“Floratone [is] some of the most riveting instrumental music to emerge this year… Listening to these unlikely swirls of sound is almost like the beginnings of some exotic new language, rising like steam from a swamp.”
—NPR All Things Considered
"A little bit of everything, provided it has a root-system, from modal Bitches Brewery to
sub-riffing via ambient swamp slop. Frisell fans will suck it up with
enthusiasm...
- "The Independent
August 26th, 2007 by Nick Coleman
Floratone, a unique studio collaboration between drummer Matt Chamberlain, guitarist Bill Frisell, and producers Tucker Martine & Lee Townsend. An experiment in musical democracy, the album features eleven stunning, groove-driven soundscapes that are best described as futuristic roots music.
Special guests include the bassist Viktor Krauss, cornetist Ron Miles, and violinist/violist Eyvind King
Drummer Matt Chamberlainwas born in 1967 in San Pedro, Ca. He can be most widely heard on records by Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, David Bowie, Critters Buggin’, Brad Mehldau and Morrissey as well as Jon Brion's soundtracks and his self titled solo record.
In a celebrated career spanning more than 30 years and over 200 recordings, including over 30 albums of his own, guitarist, composer and bandleader Bill Frisellhas established himself as a visionary presence in American music. He has collaborated with a wide range of artists, filmmakers and legendary musicians too numerous to mention. But it is his work as a leader that has garnered increasing attention and accolades. Frisell’s recordings over the last decades span a wide range of musical influences. His catalog has been cited by Downbeat as “the best recorded output of the decade.” The New York Times described Frisell’s music this way. “It's hard to find a more fruitful meditation on American music than in the compositions of guitarist Bill Frisell. Mixing rock and country with jazz and blues, he's found what connects them: improvisation and a sense of play. Unlike other pastichists, who tend to duck passion, Mr. Frisell plays up the pleasure in the music and also takes on another often-avoided subject, tenderness." The Philadelphia Inquirer has declared, “Frisell is a revered figure among musicians – like Miles Davis and few others, his signature is built from pure sound and inflection; an anti-technique that is instantly identifiable.” More info at www.billfrisell.com.
Tucker Martine is a Portland, Oregon based producer, engineer and musician. He has run his own studio Flora since 1993, which until recently was located in Seattle, Washington. In addition to his work with Frisell, Townsend and Chamberlain, Martine has worked with folks such as The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens, Mudhoney, Laura Veirs, The Long Winters, Jim White, Jesse Sykes, Mylab, Erin McKeown, Brian Blade and Orchestra Dim Bridges with Eyvind Kang. He has also released several records of field recordings including Bush Taxi Mali, Broken Hearted Dragonflies and Eat the Dream (Moroccan Reveries). Martine co-composed the startup sound for Microsoft's new Vista operating system with Robert Fripp and Steve Moore, following up Brian Eno's Windows 95 composition. Martine also leads his own project Mount Analog. More info at mount analog.com
As a producer, Berkeley-based Lee Townsend has focused on recordings of singer-songwriters, instrumentalists, contemporary composers, improvising musicians and cross-cultural musical collaborations. He has produced albums by Bill Frisell, John Scofield, Loudon Wainwright III, Kelly Joe Phelps, Rinde Eckert, Vinicius Cantuaria, Shweta Jhaveri, Dino Saluzzi, Gabriela, Petra Haden, Viktor Krauss, Elvis Costello/Bill Frisell, Choying Drolma & Steve Tibbetts, Pat Metheny/John Scofield, Joey Baron, Charlie Hunter, T.J.Kirk, Dave Holland, Hank Jones, John Abercrombie, Jerry Granelli, Marc Johnson, Jonah Smith, Noe Venable, Crooked Still, Paul Dresher, Marty Ehrlich, Dusan Bogdanovic, Paul Sprawl and Stephen Yerkey, among others. He recently accepted an invitation to produce and curate the music programming along with long-time colleague Wayne Horvitz at the Montalvo Arts Center Saratoga, Ca. More info at www.songtone.com.
Fairly mild day on the coast so i got on the bike and rode along the water with Floratone.... 2 words... Un Real !!! I rode til I past UBC, which means I hit water! Seriously fellas, outstanding music... lost myself on the first pass. Thanks!!! D from E.
Take your toys and go play Outside? We're all the better for it. Sun Ra had it right - space, still being the place - graciously offers up a Latin Playboys-style ride across the Mojave into the Owens Valley in a wood-paneled '54 Chevy wagon? Nice.
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