Big Ears Festival

[kh1958]

I received my wristband yesterday.

[randyhersom]

Looks like I'm missing this year due to a combination of circumstances.  Enjoy, all!

[HutchFan]

1 hour ago, kh1958 said:

I received my wristband yesterday.

I got mine too.   

 

[kh1958]

Chucho Valdes has quietly been removed from the schedule.

[medjuck]

3 hours ago, kh1958 said:

Chucho Valdes has quietly been removed from the schedule.

He recently cancelled a concert in Santa Barbara.

[BFrank]

On 3/14/2026 at 7:36 AM, kh1958 said:

Chucho Valdes has quietly been removed from the schedule.

They mentioned it in last week's newsletter: "We are deeply disappointed to announce that both Adrian Sherwood and Chucho Valdés have had to cancel their planned performances at Big Ears, due to circumstances beyond their control."

[kh1958]

I've been working on my Big Ears concert schedule.

March 26:

6:15-7:30: Ches Smith's Clone Row, The Standard

8:30-9:45: Isaiah Collier Plays Coltrane, Bijou Theatre

10:15-11:30: Carlos Nino, Surya Botofasina, Aaron Shaw, First Presbyterian Sanctuary

March 27:

12:30-1:45: Nik Bartsch, St. John's

3:30-4:45: Jeff Parker Expansión Trio, Mill and Mine

5:00-6:15: Roscoe Mitchell and Tyshawn Sorey, The Standard

6:45-8:00: Miles Okazaki: Trickster, Regas Square

8:45-10:00: John Scofield Trio, Tennessee Theater

10:00-11:00: Brian Marsella Trio (Impromptous, Ballades, Nocturnes), Bijou Theater

March 28:

10:00-11:30: Kunai Gunjal & Praveen Narayan, St. John's

12:00-1:00: Saraswathi Ranganathan, Swantinathan Selvaganesh, Praveen Narayan, St. John's

2:15-3:45: Purbayan Chatterjee & Nitin Mitta, St. John's

5:30-6:45: Electrical Field of Love, Jackson Terminal

8:15-9:15: Hania Rani, The Greyhound

10:30-11:30: SML, The Greyhound

March 29:

1:00-2:15: Julian Lage Quartet, Tennessee Theater

4:45-6:00: Either/Orchestra Plays Ethiopiques, Bijou Theater

6:00-7:15: Tom Skinner, The Standard

7:45-9:00: Openness Trio, The Point

 

[HutchFan]

Looks great, @kh1958! 

I'll be there too -- but I haven't solidified my schedule yet.

[kh1958]

And due to conflicts and overlaps, I'm missing quite a few concerts I would like to see as well.

Edited March 19 by kh1958

[BFrank]

It's always a struggle! 

I have several of those shows on my list too, but I also included the conflicts. I tend to make many of those decisions on the fly ... depending on my mood and logistics.

Since it's impossible to see all the shows you want to see, I comfortable with whatever I see.

Roscoe and Tyshawn is a must-see, though!

I saw Parker's Expansion Trio in Chicago at the Sound & Gravity Festival last September. Definitely worth seeing.

 

[medjuck]

If you guys are at the Roscoe and Tyshawn I'll be the old guy with the white baseball hat featuring a Moose.  Come say hello.  I first saw Roscoe more than 50 years ago, then again a few years ago at the Ojai Music Festival.

[HutchFan]

To anyone who attended Big Ears this year, what were your impressions?

I enjoyed it -- although I didn't have any revelatory experiences comparable to hearing Charles Lloyd last year.

My favorite shows from this year's festival were:
- Medeski, Martin, Metzger & Cline (Thursday @ the Mill & Mine)
- Tim Berne (Friday @ Regas Square)
- Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra Plays Sly (Friday @ Jackson Terminal)
- John Scofield (Friday @ the Tennessee Theater)
- Either/Orchestra (Saturday @ The Point)
- Julian Lage (Sunday @ the Tennessee Theater)

[medjuck]

Roscoe, Drumming, and Julian Lage.  I also paid the extra to see David Byrne and Robert Plant.  Enjoyed them both.  I was happy to have gone to 4 shows a day and thought everything was worthwhile if not always to my taste.  Loved Knoxville.