Forest Floor

Forest Floor is an improvisational quartet of multi-instrumentalists, two of which were members of metal fusion project Theory of Negativity. Their group mind produces on-the-spot compositions that reference jazz, new age, ambient, and avant-garde music styles. Each cut is another mood and another arrangement. "We didn't plan, write, or arrange anything in advance. Everything was improvised, including production." Thus declares the booklet with Scrawls From the Unconscious. Still, the admirable result of Forest Floor's effort comes across as well or better than more preconceived compositions. On Manifest, a variety of sounds accompany a musing shakuhachi over a murmuring brook. All fades out together into a silence that introduces a pair of sci-fi keyboards, the return of the bass joined by the exotic percussion of pueblo drum, zils (chimes), and bodhran (Celtic frame drum). The effect is as if the result was orchestrated and therein lies the success of Forest Floor's extemporaneous creations. No player tries to grab the limelight, but instead all contribute skills on a plethora of instruments toward a holistic vision that is largely cinematic and evocative. Manifest also features "Cold Sun," a meandering, ten-minute-plus live track of percussion, keys, and flute serenely cooperating. Group member Conni St. Pierre also has available on the label Beneath the Waves, a solo album of atmospheric originals on varied wind instruments.