Podcast
BIG EARS: CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MUSIC
Big Ears: Conversations About Music is a podcast that brings together cutting-edge musicians, journalists, and community leaders in discussions about the creative process, collaboration, and the transformative power of music. Big Ears: Conversations About Music will offer one-on-one talks between artists, roundtables and interactions with fans offering a behind-the-scenes look at the stories and connections that make Big Ears one of the world’s most unique festival experiences. You can listen to episodes here or click below to find your preferred podcast platform.
Hear a panel discussion from Big Ears 2025 titled 1965: Sound, Fire & Revolution, where guitarist Nels Cline, bassist Melvin Gibbs, and drummer Chad Taylor, join critic and author Nate Chinen to reflect on a landmark year in music and culture. 1965 gave us works like A Love Supreme, Complete...
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Published on: 2025-07-01
Hear a deep and searching live conversation from Big Ears 2025 between NPR Music critic and author Ann Powers and three remarkable artists whose practices reach far beyond the boundaries of genre — vocalist, double bassist and composer ganavya, multi-instrumentalist and scene-connector Carlos Niño, and British poet, saxophonist and troubadour Alabaster DePlume. In this wide-ranging interview,...
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Published on: 2025-06-17
At our 2025 festival, NPR critic and author Ann Powers sat down with legendary producer and music historian Joe Boyd for a wide-ranging conversation about his life in music. Boyd reflects on his recently published opus The Roots of Rhythm Remain, and a life at the intersection of sound and...
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Published on: 2025-06-03
On this episode, we listen in on a rare exchange between Charles Lloyd — the legendary saxophonist, bandleader, composer, and NEA Jazz Master — and Don Was — President of Blue Note Records — recorded live at the Blue Note Lounge in Jackson Terminal during Big Ears 2025....
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Published on: 2025-04-22
Three sharp-eared critics who attended Big Ears 2025—Bill Pearis (BrooklynVegan), Jennie Punter (Musicworks Magazine), and Natalie Weiner (Don't Rock the Inbox)—gather to reflect on the vast sonic and interdisciplinary arts landscape they encountered. From singular encounters to shared moments of awe, they explore the music, the food and the spirit...
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Published on: 2025-04-08
Get ready for Big Ears 2025 with this special roundtable featuring Nate Chinen, Ann Powers, Marcus J. Moore, and Ashley Kahn. Our panel of top critics shares favorite moments, past surprises, must-see picks, and even culinary highlights.Whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned veteran, this lively, insightful conversation is the...
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Published on: 2025-03-25
Critic and author Nate Chinen speaks with banjo trailblazer Béla Fleck about Big Ears' place in the music scene, his early days in New Grass Revival, taking the leap into new projects, the "ancient tones" of bluegrass and even Charlie Parker. Fleck also picks some of his must-see artists on...
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Published on: 2025-03-18
Journalist and music critic Larry Blumenfeld (Wall Street Journal, Chamber Music Magazine) sits down with legendary trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith and genre-defying composer Tyshawn Sorey. The discussion delves into the deep connections between sound and silence, the evolution of “creative music,” and the social and political impact of...
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Published on: 2025-03-11
Music critic and author Ann Powers (NPR Music) sits down with singer-songwriter Cassandra Jenkins, who appears at Big Ears 2025, for an intimate conversation on storytelling through sound, the interplay of nature and technology in music, and the creative process behind My Light, My Destroyer. A deep dive into sonic intimacy,...
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Published on: 2025-03-04
For the second episode of Big Ears: Conversations About Music, we convened a group of three writers (Vanessa Ague, Grayson Currin, Peter Margasak) and one broadcaster (J. Greg Bryant) to discuss some creative triumphs of 2024 and what they're looking forward to in 2025, both at Big Ears and beyond....
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Published on: 2025-02-25
For the first episode of Big Ears: Conversations About Music, critic Nate Chinen speaks with Big Ears co-founder Ashley Capps to talk about the history of the festival and Ashley's own history as a listener, radio host, and presenter. We'll also hear from three musicians who are intimately familiar with...
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Published on: 2025-02-18
Big Ears: Conversations About Music is a podcast that brings together cutting-edge musicians, journalists, and community leaders in discussions about the creative process, collaboration, and the transformative power of music.Big Ears: Conversations About Music will offer one-on-one talks between artists, roundtables and interactions with fans offering a behind-the-scenes look at...
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Published on: 2025-02-11