For the third consecutive year, photographer Mary Hynes and I made the scenic nine-hour journey to Knoxville, Tennessee, for the annual Big Ears Festival. The event is an overwhelming sensory and wildly exploratory experience spread over four days, held between March 26-29, 2026, in the city’s vibrant downtown where it consumes over twenty venues. There were nearly two hundred concerts, with many artists playing multiple times in different configurations; hardly any artist plays in solely one performance, one band, or one configuration. But even the volume of music performances is only part of the story. There are also the several events based around poetry and literature, panels, films, and interviews scattered throughout mornings and afternoons. The comprehensive work of founder Ashley Capps, his staff, and hundreds of volunteers puts on an event that is not only voluminous in scope but also full of great artistic substance.
In reviewing the monstrously sized 2026 Big Ears, one must choose whether to emphasize depth – staying for entire sets – or volume – a combination of entire sets and snippets. This year, unlike the past two, we elected the former, opting for a less frenetic pace. Do not misread that statement to suggest our trip was laid-back. Such is impossible with the festival’s bounty of offerings. One can spend hours developing a plan only to find things rarely hold up as envisioned. Ours certainly did not, having been influenced by the critics’ panel, the distance between venues, and word-of-mouth.
Highlights
The performances noted below are listed in loose chronological order, not by priority. They all further Big Ears’ emphasis on boundary-pushing artists, fitting in spaces often labeled jazz, classical, folk, bluegrass, rock, and electronica, to the completely undefinable in between. As an overall observation, as emerges below, this year was especially a heaven for guitar fans.
Isaiah Collier Plays Coltrane– Some have compared the twenty-seven year-old Collier to John Coltrane due to both the intensity in his playing and his focus on the spiritual elements of music. Because of these parallels, the younger saxophonist is an ideal artist to commemorate both the music of Coltrane and its underlying essence. Collier, dressed in a semi-robe attire with a wide-brimmed hat, inspired a packed Bijou Theater. On both soprano and tenor, he was joined by pianist Dave Whitfield, bassist Conway Campbell, and drummer Tim Regis in regaling listeners with lengthy improvisations through “Untitled” from Both Directions at Once: TheLost Album (Impulse!, 2018), “Giant Steps,” “Naima,” “Crescent,” “My Favorite Things,” and more. The shrieks, squawks, and rising crescendos were all there; your ears may have mislead you into thinking you were hearing the master himself. But to Collier’s band’s credit, especially Whitfield, the group did not try to emulate the Classic Quartet, instead opting to provide complementary support.
Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra Plays Sly – The energy level at Jackson Terminal was beyond electric as as an immensely animated Bernstein conducted his ten-piece MTO band, a group flexible enough to sound alternatively like both a big band a small ensemble. “Family Affair,” “Time,” and several other Sly hits were covered by the band, though Bernstein mostly emphasized some of the funk legend’s lesser explored tracks. The audience’s lack of familiarity with many of the compositions didn’t matter; the band was palpably on fire. Special guests Sandra St. Victor and Joan As Police Woman, organist John Medeski, and guitarist Nels Cline magically took the set higher.
Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock – The remaining two octogenarians from the legendary Flatlanders still have it. It was obvious from the get go that this set would be an emotional event, given the recent passing of Joe Ely. And listeners were not left disappointed. The duo sounded great in The Point, arguably the festival’s best venue in terms of acoustics. Jimmie Dale even commented, “It sounds so great in here.” Gilmore hasn’t lost a bit of his wit, and Hancock, one of our most underrecognized songwriters, brought his A-game too. This listener, having known Ely pretty well, was literally brought to tears when hearing “She Never Spoke Spanish to Me,” “Wishing for You,” “Dallas,” and old standbys like“Just a Wave, Not the Water,” “My Mind’s Got a MInd of Its Own,” and “If You Were a Bluebird.” Sometimes simplicity works best – just two acoustic guitars, harmonica on the rack, and an accordionist to fill in the gaps.
David McMurray’s Grateful Deadication – Saxophonist McMurray has played with Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, The Temptations, Was (Not Was), and Bob Weir & Wolf Bros., among others. He has also issued two Blue Note albums of Grateful Dead music. His quintet of hardcore Detroiters puts the funk into these tunes to the point where, at times, you won’t recognize them. Melodies are used as launching spots into new improvisations rather than mimicry of the jams of The Dead. McMurray plays the pieces with the robust tone and soul of King Curtis, but with more swing. The set was explosive through such tunes as “China Cat Sunflower Blues,” “The Eleven,” ‘Franklin’s Tower,” ‘Truckin’” and the title track from his latest album, I LOVE LIFE even when I’m hurtin’ (Blue Note, 2025).
Chad Taylor Quintet – Late last year, drummer Taylor debuted his new quintet with Smoke Shifter (Otherly Love, 2025), described as a classic Blue Note album from the ’60s, replete with melodies and unison lines between trumpet and tenor. Most of the members of the ensemble composed pieces, including bassist Matt Engel, tenorist Bryan Rogers, and vibraphonist VicotViere-Branco, the latter a wonder to watch with his energetic approach to his instrument. While trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson appears on the album, the live performance had the pleasant surprise of Adam O’Farrill – without effects, no less- on horn. A standout was Taylor’s own “Waltz for Meghan,” where the band was at its dynamic best.
Mary Halvorson’s Canis Major – This Big Ears date is a stop on the first tour of Halvorson’s new quartet with longtime drummer Tomas Fujiwara, bassist Henry Fraser, and emerging trumpet voice Dave Adewumi, who recently issued his debut, The Flame Beneath the Silence (Giant Step Arts, 2026). Halvorson filled the immense Tennessee Theater and played mostly soothing, dreamlike music coupled with highly rhythmic tunes. All four players were excellent, and Halvorson’s unique guitar attack and gorgeous tone shone through incredibly clearly in this small ensemble.
Electrical Field of Love (Harriett Tubman & Georgia Anne Muldrow) – If you read the two-part interview with all four members of the extended band on this site, you have some idea of the music the ensemble presented. But conversations cannot replace experience. The performance itself was transportive and spiritual through the unique mix of electronics, Melvin Gibbs’ pedal-enhanced bass, and Brandon Ross’s custom guitar with sharp, bluesy notes resonating through the Jackson Terminal venue. And yes, the ever-looming presence and booming vocals of Muldrow dressed as a high priestess. Nobody plays guitar like Ross, nobody plays bass like Gibbs, and nobody sings like Muldrow, with or without lyrics. Drummer JT Lewis holds it all together, a blend of blues, rock, jazz, and electronica – an aural journey unlike any other. The highlight came at the end of the show with Ross Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” as Muldrow mostly harmonized.
Patricia Brennan Septet – The vibraphonist’s Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic, 2024) led most critics’ polls in 2024. At Big Ears, she presented an identical lineup as on that record, including drummer Marcus Gilmore, bassist Kim Cass, trumpeter Adam O’Farrill (this time with effects), saxophonists Jon Iragabon and Mark Shin, and percussionist Mauricio Herrera. Brennan smiles throughout the set, bringing her customary energy to her effects-enhanced vibraphone. Her Mexican heritage was reflected in the highly rhythmic Latin strains that permeated the music. The ensemble fed off the energy of the head-bobbing audience with brief but sharp solos and tight connectivity. It was yet another terrific show at the Jackson Terminal.
Brandon Woody’s Upendo – Rising trumpeter Woody’s music embodies the Black church, jazz, improvisation, and a melodic hymn-like quality to many of the pieces from his recent debut For the Love of It All (Blue Note, 2024). The repertoire, aside from an untitled piece, matched that of Woody’s highly acclaimed album. Joined by longtime ‘“brothers” pianist Troy Long, bassist Michael Saunders, and drummer Quincy Phillips, the Baltimore-based unit augmented the quartet with guitarist Charlie Rauh for this set. Woody’s tone was exquisite, and his solos often incendiary, while Long’s full Steinway grand piano swayed and rocked with every note he played.
Wish We Had Heard More
Pat Metheny Side-Eye III+ – Metheny augmented his customary trio with a keyboardist and percussionist for his two and a half hour performance at the Tennessee Theater. Chris Fishman had an arsenal of keyboards that rivaled Joe Zawinul in his Weather Report days, and Joe Dyson excelled as the drummer. Often, it was just this trio that played. Metheny not only played from his most recent album bearing the band’s name (Uniquity, 2026) but regaled the audience with old favorites like “Off Ramp.”
John Scofield Trio ft Vicente Archer & Bill Stewart – “Sco” also played in Tennessee. While he and Metheny both have lots of bluesy tones, Scofield is sharp and incisive, while Metheny is round, melodic, and flowing. Seen on back-to-back nights, it was an interesting comparison of two of the world’s best guitarists.
Thurston Moore & Shabaka – While Shabaka played a dazzling array of flutes and tenor, the highlight of the show was Moore, who deceptively seemed to serve mostly as an accompanist. A closer look revealed how his extended techniques- specifically the use of a drumstick between his guitar’s strings and frets and a screwdriver to scrape the strings – provided a unique, industrial-like sound that Moore has only further refined since his days with Sonic Youth.
Don Was and the Pan Detroit Ensemble – This nine-piece unit played a variety of music, ranging from Hank Williams’ “I Ain’t Got Nothin’ but Time” to Leonard Cohen’s “Elvis’s Rolls Royce” to Grateful Dead fare. The band of Detroiters gave a hard, funky edge to each piecr. Vocalsit Steffanie Christi’an, who Was dubbed “the best singer I’ve ever heard,” was a flat-out dynamo.
Interesting One-Offs
Marc Ribot’s Shrek – Pairing the vastly different guitar stylings of Ribot and Mary Halvorson in a quintet that featured duel drummers Ches Smith and Chad Taylor was inviting. The music, however, veered toward headbanging rock, which wasn’t always palatable.
Roscoe Mitchell with Tyshawn Sorey – The legendary Mitchell played everything from bass saxophone to sopranino as well as percussion. The Standard was packed to capacity, so the sightlines were difficult, and the nature of Mitchell’s music required concentration at a level of which the venue was ill-suited.
Ches Smith’s Clone Row – While the group’s music failed to meet this listener’s expectations, it is always delightful to witness the animated bassist Nick Dunston and the contrasting styles of guitarists Halvorson and Liberty Ellman. Smith’s ability to seamlessly move from the drums to the vibes is also a visual and aural delight.
Barbara Hannigan Sings Zorn ft. Stephen Gosling – Hannigan’s soprano voice is mesmerizing, often singing without lyrics in these challenging pieces written by John Zorn. Pianist Gosling used every aspect of the inside and outside of the piano in accompaniment. It was a brilliant performance, far removed sonically from anything else we saw.
MJ Lenderman & The Wind – This rock favorite can play anything from storytelling folk music to loud, abrasive, feedback-drenched rock. The Big Ears set more the latter as Lenderman and lead guitarist Jon Samuels engaged in a loud feedback session.
As usual at Big Ears, there were many acts that we wished we had seen. Nonetheless, our less frenetic pace proved rewarding amongst the blurring textures that abounded.
More information about the Big Ears Festival can be found on its website.All photos by Mary Hynes.
Jim Hynes has been broadcasting and/or writing about blues, jazz, and roots music for over four decades. He’s interviewed well over 700 artists and currently writes for four other publications besides this one. His blues columns and interviews can be found in Elmore and Glide Magazines.