What if Spike Jones's orchestra had Eric Dolphy out front? The resultant puckish cacophony might be a close cousin to the avant jazz wrought by Berlin-based ensemble Olaf Ton.

Most of the material here consists of original compositions by alto saxophonist/clarinettist Benjamin Weidekamp. (Olaf Ton also includes trumpeter Richard Koch, trombonist Jerome Bugnon, bassist Michael Haves and drummer Christian Marien.) From the very first cut, "Ranvik", with polystylistic drums and circus pit band acrobatics from both trumpet and clarinet, Olaf Ton's buffo inclinations are made evident.

Marien is a flexible percussionist, bringing in patterns from all over the musical map: funk, rhythm and blues, and both traditional and experimental jazz. His duet with Bugnon on "Aller Tage Abend" is polyglot and eclectic in a "Zappa unplugged" sort of way. A more serious-minded but no less enjoyable arrangement is found on "Speicherbar". But we don't remain in cool jazz mode for long; "Die Halloumipolizei rettet das Bikiniland" combines frenetic ensemble playing with clichéd quotations from gumshoe detective films.

It's not easy to be both eclectic and focused, but Olaf Ton seems to have the balance right.