Floratone

Floratone is what happens when you gather a bunch of musical mad scientists for a spontaneous jam. The genesis was a handful of improvisational conversations between guitarist Bill Frisell and percussionist Matt Chamberlain, notable members of Seattle’s avant-jazz community. That duo handed the results to producers Tucker Martine (another Seattle staple) and Lee Townsend, who sliced them and diced them and returned them to Frisell and Chamberlain. From there, a few instrumental accents were added, melodies were fleshed out and in a few instances additional parts were written for cornet (played by Ron Miles) and viola (Eyvind Kang). The end product is an often fascinating work in which the experimental drive and electronic trickery of the producers never obscures the skillful touch of the musicians. Guitarists will certainly receive a lesson in superior tone construction from Frisell — check out his tangy sound on the down-home electro-funk of “Mississippi Rising,” his velvety soul-jazz grooves on “Swamped,” his menacing blues twang on “Louisiana Lowboat,” or his biting rock-leaning riffs on “Monsoon.”