An Evening with John Waters

Thursday, September 20, 8 p.m.

“Without obsession, life is nothing.” —John Waters

John Waters is more than a filmmaker. He’s a cult icon. Waters’ curriculum vitae includes the fabulously deranged cult classics Pink Flamingoes and Female Trouble, both starring the unforgettable drag queen Divine, as well as the campy Hairspray, which has just been remade into a motion picture musical starring John Travolta and Michelle Pfeiffer. Using his native Baltimore as the setting of (and inspiration for) many of his films, Waters has made the trashy and campy (and sometimes just plain filthy) into a true art form. In addition to writing and directing feature films, Waters is an author, photographer, and the creator of two CDs, A John Waters Christmas and A Date With John Waters, songs for Christmas and Valentine’s Day, respectively.

Béla Fleck and the Flecktones

Sunday, September 23, 8 p.m.
and Monday, September 24, 8 p.m.

Often considered the world’s best banjo player and one of the most innovative recording artists in music, eight-time Grammy winner Béla Fleck has virtually reinvented the image and the sound of the banjo in a remarkable performing and recording career that has taken him all over the musical map, both with the Flecktones and on a range of solo projects and collaborations. Since the group’s formation in 1988, the Flecktones’ relentless touring has garnered major attention, highlighting the interplay of true virtuoso musicians: Fleck, bassist Victor Wooten, percussionist Future Man and–joining the group in 1997–saxophonist Jeff Coffin. The Flecktones made their self-titled debut recording in 1990, at the time dubbed a “blu-bop”mix of jazz and bluegrass, and soon became a commercially successful, critically acclaimed and award-winning band, their six album releases in the ’90s documenting their musical evolution. When not on the road with the Flecktones in 2007, Béla will tour with jazz piano icon Chick Corea supporting their Concord Record release, The Enchantment. A CD and film about Fleck’s experience playing acoustic music in Africa will be released in 2008.

The Yard Dogs Road Show

Wednesday, October 3, 8 p.m. and Thursday, October 4, 8 p.m.

“Their flamboyant, gritty fusion of circus, cabaret, saloon act, blues and rock ’n’ roll is a splendid, grubbily glamorous extravaganza. Like a carnival ride, the Yard Dogs spin madly from ecstatic moment to ecstatic moment.” – Performer Magazine

Introducing the modern-day Vaudeville–a sexy, stunning, and surprising array of performers who will redefine your concept of the circus. Be transported into the Wild West of the late 1800s with sword-swallowers, fire-eaters, burlesque dancers, hobo poets and sideshow performers who took the West Coast by storm and return to Knoxville with their caravan of thrills in tow. In other words, you ain’t seen anything like the Yard Dogs Road Show.

An Evening with Anoushka Shankar

Wednesday, October 10, 8 p.m.

“Most people are musicians simply because they play a certain instrument; when they play that instrument, the music appears. But Ravi–to me, he is the music; it just happens to be that he plays the Sitar. And it’s like that with Anoushka. She has that quality–she is the music.” – George Harrison, 1997

Schooled in the Indian classical music tradition by the greatest teacher any student could hope to have, maestro and father Ravi Shankar, Anoushka Shankar had already dazzled thousands with her accomplished musicianship by the time she had reached her teens. Anoushka, her 1998 solo debut, established the younger Shankar as something of a prodigy. Anourag (2000), Anoushka’s sophomore release, expanded upon and refined what she had offered on the debut, and 2001’s Live at Carnegie Hall truly brought Anoushka into the international spotlight, garnering her first Grammy nomination and making her the youngest person ever nominated in the World Music category.

Her 2005 album, Rise, marked a breakthrough for Anoushka who composed, produced and arranged the album, which fused East and West using both acoustic and electric instrumentation to take her music someplace altogether new. It received glowing reviews throughout the world and gave Anoushka another Grammy nomination in the Best Contemporary World Music category. Anoushka also became the first Indian to play at the Grammy Awards when she performed a piece from the CD at the pre-telecast ceremony in February 2006.

Bellydance Superstars

Sunday, October 21, 8 p.m.

“Creative mutations and hybrids of [bellydance] in other lands are a testament to the brilliance of its originators. Great art grows; it does not stagnate within rigid rules.” – Miles Copeland, Bellydance Superstars founder

The Bellydance Superstars, the world’s only full-time, professional bellydance troupe, blend the traditions of the ancient Middle Eastern art form with the tribal influences of other cultures to create a thrilling stage show that summons the excitement of big-name touring performances. Comedy, sensuality, tradition and glamour all rolled into one, the Bellydance Superstars have release three DVDs and been the subject of a documentary entitled American Bellydancer. This unique group celebrates all women with the feminine and sensual dance art of bellydance.

Festival in the Desert featuring Vieux Farka Toure and Tinariwen

Wednesday, November 7, 8 p.m.

“Like a jewel in the sand, Tinariwen captures the imagination and restores your faith in the raw, hypnotic power of music.” – Wanderlust (UK)
“... beautiful, passionate [original] tunes... grace and joy that is refreshing and memorable... playing lead and rhythm guitar with expressiveness and flair.” – Nashville City Paper

Festival in the Desert is the touring version of the vastly popular West African music festival that takes place annually in Essakane, Mali. This year’s tour brings the pop, rock, jazz and Afro-Cuban sounds of Tinariwen and Vieux Farka Toure, two of Mali’s most celebrated groups. Tinariwen is a band of nomadic Tuareg musicians from Mali’s Sahara region who traded in traditional instruments for electric guitars to accentuate their ornate vocal style. Their music and lyrics are inspired by the Tuareg struggle for independence and experiences in various refugee camps. Vieux Farka Toure is the son of Mali’s legendary guitarist and two-time Grammy winner Ali Farka Toure and flashes his reggae and rock stylings with grace and panache. Audiences can expect cultural enlightenment, masterful musicianship and a musical journey that will leave them spellbound.

John Abercrombie Quartet
& Tord Gustavsen Trio

Friday, November 9, 8 p.m.

This double bill brings together one of jazz’s most influential elder statesman and a young Norwegian pianist, both established on the ECM label with new discs out in early 2007. John Abercrombie was one of the most influential acoustic and electric guitarists of the 1970s and early ’80s, and his influence on progressive chamber jazz continues into the 21st century with Third Quartet, a beautiful, improvisational recording enhanced by the participation of Mark Feldman (violin), Marc Johnson (double-bass) and Joey Baron (drums). Tord Gustavsen, who turns 37 this year, practices musical restraint and discipline on Being There, his new disc with Harald Johnsen and Jarle Vespestad. The CD completes a trilogy of sophisticated and introspective releases that continue the tradition of chamber jazz as an evolving branch of improvisational jazz.