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The Zeitgeist of Isaiah Collier

Hailed by DownBeat magazine as “The Next Sax Giant,” Isaiah Collier stands as one of today's most electrifying and visionary forces in contemporary jazz. Appropriately, he’ll celebrate the Centennial of jazz giant John Coltrane on the Bijou Theatre stage, opening night of BIg Ears 2026.  This interview conducted back in December 2024 and published last spring in DownBeat explores Collier’s evolution as an artist and the state of his art and vision.

Mary Halvorson’s Record of the Year

According to critic Nate Chinen, “Modern jazz is forever evolving—and so are those in active dialogue with that tradition, as Mary Halvorson and her intrepid colleagues keep reminding us.” Her latest album, About Ghosts, made it onto a number of 2025 year-end lists, including The Qobuz Guide to the Best of 2025, Bandcamp’s Best Jazz Albums, NPR’s Best Albums, and more. We’re excited for her return to Big Ears with Canis Major—a new quartet led by Halvorson with Tomas Fujiwara, Henry Fraser, and Dave Adewumi that channels her cutting tone into a vivid, forward-leaning adventure.

Terry Allen’s Fascinating World

As his biographer, Brendan Greaves, has noted, Terry Allen is probably the only person who met both Elvis Presley and Marcel Duchamp before turning 20. That observation alone is a fascinating portal into Allen’s mercurial world as both musician/songwriter and visual artist extraordinaire.

At Big Ears, we’ll throw the doors wide open with two special programs: one will include stories and readings from Greaves’ remarkable book, Truckload of Art, a conversation between noted writer Tamara Saviano and Mr. Allen, and a theatrical/acoustic performance with his wife, the acclaimed actress Jo Harvey Allen, and their son Bukka, weaving together stories and music; the next day, Terry Allen and the Panhandle Mystery Band will perform Memwars, reaching far and wide into Allen’s remarkable library of iconic songs.

In this article from Rolling Stone, Allen talks with fan and collaborator (and Big Ears alum) Kurt Vile for a fun romp through Allen’s unique, unclassifiable, and prolific mind.

Patricia Brennan’s Celestial Logic

Patricia Brennan’s latest album was on a handful of Best of 2025 lists, including Nate Chinen and Bill Milkowski’s. Here’s what Bandcamp has to say: “Each piece of Patricia Brennan’s Of the Near and Far is inspired by the night sky—constellations, phenomena, theories—and the resulting music inspires the same kind of wonder and awe. Drawing connections between music theory and the constellations, the vibraphonist brings together jazz improvisation, classical music approaches, modern avant-garde proclivities, and percussion-centered delivery for one of the most stunning works of 2025. It’s an album where it’s very easy to get lost in the moment, admiring the present beauty, then jumping to attention at the realization there is more awaiting—and it’s ready to leave the station.” - Dave Sumner

Essential Tremors: Inside the Tara Clerkin Trio’s Sonic World

We invite you to dive into the latest episode of the Essential Tremors podcast featuring festival performers Tara and Sunny-Jo of the Tara Clerkin Trio. In this deep-dive conversation via WUOT, the duo reveals the specific records that helped forge their beguiling sound—from the ambient washes of Casino Versus Japan to the rhythmic explorations of Frederic Galliano and the legendary guitar work of The Durutti Column. It is the perfect primer before they take the stage at Big Ears 2026.