The Big Ears Festival, which takes place every year in Knoxville, Tennessee, honors jazz music in all of its variations. The festival has included a diverse range of great musicians over the years, from up-and-comers to well-known veterans. Four Tet, Patti Smith, Iron & Wine, Los Lobos, Nils Frahm, Yves Tumor, Ichiko Aoba, Amadou & Mariam, Andrew Bird, and Devendra Banhart have all given standout performances at the festival.
Kieran Hebden, a British artist who performs under the moniker Four Tet, is renowned for his unique fusion of electronic, jazz, and world music. The renowned punk rock poet Patti Smith commands a strong presence on stage with her impassioned singing and socially conscious lyrics. Sam Beam, an American singer-songwriter who goes by the moniker Iron & Wine, combines folk, rock, and country elements to produce a distinctive sound.
The Grammy-winning Chicano rock group Los Lobos incorporates traditional Latin American and Mexican rhythms into their songs. German pianist and composer Nils Frahm creates hauntingly beautiful ambient and experimental soundscapes. The avant-garde approach of American experimental musician Yves Tumor challenges the limits of genre.
The Japanese singer-songwriter Ichiko Aoba infuses her music with a delicate, ethereal air, while the Malian musical duet Amadou & Mariam combines traditional African sounds with contemporary pop and rock. The American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird is well known for his sophisticated lyrics and superb violin playing. The singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart, who is of Venezuelan and American descent, incorporates a variety of inspirations into his distinctive brand of indie-folk.
These notable artists, along with numerous more, congregate at the Big Ears Festival to celebrate the broad and varied world of jazz music. There is something for everyone at this amazing event, whether you are a devoted fan or a beginner to the genre.