Music

Big Ears: Conversations About Music

by Big Ears Festival

Is this your show? Claim it

Listen on Apple Podcasts Pocket Casts RSS feed

Recently ranked · United States

Last recorded placements from this show’s chart history. These are not current rankings.

Not on the United States charts we track today.

If you like Big Ears: Conversations About Music, try…

Essential Tremors

Also in Music

Light Box

Also in Music

New Zealand Net Radio

Also in Music

The Fischer-Z Podcast

Also in Music

Rhythms Magazine

Also in Music

Die hr2-Hörbar

Also in Music

Latest episodes

“He Made the World Bigger”: John Zorn’s Musical Universe

July 28, 2026 · 50 min

John Zorn’s musical world resists any sort of tidy summation. A constellation of projects that refuse genre’s pull, a deeply-embedded philosophy of artistic risk, and an appetite for assembling untested combinations. Recorded during Big…
Talking Curation (Josh Johnson with Ashley Capps)

March 19, 2026 · 31 min

In this episode of Big Ears: Conversations About Music, Big Ears founder Ashley Capps sits down with saxophonist, composer, and producer Josh Johnson to explore his inspired guest curation for this year’s festival. Josh and Ashley dig…
Kaoru Watanabe's Bloodlines Interwoven

March 10, 2026 · 41 min

Flutist and taiko drummer Kaoru Watanabe discusses Bloodlines Interwoven, a multi-year project exploring heritage, immigration, and diaspora through music and storytelling. The son of Japanese immigrants and symphonic musicians, Watanabe’s…
Pat Metheny

February 26, 2026 · 48 min

Today we have an incredibly rare interview with NEA Jazz Master Pat Metheny, who appears for the first time ever at Big Ears 2026 with his Side-Eye project. One of the most prolific and influential guitarists, bandleaders and composers…
Marc Ribot

January 27, 2026 · 41 min

Guitar legend Marc Ribot in dialogue with guest host, cultural critic Larry Blumenfeld (WSJ, The Nation). A true original, Ribot has always gone his own way, recording over two dozen records as a leader, while appearing on an estimated 600…

Show 7 more episodesShow fewer episodes

12 Highlights of 2025: A 2026 Big Ears Preview

January 1, 2026 · 39 min

In this special edition of Big Ears: Conversations About Music, four deeply engaged listeners -Ayana Contreras, Piotr Orlov, Liz Pelly, and Steve Smith - survey the sounds that moved them in 2025—offering a preview of just a few of the…
Josh Johnson

December 11, 2025 · 23 min

On this episode of Big Ears: Conversations About Music, journalist and author Marcus J. Moore sits down with the formidable LA-based saxophonist, composer and producer Josh Johnson, a ubiquitous presence in today’s jazz scene. Big Ears'…
Wild Up Celebrate Julius Eastman & Arthur Russell

November 20, 2025 · 54 min

Wild Up makes their Big Ears debut as one of the most innovative forces in contemporary music. Led by artistic director Christopher Rountree, the Los Angeles-based ensemble has spent more than a decade reshaping the possibilities of…
Reconsidering Americana: Hayden Pedigo & S.G. Goodman

November 6, 2025 · 51 min

In this episode, journalist and author Liz Pelly (Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist) brings together two singular songwriters — Hayden Pedigo and S.G. Goodman — for a candid exploration of songwriting…
Songs & Symphonics: Celebrating Moondog at Big Ears

October 23, 2025 · 56 min

Journalist Piotr Orlov (of Dada Strain) speaks with Brian Carpenter of Ghost Train Orchestra and collaborator Joan Wasser (a.k.a. Joan As Police Woman) about interpreting the works of Moondog—the blind composer, poet, and New York street…
Lisa Bielawa on Knoxville Broadcast

October 9, 2025 · 42 min

Composer, vocalist, and project-maker Lisa Bielawa joins renowned classical and new music journalist Steve Smith to discuss her extraordinary Broadcast works, with a spotlight on Knoxville Broadcast, a large-scale site-specific “spatial…
Cécile McLorin Salvant

September 25, 2025 · 59 min

Two time GRAMMY winner, vocalist and MacArthur Fellow Cécile McLorin Salvant joins critic Natalie Weiner to unpack what it means to be called a jazz singer. Salvant reflects on her musical upbringing in both classical and jazz traditions…

Full episode archive on Apple Podcasts →

About the show

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. The podcast features one-on-one talks and roundtable discussions hosted by expert music critics with the artists who make Big Ears unique, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the inspirations and connections that make Big Ears one of the world’s most unique music festivals.