Big Satan

Marc Ducret, Tom Rainey, Tim Berne | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 19, 1997)
• Original Release Date: July 7, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Winter & Winter
• ASIN: B000009CIU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,939 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From Jazziz

The aptly titled Ornery People is a sax-and-bass duo. Three of the six tracks are credited to Berne, two to Formanek, and one to both of them. In general, Berne is more restrained than usual here. The album's tracks are also shorter than the epic improvisations of his groups Bloodcount and Paraphrase. As it turns out, the tight focus of duo work leads Berne to concentrate his statements more than usual. This lends a more homogeneous feel to each track, almost as if each is an _tude.

The disc opens with Formanek playing alone for nearly a minute and a half on his composition "Jiggle the Handle," displaying a broad range of techniques including con legno (playing with the wooden part of the bow) and double and triple stops. When Berne enters on alto, it's with a plaintive theme that recalls early Ornette Coleman. On "Byram's World," Berne toys with small motifs, varying the accents and phrasing on each repetition, adding and subtracting bits, circling through them in a sort of jazz minimalism.

"Stubborn Love" is a study in timbres, with Berne (on baritone) starting with quiet altissimo tones. The middle section is even quieter and finds sax and bass twining around each other, sometimes together, sometimes splitting off, with Berne throwing in some harmonics.

Formanek's lengthy solo on "Are We There Yet" is a well-constructed dialogue between the upper and lower ranges of his instrument. When Berne enters, there's almost a bebop feel to his perpetual-motion lines. It's Berne who starts solo on "Emerger," the space in his tender melodies showing the influence of his mentor, Julius Hemphill. The album's last tune - the 14-minute, co-composed "Brincident" - finally fully unleashes Berne's screaming, unbridled power.

Throughout, Ornery People grows organically, without the abrupt shifts and occasional doldrums that have sometimes plagued Berne's past work. Quiet intensity is the watchword, and the result is one of his most consistent recorded efforts.

--- Steve Holtje, JAZZIZ Magazine Copyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars laughing between my ears, May 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Big Satan (Audio CD)

Violent, free, beautiful, and human. I could not find better words.

These men are actually playing a much too much exciting music. I don't know if jazz remains the best descriptor.

Winter & Winter is a new label designed for this kind of strange guys. Read their catalog, and if you came to Big Satan via Tim Berne, look for Marc Ducret's other records.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bass? No, not here - don't need it., June 30, 2000

By 

Douglas T Martin (Alpharetta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Big Satan (Audio CD)

I put off buying this CD for a long time because there was no bass player on it. I prefer to listen to music with a solid low end on it and although I liked the three musicians on this recording I passed on it. Then I started listening to other configurations where the low end was being held down by a cello, a tuba, or organ pedals. Thus prepared, I bought this CD. I listened to the whole thing - through headphones - and not once did I ever think about the missing bassist. The way Berne, Ducret, and Rainey interact on this recording is amazing. It's like a polyrhymic melody/exercise in counterpoint. Adding another musician would only make the sound more dense; in this configuration there is room to hear each player individually as well as collectively. Very lively and complex. Recommended for adventurous jazz fans.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good album - get's better after the first listen., June 2, 2003

By 

T. Klaase (Orange Park, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Big Satan (Audio CD)

The first time I heard this album (the day I bought it) I thought - "oh, wow, just what I expected, all improvising." Granted I was doing some other things while listening - at the time. After giving the album my full attention, I began to hear the details of compositions and I was floored at the complexity and dexterity of the musicians playing them. Wow! I'm still getting my teeth into this one - and I just saw these guys perform live at the Knitting Factory (June 6th 2003) and they were stunning! Incredible! The magic really comes across live. Do not miss out, order this album now!