This is what happens when a New Orleans saxophonist draws his inspiration from Sweden. Meet the virtuosic Randal Despommier.

Norman Blake is a veteran keeper of the Tennessee mountains’ musical traditions. And a young act, the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, is championing the same heritage.

“Salvation.” It’s right there in our name. It’s an elusive state attained via unexpected detours and poorly drawn maps. Willi Carlisle’s second album, “Peculiar, Missouri,” lays bare the peculiar path that this Arkansas man traveled to a place where he can see salvation waiting for him.

A broad slate of community collaborations set in motion by Knoxville’s Big Ears Festival offered real sources of hope, not only for the city and its community, but also for people from other cities who came to be part of the experiment. This is the last in a three-part series examining the community engagement initiatives at Big Ears 2022.

How can a music festival transform a city? The Big Ears Festival in Knoxville is bringing the community together in ways folks never dreamed of only a few years ago. This is the second in a three-part series exploring how Big Ears is creating little miracles in Tennessee.

The Preservation Hall Brass Band and the East Tennessee Bluegrass Association find common ground in Dolly Parton.