Founded in 2010 by Emmy and Grammy Award-winning producer/drummer Vince Wilburn Jr., nephew of Sir Miles Dewey Davis, the Miles Electric Band (M.E.B) continues to expand the boundaries of music while paying homage to the innovations of Miles Davis’ electric period. With the 2026 centennial of Miles Davis on the horizon, this show will be especially poignant, featuring Vince Wilburn Jr., Darryl Jones (bass), Robert Irving III (keyboards), DJ Logic (turntables), and more in a fresh and bold revival of the groundbreaking electric fusion of Miles Davis' final two and a half decades.

Guitarist and composer Jeff Parker—a cornerstone of Chicago’s creative music scene and a driving force behind bands Tortoise (at Big Ears in 2025 and 2017) and his ETA IVtet (at Big Ears in 2025) returns with his visionary Expansion Trio. Featuring Jeremiah Chiu (modular synths) and Ben Lumsdaine (drums), the trio builds on Parker’s established reputation for seamless integration of tradition and technology, turning subtle improvisations into transcendent, richly textured moments.

Formed by Merrill Garbus in 2006, Tune-Yards has become synonymous with fearless creativity and forward motion. With longtime collaborator Nate Brenner, Garbus fuses ukulele loops, Afro-beat rhythms, and visceral vocal fireworks into performances as cathartic and political as they are playful and joyous. Their sixth studio album, Better Dreaming (4AD, 2025), marks another thrilling chapter. At Big Ears, expect an experience where sound, movement, and surprise collide.

For more than four decades, Thurston Moore has embodied the spirit of boundless artistic freedom. As a founder and guitarist of Sonic Youth and through a prolific solo career that spans music, poetry, publishing, and teaching, Moore stands as a towering figure in experimental and alternative rock. A fearless collaborator—having worked with artists such as Yoko Ono, John Zorn, Cecil Taylor, and John Paul Jones (with whom he appeared at Big Ears in 2019)—Moore continues to push the limits of sound and expression. We’re thrilled to welcome him back to Big Ears in 2026.

Maria Chávez, Shahzad Ismaily (Arooj Aftab, Ceramic Dog), and Greg Saunier (Deerhoof) came together as a trio for the first time for a show in Brooklyn in May 2025. That debut performance was heralded by The Wire as, “a reminder of... the sheer joy of seeing what surprises we can find in sound.” Each of the players’ inimitable approach to their instruments has earned them vivid, varied, and longstanding careers. Now, in this new formation, a fresh breath arrives: combining abstract turntablism, outré drumming and uncanny instrumentation, their sonic searching is both playful and profound.

Few artists embody the pure spirit of song like Darrell Scott. A revered multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter, Scott has lent his soulful touch to Robert Plant, Guy Clark, and the Zac Brown Band. Now, he brings his Electrifying Trio with Bryn Davies (bass) and Jeff Sipe (drums) to Big Ears. Known for turning the everyday into the extraordinary, Scott’s music brims with candor, heart, and the kind of hard-won wisdom that only life on the road (and in the hills of Tennessee) can bring.

As The Guardian writes, “[Fred Frith] has been an extraordinary sound source for decades, and he isn’t letting up.” The legendary English guitarist, composer, and improviser—co-founder of the avant-rock collective Henry Cow and collaborator to artists from Brian Eno and John Zorn to Evelyn Glennie—brings a new ensemble, Fremakajo, to Big Ears. Featuring Kasey Knudsen (saxes), Marié Abe (accordion), Frith (bass), and Jordan Glenn (drums), the group performs new composed music—and, naturally, dives headlong into improvisation—blurring the line between structure and spontaneity.

Respira—meaning “to breathe”—is a luminous new performance by visionary composer Eucademix (Yuka Honda) with Butoh dancer azumi O E and lighting designer Waldo Walle. The evening opens with a solo set by Honda that expands into an immersive duet with azumi O E, where sonic experimentation, visceral movement, and sculptural light merge into a shared act of breath and transformation. Rooted in Butoh yet reimagined for our electric age, Respira dwells between silence and eruption, body and technology—where boundaries dissolve and the room itself seems to come alive.

Described by the Kronos Quartet as “one of the world’s greatest singers,” Peni Candra Rini is a renowned Javanese vocalist, composer, and scholar whose artistry bridges centuries of tradition with bold, contemporary vision. A master of multiple classical Javanese forms and one of Indonesia’s most daring composers, she continues to redefine what is possible within her country’s musical heritage and beyond. Her work—spanning international collaborations, including I La Galigo with Robert Wilson, and a recent commission for Kronos Quartet and Carnegie Hall—has earned global acclaim. We’re thrilled to welcome her back following her breathtaking debut at Big Ears 2025.