Big Ears - Day 3

Clear skies returned to Knoxville on Saturday, but the morning was still a blustery, cold start to the day. However, it gradually warmed up as the day progressed, but yesterday was probably the coldest I've ever experienced at a Big Ears. 

Nothing cold on stage, though. John Zorn's Cobra game set was as hot (and as inscruitable) as ever. By the way, this pic of the ensemble's final bow isn't mine (photography was forbidden) but I found it somewhere on Facebook. 

Mary Halvorson debuted her new ensemble, Canis Major, featuring the amazing, young trumpet player, Dave Adewumi. Also, Mary's playing style keeps on evolving, and now includes some impressive looping in her already impressive arsenal of methods.   

I never woud have imagined I'd have the chance to see downtown avant-garde legend Charlemagne Palestine perform, but there he was at Big Ears on solo piano in front of projections of his original artwork. A long mesmerizing set, it was a remarkable performance by a remarkable original artist.

Patricia Brennan's septet bought an exciting and fun brand of modern Afro-Cuban jazz to the day in a stand-out performance of a day full of stand-out performances.

The day ended with a terrific set of free jazz by the remarkable Darius Jones. The ensemble, also featuing drummer Gerald Cleaver (not pictured - his had was behind a cymbal from my vantage point) had a fittingly late-night sound as I wrapped up Day Three.

One more day to go.

Big Ears - Day 2

 

Another lovely day in Knoxville. Sure, it was overcast and humid, but at least the weather was warm, at least at the start of the day. 

The day started in stellar fashion with a set by John Zorn's original Masada quartet. Zorn insisted on no photography at the set and I complied, but I found this pic from the set online of Zorn and trumpeter Dave Douglas by someone willing to flout the rules.

My next set was a "secret" surprise set, a lovely improvisational duet between guitarists Julian Lage and Nels Cline. 

The "secret" surprise set knocked me off my plan, but I recovered and went to see Jeff Parket and his Expansion Trio at the Mill nd Mine.

After the cool vibes of Parker, I experienced some revved-up funk by Steven Bernstein and his 11-piece Millennial Territory Orchestra (including John Medeski on the Hammond B-3) playing the music of Sly Stone in a fun, exuberant set. Nels Cline cameoed for a set-ending blaze-of-glory solo.

Speaking of cool, a light rain passed through in the late afternoon, followed by a cold front. Temperatures dropped some 20 degrees and gusty winds made it feel far colder. 

British improv legend Fred Frith with a typically (for him) quirky set of angular compositions and, of course, improvisation. 

Another "secret" surprise show, this time a duet of guitarists Mary Halvorson and Marc Ribot.

I ended the day back at the Bijou, where I had started, for another John Zorn set, this time an ensemble called Awakening Ground featuring Zorn, Medeski, and former Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo. It was another "no photography" set and I again complied, but this time I couldn't find a pic online.

I'm starting with another John Zorn set again today.

Update: Found a forbidden photo of Zorn, Lombardo, and Medeski from the Awakening Ground set.

 

Big Ears - Day 1

 

Back in Knoxville, Tennessee for my seventh consecutive Big Ears since 2018 (the event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the covids).  

Thursday evening started with a quirky jazz set by Ches Smith's Clone row. That's guitarist  Mary Halvorson in the Cruella de Ville Dalmatian coat, guitarist Liberty Ellman on the left, bassist Nick Dunston, and Smith over on the far right. 

Next up was the band SML in the round (that's why it looks like I'm onstage with them in this pic) in an old Greyhound station. I'm looking over he shoulder of guitarist Gregory Uhlmann and that's saxophonist Josh Johnson in front of him. I stayed for two sets, and in the second they were joined by trumpeter Rob Manzarek of Chicago Underground and the guitarist from the band Deerhoof. 

Final set of the night was the quartet Medeski, Martin, Metzger & Cline, lined up above as Medeski, Cline, Metzger and Martin.

Didn't make it back to my hotel room until 1:30 am and I'll be back at it at noon for John Zorn's original Masada quartet.

Meanwhile, In Budapest . . .

From what very little I know, the band trabant recorded back in the 1980s, but their music is only now getting released more widely. I like it, and like the enigmatic lack of knowledge of anything about the band other than the sound of this one song. Enjoy!  

The Beach Boys: A Day in the Life of a Tree

 

See today's WDW site for context.

R.I.P. Country Joe McDonald

Impermanence is swift.

Muslimgauze

According to the New York Times, Kurdish forces in Iraq are preparing armed units that could enter Iran. The C.I.A. previously gave small arms to the Kurdish forces as part of a covert program to destabilize Iran even before the current war began, they report. 

The White House press secretary said reports that the president had any plan for the Kurds to launch an insurgency in Iran were “completely false,” so we know that it's true.

The Kurds, an ethnic group that stretches across parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran, have long sought a national homeland, either as a state or through self-governed regions within other countries. But as the late British musician, Muslimgauze, points out, there is still no Kurdistan on the map. 

U.S. air strikes in western Iran have concentrated on locations near highways that run from the Iraqi border into Iran, hitting Islamic Revolutionary Guards facilities, police stations, and border-guard posts and communications towers. The bombing campaign would make an incursion by Kurdish forces from Iraq easier, reducing the strength of Iranian forces that could seek to stop the invasion.

The United States has a long history of abandoning the Kurds. After the 1991 Persian Gulf war, the United States encouraged a Kurdish uprising in Iraq, but then stood by as the Iraqi army slaughtered Kurdish forces. During his first term, the Stable Genius pulled back troops protecting Kurdish regions of northern Syria at Erdoğan's request so that Turkey could bomb the Kurds. 

Kurdish leaders are understandably hesitant to work with the U.S., given the potential costs to their people if the effort failed. Still, some Kurdish forces in Iraq have decided to go forward with a plan to send forces into Iran. Their hope is that once an insurgency is launched, local residents will join them. It is estimated there are 6 to 9 million Kurds among Iran's 90 million people.