Big Satan is an American jazz ensemble headed by composer and alto saxophonist Tim Berne, featuring drummer Tom Rainey and electric guitarist Marc Ducret. Rainey and Ducret are regular Berne collaborators, and both contribute compositions as well.
The group released its live self-titled debut (also called I Think They Liked It Honey) in 1997, described by Allmusic as "a truly mesmerizing set that rings with ominous overtones and intricately constructed fabrics of sound". [1]
It would be 2004 before the group's second album, Souls Saved Hear, was finally released. Described as "dazzling" by Allmusic, it was also praised by the BBC. [2] [3] PopMatters described it as "an adventurous listen for the most discriminating, open-minded listener". [4]
An interview with Berne along with a live set from The Vortex Jazz Club in London was broadcast by BBC Radio 3. [5]
Their style of music can be described as avant garde jazz. Adopting elements from the styles of many previous “out-jazz” originators (like Sun Ra, Ornette Coleman, etc.), Big Satan's sound is aggressive but not without a sense of humor.
Neo soul is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contemporary R&B. Heavily based in soul music, neo soul is distinguished by a less conventional sound than its contemporary R&B counterpart, with incorporated elements ranging from funk, jazz fusion, hip hop, and African music to pop, rock, and electronic music. It has been noted by music writers for its traditional R&B influences, conscious-driven lyrics, and strong female presence.
Tim Berne is an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist and record label owner. His primary instruments are the alto and baritone saxophones.
Hank Roberts is an American jazz cellist and vocalist. He plays the electric cello, and his style is a mixture of rock, jazz, avant-garde, folk, and classical influences. He emerged with the downtown New York City jazz scene of the 1980s and is associated with its post-modern tendencies.
Please Describe Yourself is the debut studio album by the British alternative rock band Dogs Die in Hot Cars. It was first released on 12 July 2004 in the United Kingdom on V2 Records. After releasing several limited-edition singles and the extended play Man Bites Man, the band released the album to critical praise.
Sarandon are an English indie rock group, formed in London in 2003, who have so far released two albums.
JMT Records was a German record label founded by Stefan Winter. It was based in Munich, Germany, specialized in contemporary jazz, and operated from 1985 until 1995.
Clarence "Herb" Robertson is a jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist. He was born in New Jersey and attended the Berklee School of Music. He has recorded solo albums and has worked as a sideman for Tim Berne, Anthony Davis, Bill Frisell, George Gruntz, Paul Motian, Bobby Previte, and David Sanborn.
Tom Rainey is an American jazz drummer.
Gerald Cleaver is a jazz drummer from Detroit, Michigan.
Affinity were an English jazz-rock band, active from mid-1968 to January 1972.
"Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" is a song written by Bert Berns, Solomon Burke, and Jerry Wexler, and originally recorded by Burke under the production of Berns at Atlantic Records in 1964. Burke's version charted in 1964, but missed the US top 40, peaking at number 58.
Drew Gress is an American jazz double-bassist and composer born in Trenton, New Jersey and raised in the Philadelphia area.
Winter in America is a studio album by American vocalist Gil Scott-Heron and keyboardist Brian Jackson. It was recorded in September to October 1973 at D&B Sound Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland and released in May 1974 by Strata-East Records. Scott-Heron and Jackson produced the album in a stripped-down fashion, relying on traditional African and R&B sounds, while Jackson's piano-based arrangements were rooted in jazz and the blues. The subject matter on Winter in America deals with the African-American community and inner city in the 1970s.
Marc Ducret is a contemporary avant-garde jazz guitarist who frequently collaborates with saxophonist Tim Berne.
Jenna Mammina is a jazz and pop singer from Michigan.
"Corazón Partío" is a song written and performed by Spanish singer-songwriter Alejandro Sanz from his 1997 album Más. Released as a single, the flamenco-influenced upbeat song was his international breakthrough and entered several Billboard charts in the United States, including Hot Latin Tracks and Hot Dance Singles Sales. It became one of Sanz's signature songs. A remix of the song, released in 1998, reached number one in Spain.
Diminutive Mysteries (Mostly Hemphill) is an album by saxophonist Tim Berne which was recorded in 1992 and released on the JMT label. The album is a tribute to Berne's mentor Julius Hemphill. Alongside Berne's regular band is featured guest David Sanborn, in an outlier among his more mainstream R&B work.
Big Satan is a live album by saxophonist Tim Berne's Big Satan which was recorded in 1996 and released on the Winter & Winter label.
Livein Cognito is a double live album by saxophonist Tim Berne's Big Satan. It was released in 2006 on Berne's Screwgun label.
The Sublime And is a live double album by saxophonist Tim Berne's Science Friction which was recorded in Switzerland in 2003 and originally released on the Thirsty Ear label. The album was rereleased in 2007 along with Berne's 2002 Science Friction album as part of the Screwgun Records compilation Mind Over Friction.