypal: gideon@cellobop.com
It's not yet listed on my website but you could order another CD there and request I send this one instead. That should be exhilarating.
Many years ago, I went to the San Diego Independent Music Festival. It was a sleepless 24 hour trip, and I came home exhausted and feeling like it was a waste of energy. While I was there, I played one short set to a half empty, I mean half full room.
Someone approached me, said he worked in Hollywood and he wanted to give one of my CDs to his friend who works on a successful TV show. I have met a lot of folks over the years who wanted a CD to give to a friend in Hollywood. So I did what I always do – I gave him two CDs: here's one for your friend and one for you. Thankyouverymuch!
I didn't give it another thought and a week later an email arrived saying the Hollywood friend loves the music - one song in particular. He wants to write a scene into the 1st episode of season 3 of Weeds built around this song. Weeds was: a) a popular show, and b) not about gardening.
So my song Japanese Car wound up on the show and was even reprised at the end of the episode, hey hey, and suddenly I had my biggest hit ever (Weeds, of course)! Better still, the series used a dozen more of my tunes in episodes over the next few years.
This one was written very quickly. I was on tour in Detroit, listening to the radio on my way to a gig and there was a story claiming it was the 100th anniversary of the invention of the automobile - in America, of course. I thought this was unlikely. At the show I mentioned this story (this is Detroit after all) and then started making up a song, singing "I drive a Japanese car" and people started hissing. So gratifying. I was really making a connection! They were listening to me. Content that I had antagonized them sufficiently, I segued to a calming waltz and goodwill was restored.
In my hotel room that evening I finished writing the song. After the tour I recorded it and put it on my next album, Ukrainian Pajama Party. And hey presto, one step closer to success.
https://youtu.be/ksubNciXfcg
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