Today marks the release of Rokia Traoré’s new album, Beautiful Africa, in the US. The record, which was released internationally earlier this year to critical acclaim, was produced by English musician John Parish. "The Malian singer Rokia Traoré has a gentle voice with a steely core, one that’s revealed more clearly than ever on Beautiful Africa," says the New York Times. NPR concludes: "Beautiful Africa is just as smart and lovely as its creator." Following its UK release, the album earned five stars from the Observer, Guardian, and Songlines, which raves: "It really doesn’t get better than this in today’s African music ... Rokia’s work is exciting, surprising, and always perfectly executed."

Ry Cooder’s first live record in more than 35 years, Live in San Francisco, is out now. The album, produced by Cooder, was recorded in 2011 during a special two-night engagement with the Corridos Famosos band and a ten-piece Mexican brass band at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall, and includes original songs and interpretations of other material from across his career. "One of those nights when you wish you’d been in Row A," says the Sunday Times of London. Guitarist magazine calls it "sublime, spirited slide 'n' soul from a past-master of the art."

Nonesuch Records released Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1, an album of Bach works recorded by mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile, to critical acclaim earlier this month. On September 24, 2013,  the vinyl edition will be released, comprising two works written for solo violin: Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001, and Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002. The LP, produced by Edgar Meyer, was pressed on a single disc in 140-gram vinyl at Pallas in Diepholz, Germany, and is available to pre-order now in the Nonesuch Store. Thile is currently touring with his fellow musicians of The Goat Rodeo Sessions and will perform works by Bach in solo recitals this fall.

Nonesuch releases pianist Jeremy Denk's recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations on September 30 (October 21 internationally), available for pre-order now in the Nonesuch Store. The album includes a companion DVD with video "liner notes," on which Denk demonstrates passages on the piano as he explains certain details of the iconic piece. Watch an excerpt here. The New York Times has remarked on Denk's "profound affinity with Bach," and the Philadelphia Inquirer has called his performance of the Goldberg Variations "mesmerizing." Denk plays in 15 US cities this fall including a performance of the Goldberg Variations in Boston, Chicago, and DC and concerts with the San Francisco Symphony at Davies Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the Krannert Center.

Sam Amidon’s Nonesuch debut album, Bright Sunny South, released this spring to critical acclaim, will be released on vinyl on September 24 with a download of the album and a bonus vinyl 7” disc featuring two previously unreleased recordings; it is available to pre-order now in the Nonesuch Store. Amidon will tour North America throughout September including two nights at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City with Bill Frisell. 

Timo Andres's new album, Home Stretch, is out now. On the new album, Andres pairs the newly composed title work with two reinventions of works by musical heroes Mozart and Brian Eno: Mozart "Coronation" Concerto Re-Composition and Paraphrase on Themes of Brian Eno. The Metropolis Ensemble, led by conductor Andrew Cyr, performs on the album, with the composer on piano. Home Stretch, says NPR, offers "thought-provoking glimpses into how the past and the present merge in classical music today." The Independent gives it four stars, calling it "a compelling blend of ancient and modern." Andres celebrates the album's release with a special event at NYC's Housing Works Bookstore Cafe tonight.

Nonesuch / Perro Verde Records release Ry Cooder’s first live record in more than 35 years, Live in San Francisco, on September 10, 2013. Recorded in 2011 during a special two-night engagement with the Corridos Famosos band at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall, the album was produced by Cooder and includes original songs and interpretations of other material from throughout his career, plus Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs' "Wooly Bully" and Lead Belly’s "Goodnight Irene." The vinyl edition includes the complete album on two 140-gram LPs with a CD in the sleeve. Nonesuch Store pre-orders on vinyl and CD include an instant download of the track "Lord Tell Me Why"; preview the track here.

Nonesuch Records will release singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Rokia Traoré’s Beautiful Africa in the US on September 24, 2013. The record, which was released internationally earlier this year to critical acclaim, was produced by English musician John Parish (PJ Harvey, Eels, Sparklehorse). Uncut called it “the record fans of her explosive live shows always hoped she would make and a career highpoint.” Traoré performs music from the album in NYC in November as part of Lincoln Center’s White Light’s Festival; additional US tour dates will be announced. Beautiful Africa is available for pre-order now in the Nonesuch Store and includes an instant download of the title track.

Timo Andres's new album, Home Stretch, is due out next week, July 30, and is streaming in full till then as an NPR First Listen. The album pairs the newly composed title work with reinventions of works by Mozart and Brian Eno, creating "thought-provoking glimpses into how the past and the present merge in classical music today," says NPR's Anastasia Tsioulcas. The title piece "brims with rhythmic play and crackling energy, but it also dips into intimate interplay between soloist and orchestra—still vibrant, but all the more intense for its closely held energy." 

Nonesuch Records releases the soundtrack to Inside Llewyn Davis on November 11, 2013. Written and directed by Academy Award winners Joel and Ethan Coen and produced by Scott Rudin and Joel and Ethan Coen, the film stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, and Justin Timberlake. Produced by T Bone Burnett, Joel Coen, and Ethan Coen, with Marcus Mumford as its associate producer, the album features 12 new recordings created especially for the film and soundtrack. Also included is a never-before-released recording of Bob Dylan performing his song “Farewell,” which was originally recorded during the sessions for his album The Times They Are A-Changin' and is available exclusively on this soundtrack. Nonesuch Store pre-orders of the soundtrack include an exclusive, 11" x 7" print from the film.

Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle, a two-CD set featuring highlights from three tribute concerts in honor of the late Kate McGarrigle, is out now. The album, with performances by Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Anna McGarrigle, Emmylou Harris, Antony, Norah Jones, and others, earns a perfect five stars in the Financial Times; the Guardian calls it "glorious." Proceeds go to the Kate McGarrigle Foundation, supporting cancer care and research. The documentary Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You will be screened at BAM tonight and opens theatrically at NYC's Film Forum Wednesday. That night, BAM presents a tribute concert featuring the Wainwrights, Jones, Harris, and more.

Nonesuch Records releases an album of three Bach works recorded by mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile on August 6, 2013. Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1, produced by Edgar Meyer, comprises three works written for solo violin: Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001; Partita No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1002; and Sonata No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003. Nonesuch Store pre-orders include an instant download of the G minor sonata Fuga: Allegro; the first 500 pre-orders include an autographed print. “This record to me is not about this iconic violin music played on the mandolin," says Thile. "It's about Bach being one of the greatest musicians of all time, the solo violin music being some of his best work, and the mandolin having the potential to cast it in a new and hopefully interesting light."