Floratone

Floratone | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 14, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B000RPCES4
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #127,245 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Jazz Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 14-AUG-2007

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo, October 5, 2007

By 

Bruce C. Moore (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Floratone (MP3 Download)

Frisell continues to push what could fairly be considered a new genre of music. Open to any influence, created through an iterative, collaborative process, driven by technology, but deeply rooted in an organic, folksie feeling. I won't even try to come up with a name for it.

I'm sorry those Frisell fans who express disappointment in this release aren't captured by its seductive charm. Those of us who can't take it out of our various players know what I mean. It is sophisticated, surprising, and satisfying. It stands up to repeated active listening, and moves easily into the ambient background of your room, or your head.

For folks who have been fortunate to see Bill perform live in a variety of contexts, this album, as carefully constructed as it is, is somewhat more akin to his live performances than many of his other popular albums. The collaborators have somehow managed to retain the edginess created by the deconstruction of the music while it's right between your ears, if not right before your eyes.

My hat's off to them. But not my headphones.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting, Compelling and Intensely Original, November 8, 2007

By 

Thomas D. Ryan "American Hit Network" (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Floratone (Audio CD)

This CD has completely disrupted my listening schedule. "Floratone" has such a haunting, intoxicating feel that I keep playing it over and over, trying to get a grip on the nuances of the music, but they constantly elude me. Just as the groove starts to take hold, a hypnotic glaze settles over me and my listening pattern shifts to a trance state. The music is lush and evocative, but impossible to grasp, even after repeated listenings.
"Floratone" pairs guitarist Bill Frisell with percussionist Matt Chamberlain, who tag team each other while creating instrumental soundscapes that somehow manage to sound both otherworldly and earthy. It is music that defies gravity, which is what makes it so compelling; how often can you say you're hearing something that is truly unique and different? Neither jazz nor pop, at least not in any traditional sense, "Floratone" creates atmospheres that accompany your mood, rather than define it. Tracks like "Mississippi Rising" and "The Passenger" are simultaneously funky and dreamy, sounding like some of the most brilliant tracks that Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois never made together, but should have. The moods never quite gel into anything tangible, providing a liquidity that avoids my ability to grasp it entirely, leaving me to describe it in terms of vague images instead of solid observations.
I listen to so much music on a daily basis that it is nearly impossible for me to hear something that I consider genuine and unique. Almost anything can be described as a combination of other things, but "Floratone" is different. As I said earlier, I've played this disk plenty of times, and I've played for anyone who cares to listen. Always, we find ourselves basking in its atmospherics, as it develops into an integral part of whatever else we were doing. It is not particularly demanding of the listener, but if you let it, "Floratone" will take you places you've never been. A Tom Ryan

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pastoral Wallpaper....., February 3, 2008

By 

applewood (everywhere and nowhere) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Floratone (Audio CD)

.... that breathes more than rocks.

This is a fine sonic outing (reminds me of a day spent in Nature with loved ones, with time for relaxing together and apart, enjoying the day's radiance and calm and passing clouds and the settling of night). It also reminds me alot of Miles Davis' meandering IN A SILENT WAY, but treated a bit like Bill Laswell's mix on PANTHALASSA or outtakes from FINDING FORRESTER's soundtrack. I like it, and did from the first instant, although it's not my favorite Frisell (EAST/WEST is). It is good as background (passive) but also rewarding with more active listening, but not brilliant enough to demand or reward sustained active mode...(for that check out Steve Tibbetts' work). There is alot of variety here ("Frontiers" even sounds Eno-esque in it's ambience), but all of a kind. Overall this is a jazzy, complex, mellow, futuristic and lively ambience. 4 plus; highly recommend.