Short and to the point, Big Satan nails it
Troy Collins | Lancaster, PA United States | 08/01/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
""Souls Saved Hear" may be Tim Berne's most concise album to date. With eight actual songs tracking in under 47 minutes, it is perhaps Berne's most economical album. The alto saxophonist, previously heard on the double live album, "The Sublime And" with his Science Friction group has seen fit to document another side of his art, a tightly composed studio effort that is every bit as energetic as his live show.
Where Berne's compositions once stretched to epic lengths, the tunes presented here reside in the 5 to 6 minute range. This allows for each piece to develop more quickly, thereby cutting out the sparse, pointillistic excursions found on his albums of the previous decade. Taught and frentic electric passages change hands with softer more delicate acoustic ones, but always in an organic and logical fashion. Guitarist Marc Ducret can pick delicate acoustic figures as easily as he can shred his fretboard into waves of distorted chaos. Drummer Tom Rainey pounds the skins with tribal abandon, but is never so out as to be beyond the pulse of the piece. Berne himself sticks to alto on this session and is as acerbic as he's ever been.
Tim Berne's discography is a rather large and difficult one to keep track of, but this easily obtainable and excellent album is the sort of affair even a casual fan should hear.
"
Genius! 3 master musicians at work...
T. Klaase | Orange Park, Florida United States | 08/05/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album continues to get better with repeat listens - which is quite remarkable in this day and age. I have a CD collection near 1,000 but I keep coming back to this disc. Very dense and original. These cats are carving out an new genre. Berne's songs are usually much longer so it took me awhile to get used to just how short these pieces are - most clocking in at under 6 minutes or well under. Highly recommended to anyone looking for challenging music with an open mind. I've said this before, but Tim Berne is the Coltrane of our generation, in my opinion. He is truly pushing the envelope. I tip my hat to Rainey and Ducret too. This trio is tight, tight, tight..."
Satan would be proud....
Jevon Daly | south cacalacky | 02/17/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The new thing ---
Tim Tom and Marc ......the three guys who comprise Big Satan have arrived to save us from the hogwash rehash-----New Exciting Grooveman Rainey------Marc Ducret---breathing life into an instrument unlike the VanhalenHendrixMaclaughlin clones out there "amazing" all the guitar worshippers in the jazz/rock/fusion world---------Tunes written for the band by the men involved lend themselves to the sometimes chaotic "arrangements" here-----{check out Live INCOGNITO new release} save the music???? saved------souls saved here, right?
To all the others out there?? other whos doing whats??
writing tunes blah blah going to the clubs doing interviews in all the schwag mags of "jazz" and never letting anyone know of these men----rainey works more than any drummer in the big apple-------ducret from france, where did he come up with his LICKS? Tim Berne paid his dues under the tutelage of Julius and playing with frisell early on in his career------but this is different---------GET IT AND LISTEN HARD
i suggest listening at home, in the car you may have accident!
songs and playing----fresh----this group is IT! check out all Tim's stuff with any of the aforementioned players involved---all GOOD!!! OUT!"
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1