New Atwater Coffee House hosts electrifying cello 'one man band'

Author: Margaret Ray

Students entered the expanse of the new Atwater dining hall in a slow trickle on a Thursday night. Some appeared apprehensive while they took a seat, others made straight for the bagels and coffee in the rear. The lights were dim, and there was a man seated in the front plucking away on what looked like the skeleton of a cello. The pizzicato was then joined by smoothe bow strokes, and someone looked around for the second musician. The second musician, it turned out, was a pedal that dictates how the riff will be looped back. In this manner, Gideon Freudmann managed to be his own accompanist.

Atwater's "Coffee House" boasted a larger turnout than last spring, when it was held in the basement of Le Chateau. The news of Freudmann's gig must have spread also via word of mouth - he also visited the College in the spring of 2004. His unusual style of music and dry sense of humor made for a refreshing evening. The two hours were filled with bluesy-folk-classical melodies peppered with haunting improvisations. Listeners laughed appreciatively to recognize snippets of "The Brady Bunch" theme song alongside the theme from "Peter and The Wolf" during one tune.

On his curious instrument, Freudmann was able to evoke various musical genres. He is a modern one-man-band. The evening was entirely enjoyable, right down to when Freudmann announced that his next show will be in "Vergennes, which, as we all know, is the plural of virgin." The atmosphere was calm and relaxing, just right for the end of a long week. Check him out on his Web site: www.cellobop.com