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Seven Weeks Until Big Ears 2026 |
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Big Ears 2026 opens seven weeks from this coming Thursday, and here are seven of the many, many reasons we can barely contain ourselves.
Looking forward to seeing you! |
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Sullivan Fortner added a third Grammy to his list of awards this past Sunday evening. A contemporary genius of the piano, we’re thrilled to have him return to Big Ears to perform with the great Cécile McLorin Salvant, as well as leading his own trio. When he was awarded the inaugural Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award a few months back, the Gilmore’s director Seth Abramson summed it up, declaring Fortner “one of the most gifted artists I’ve ever encountered. His technique is effortless, his ear extraordinary, and his vision profound — but what makes him truly remarkable is the sheer joy that radiates from him when he plays.” |
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Congratulations to Nate Smith, whose LIVE-ACTION won the Grammy for Best Alternative Jazz Album Sunday night. A bold, producer-driven project rooted in live performance, the album captures Smith’s collaborative reach and singular vision in equal measure. You won’t want to skip his Big Ears performance on Saturday, March 28. |
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Pino Palladino & Blake Mills |
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Pino Palladino and Blake Mills recent release, That Wasn’t a Dream, took home the Grammy for Best Engineered Album. An intimate, finely detailed record, it captures the duo’s remarkable musical rapport and their shared devotion to craft, sound, and space. At Big Ears, they’ll bring that collaboration to the stage joined by Sam Gendel and Chris Dave for their Friday, March 27 performance. Don’t miss it. |
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Brittany Davis invokes the spirits of Nina Simone and Alice Coltrane on her breathtaking new record, Black Thunder, produced by Josh Evans and released on Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard’s label, Loosegroove. It’s an exhilarating and potent spiritual jazz experience. |
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Originally a member of the teenage Staples Junior Singers, Annie Caldwell and her family are taking their soul-stirring music out of the church and into the world, with their debut Can’t Lose My (Soul), which cultural / musical journalist Ayana Contreras declared “holy roller disco” when summing up 2025 highlights for the Big Ears podcast. They’ll certainly take you higher! |
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Electrical Field of Love:
Harriet Tubman & Georgia Anne Muldrow |
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We’re thrilled to have Georgia Anne Muldrow make her long overdue Big Ears debut, with the power trio Harriet Tubman, whose collaboration, Electrical Field of Love, will be released on Pi Recordings on March 27, the day prior to their performance at Big Ears. |
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“She’s the truth. It’s as if she’s from another time somewhere, an ancient future where it meets and warps together, and she walked out of it looking like the female Jimi Hendrix, the young Marcus Garvey, swinging music like Stevie Wonder.” – Erykah Badu, New York Times interview |
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Laurie Anderson Is Not Linear |
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This Grapevine article, on the occasion of Laurie Anderson’s performances last month in Reykjavik, offer a glimpse into what to expect from her multiple appearances at Big Ears 2026 in March. More details to come. |
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