Inspired by Big Ears artists who carry the torch of traditional music with their own unique twist (i.e. Béla Fleck, Abigail Washburn, Jerry Douglas, Wu Fei), we decided to dig deep into Knoxville’s musical heritage. Here’s a taste of our Appalachian Happening, curated by Anna Roberts-Gevalt:
THURSDAY: Join us for a square dance on Market Square (or as it is lovingly called in Knoxville, the “Square on the Square”) with Knoxville caller Stan Sharp alongside Anna Roberts-Gevalt and percussive dancer Becky Hill. Be on the look-out for Big Ears artist pickers making a surprise appearance to join in with Knoxville’s all-star string band, The A Four Forties. After the Square on the Square, head to the Jig & Reel for a late nite old time jam hosted by Anna & Elizabeth, which will continue till the early hours of the morning…
FRIDAY: Anna Roberts-Gevalt welcomes players to join an Eternal Jam from noon-6 PM on Market Square with a rotating cast of pickers. Bring your instrument and jam with Big Ears artists and special guests, then head back to the Jig & Reel Friday night for another late night session, this time with an Irish flavor, lead by Sam Amidon & Cleek Shrey.
SATURDAY: Sam Amidon will lead a morning sing at the Knoxville Museum of Art with Old Harp singers from around the region. The Eternal Jam will be kicking again from noon-6 on Market Square. And as dusk falls, over 30 players will convene on Market Square to pick and play in Big Ears’ first Fiddler’s Convention. Jam with us during the day, and join as fiddlers invade Market Square when night falls.
But that’s just the beginning…Stay tuned as more details about the Appalachian Happening are revealed!
The Bluegrass Avant-Garde: Spotlight on Béla Fleck & Jerry Douglas
It’s not easy to become a household name as a banjo player, but Béla Fleck has certainly succeeded. Fleck is often heralded the world’s greatest banjo virtuoso and has won more Grammys (17 the last time we checked…) in more categories than any artist in the history of the award, a testament not only to his freakish talent but also his desire to take this instrument into new territory. From his banjo concertos for full symphony orchestra to collaborations with jazz genius Chick Corea, or his musical mind meld with artists around the globe from Africa to China, Fleck’s genre-busting mission is a spirit we cherish. At Big Ears, Béla will perform with the unsurpassably inventive string quartet Brooklyn Rider and as a duo with songstress and clawhammer banjo player Abigail Washburn, his soul mate in music and life.
Continuing on with internationally adored experimental bluegrass juggernauts, Jerry Douglas is the world’s master of the resonator guitar, or the dobro. Douglas has served as the musical backbone of Alison Krauss’s Union Station, made foundational records with J.D. Crowe & The New South, and added bluegrass strains to records by rock stars such as Elvis Costello and John Fogerty. But in 2017, Douglas had a musical confession: Ever since he was a teenage dobro player, he’d heard horn lines rippling through his songs. So he wrote a record called What If, and assembled a band of wild players -horns, drums, dobro- including Knoxville’s own Vance Thompson, a trumpeter and founder of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra. For a taste of what the Jerry Douglas Band will bring to Big Ears, listen to Cavebop which Douglas calls “an experiment employing Bebop Jazz improv with a dash of Bluegrass for good measure.”
For more info on Béla Fleck, Abigail Washburn, Jerry Douglas, Sam Amidon, Anna & Elizabeth, Cleek Shrey and other traditional music innovators at Big Ears… visit bigearsfestival.org
