An All About Jazz review by John Kelman said "Dark and spacious in places, visceral, dense and penetrating in others, the impact of Livein Cognito can be heard in the audience's response. They may not always know how they're getting where they're going, but Big Satan fans can always be assured an intriguing trip".[2] A JazzTimes review by Mike Shanley said "The synergy of Big Satan—Berne, Ducret and Rainey—is on full display on Livein Cognito, a two-disc live set. The herky-jerky and the ungrounded qualities of the music sometimes make things blend together".[3]