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Tim Berne

Tim Berne (born 1954) is an American jazz saxophone player and composer. Though Berne was a music fan, he had no interest in playing a musical instrument until he was in college, when he purchased an alto saxophone. He was more interested in rhythm and blues music--Stax records releases and Aretha Franklin, especially--until he heard a recording by Julius Hemphill. Hemphill was known for his integration of soul music and funk with free jazz. Berne moved to New York City in 1974. There Berne took lessons from Hemphill, and later recorded with him.

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The Deviants

The Deviants (formerly the Social Deviants) were a musical group in the United Kingdom. Out of the Ladbroke Grove UK Underground Community, a number of bands would emerge. Perhaps the most anarchistic band of the Underground was the Deviants founded and fronted by singer/writer Mick Farren, the Social Deviants, later just the Deviants, made three bizarre albums in two years. Mick Farren states that The Deviants were a community band which "did things every now and then - it was a total assault thing with a great deal of inter-relation and interdependence".

Read more about The Deviants on Last.fm.

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Neil Hannon

Neil Hannon (born November 7, 1970) is a singer and songwriter, best known as the creator and lead member of the orchestral pop group The Divine Comedy. The band's official website even goes so far as to say, "The Divine Comedy is Neil Hannon," and Hannon is quoted in an interview as saying, "The Divine Comedy will always be my band because... I thought of it first!" In 2005 he contributed vocals to his long-time collaborator Joby Talbot's soundtrack for the movie version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Read more about Neil Hannon on Last.fm.

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Rasputina

Rasputina is a "" ensemble composed of singer/cellist Melora Creager, and various, frequently changing band members. The current lineup includes Creager (cello), Daniel Dejesus (cello), and Dawn Miceli (drums). Founded by Creager in 1992, they have long held true to their mission of enlightening the common man as to the power and versatility of the mighty cello. Historically influenced, and constantly costumed, Rasputina keeps a small legion of incredibly passionate admirers enthralled with their earnest musicianship.

Read more about Rasputina on Last.fm.

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Gary Wilson

Hailing from Endicott, NY, Gary Wilson is an archetypal figure in the "outsider music" movement with other artists like The Shaggs and Jandek as its most notable members. Gary Wilson first came onto the scene in 1977 with "You Think You Really Know Me," which he recorded alone in his parents' basement. Using synthesizers and spinning disturbing tales of obsession with different women, Wilson's record had no effect on the mainstream but its cold detachment and electro-funk aesthetic was a hit with the college radio stations.

Read more about Gary Wilson on Last.fm.

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Franco Battiato

Franco Battiato (born 1945 in Sicily, Italy) is an Italian singer-songwriter, composer, filmmaker and painter.
He is considered one of the most original personalities in music from the 1970s to now. Battiato's songs are dreamy, controversial collages of images and sensations, very experimental and convoluted, rich of esoteric, philosophical and East Asian religious themes. His collaborations (from 1994 onward) with the nihilistic-cynical philosopher Manlio Sgalambro have added further depth to his apparently nonsensical lyrics...

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Bill Frisell

Bill Frisell was born in Baltimore, but was raised in Denver, CO. Once a classical clarinetist, he established a firm base in his traditional harmonic knowledge early on in life. Throughout high school and college he also played guitar in various rock and R&B groups in the Denver area. During high school, however, he became profoundly interested in jazz guitar. In 1971 Frisell attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, and also began studying with Jim Hall, one of the prominent jazz guitarists of the 1960s.

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