Since its founding in 2009, Knoxville’s Big Ears Festival has become one of the premier events in alternative music. The city’s downtown springs to life with genre-bending, exploratory music events in historic theaters, clubs, churches, parks, galleries, and repurposed industrial spaces, leading The New York Times to call it “one of the world’s greatest music bashes,” and the Oxford American to pronounce it “one of the most quietly earth-shattering, subtly luminous festivals the world over.” This year’s lineup alone features such artists as Patti Smith, John Zorn, Sparks, and Marc Ribot.
It’s a breath of fresh air in a state too often associated with banned books and other radical right flash points, but the drive to Knoxville can prove daunting to many Memphians. Luckily for those of us in such far western lands, Crosstown Arts has curated a taste of Big Ears right here at home, as artists performing at this year’s festival, from March 24th-27th, make pit stops on their way to or from Knoxville.
Those in the know have already seen some of these artists. Pianist Craig Taborn, who’s worked with the likes of Lester Bowie, John Zorn, Evan Parker, William Parker, and Vijay Iyer, appeared at the Green Room on Wednesday. And last night, trumpeter jaimie branch performed with cellist Lester St. Louis, double bassist Jason Ajemian, and percussionist/mbira player Chad Taylor. But there’s still more to see.
Saturday, March 26 brings Maeve Gilchrist to the Green Room, playing the relatively rare Celtic lever harp. As with so many Big Ears artists, she’s re-imagined this ancient instrument in decidedly postmodern ways. She’ll be playing selections from her recent album, The Harpweaver, for harp, voice, samples, and electronics. As she told NPR recently, “I really enjoy exploring some of the grittier sounds of the harp. We all know it can make this ethereal, kind of luminous sound. But actually, it’s such a versatile instrument.” Her hybrid approach should appeal to fans of ambient, classical, Scottish folk, and experimental music.
As it happens, Gilchrist also plays with the following evening’s ensemble, backing Arooj Aftab at Crosstown Theater on Sunday, March 27. The Brooklyn-based Pakistani vocalist, composer, and producer blends jazz, minimalism, neo-Sufi music, and other genres, and has been nominated for the 2022 Best New Artist and Best Global Music Performance at the at the 2022 GRAMMY Awards. Aftab’s latest album, Vulture Prince, has been widely praised, as has the haunting single, “Mohabbat.” The track was named one of the best songs of 2021 by Time and The New York Times, and Brenna Ehrlich ranked the album sixth on Rolling Stone‘s “Best Music of 2021” staff list.
Finally, Tuesday, March 29 brings not just a musical group, but an entire experience to Crosstown Theater. The six-member Bang On a Can All-Stars are recognized for their dynamic live performances, freely crossing the boundaries between classical, jazz, rock, world, and experimental music. The New York Times called the All-Stars “a fiercely aggressive group, combining the power and punch of a rock band with the precision and clarity of a chamber ensemble,” and one can imagine no better venue than Crosstown Theater to match both the nuance and the energy of such a show.
Being a notable music city, it seems only a matter of time before Memphis can play host to its own major alternative music festival. Of course, with the Continuum and Memphis Concrète festivals, we are inching toward that. And thanks to the curation of world class, edgy music that continues apace at Crosstown Arts, we already have a taste of the Big Ears Festival here at home.