Dexter Romweber – Piano

Piano is Flat Duo Jets leader/Mozart fan Dexter Romweber’s version of classical music for short attention spans: thirteen disjointed tracks of melodramatic keyboard flourishes in less than 28 minutes. A Cliff’s Notes version of Rachmaninoff or Dvorak, it sounds like soundtrack music to an old silent film, played by Bugs Bunny decked out in a tux with tails. You’ll find yourself thinking of different tracks in cinematic terms. “Prelude In A Minor (For Erica Kozak)”, named in honor of the bassist in the psychobilly band Speed Crazy, sounds like accompaniment for a courtin’ scene; “Russian Winter” evokes a column of troops marching by; “Trap Door” suggests a contemplative walk by a large body of water; “Carrboro March” recalls the struggle to untie a damsel in distress from the railroad tracks as a train approaches. Listenable but quite strange, Piano is proof positive there’s sometimes a very fine line between genius and ridiculous.