Big Ears reveals first round of 2020 lineup

Today, Big Ears is rolling out the first round of artists to grace Knoxville, Tennessee for the annual music festival’s March 26-29, 2020 lineup.

— Composer and saxophonist Anthony Braxton returns to celebrate 75 years of creative music with performances by his Diamond Curtain Wall Trio, a rare solo appearance, and the world premiere of the Thunder Music Ensemble.

— Big Ears celebrates minimalist luminary and composer Terry Riley’s 85th birthday with performances by a duo featuring his son Gyan Riley, a solo organ performance on the new St. John’s Cathedral pipe organ, and more to come. Stay tuned!

— Composer and choreographer Meredith Monk returns to join the Bang On A Can All-stars to premiere a new work titled “Memory Game.”

— Led Zeppelin bass player John Paul Jones and Finnish cellist Anssi Karttunen take the stage together for the North American concert debut of their new outfit, Sons of Chipotle.

— Kim Gordon and her Body/Head cohort Bill Bace join Steve Gunn and John Truscinski to perform a live soundtrack to Andy Warhol’s iconic film KISS.

— Joe Henry’s 115th Dream finds the iconic singer, songwriter, and producer performing alongside Jason Moran, Marc Ribot, Jay Bellerose, David Piltch, and Levon Henry.

— Jason Moran & the Harlem Hellfighters finds Moran leading a large ensemble paying tribute ragtime music innovator James Reese Europe.

— Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Caroline Shaw marks her Big Ears debut with a collaborative performance with New York City-based percussion quarter Sō Percussion.

— Flute player and singer Nathalie Joachim (Eighth Blackbird) joins Spektral Quartet to perform selections from her album Femn D’ayiti.

— Icelandic glitch-pop outfit Múm celebrates the 20-years anniversary of Yesterday Was Dramatic — Today is OK.

— German free-jazz legend Peter Brötzmann’s makes his Big Ears debut with a solo performance of a new offering. Brötzmann will also join drummer Andrew Cyrille for a performance as well.

More artists, performances, and information regarding film and literary programs, talks and discussions will be revealed over the coming weeks. Tickets go on sale Thursday, October 10, at 12 p.m. Eastern time. In the meantime, check out the lineup so far below.

Big Ears 2020 lineup
— 75 Dollar Bill
— Andrew Cyrille
— Annette Peacock
— Anthony Braxton
— Areni Agbabian
— Aurora Nealand & the Royal Roses
— Bang on a Can All-Stars
— Caroline Shaw
— Caterina Barbieri
— Christian Scott
— Damo Suzuki Network with the Sound Carriers
— Dan Weiss Starebaby
— Daniel Pioro & Valgeir Sigurðsson
— Devendra Banhart
— Diamond Curtain Wall Trio
— Dos Santos
— Efterklang
— Electric Appalachia (William Tyler, Mary Lattimore, Eric Dawson of TAMIS)
— Gyan Riley
— Harriet Tubman
— Jaimie Branch’s Fly or Die
— Jason Moran & the Harlem Hellfighters
— Jeff Parker and the New Breed
— Joe Henry’s 115th Dream
— Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society
— Kim Myhr
— Kronos Quartet
— Marc Ribot
— Maurice Louca
— Mdou Moctar
— Meredith Monk
— Moonlight Benjamin
— mssv (Mike Baggetta, Stephen Hodges, Mike Watt)
— Múm
— Myra Melford’s Snowy Egret
— MZM (Miya Masaoka, Zeena Parkins, Myra Melford)
— Nadah El Shazly
— Natalie Joachim
— nief norf
— Paul Lazar’s Cage Shuffle
— Peter Brötzmann
— Sarah Davachi
— Saul Williams
— Shabaka & the Ancestors
— So Percussion
— Sons of Chipotle (John Paul Jones & Anssi Karttunen)
— Sound for Andy Warhol’s KISS (Kim Gordon, Bill Nace, Steve Gunn, John Truscinski)
— Spektral Quartet
— Steve Coleman and Five Elements
— Sudan Archives
— Tamino
— Terry Riley
— The Haden Triplets
— The Necks
— Thunder Music Ensemble
— Thundercat
— Tindersticks
— Xylouris White

Big Ears Festival, March 26-29, 2020, Knoxville, Tenn.