Rhiannon Giddens’s second book, We Could Fly, is due October 10, from Candlewick Press. The picture book, a companion to her debut book, Build a House, released last October, gives wing to a tale of grace and transcendence, with illustrations by acclaimed artist Briana Mukodiri Uchendu. The new book draws on lyrics from the song “We Could Fly,” which Giddens wrote with Dirk Powell and recorded for her 2017 Nonesuch album, Freedom Highway. It draws on a heritage of African folklore for a dialogue between a mother and daughter, paired with illustrations that celebrate love, resilience, and the spiritual power of the “old-time ways”—tradition and shared cultural memory—to sustain and uplift.

David Byrne was the subject of a feature profile on the latest episode of CBS's 60 Minutes. He spoke with Anderson Cooper about his life and career, including his work with Talking Heads; his solo music; his hit Broadway show American Utopia’; his collaboration with Fatboy Slim Here Lies Love, which debuts on Broadway this summer; his online magazine Reasons to Be Cheerful; and the ongoing immersive experience he created in Denver with Mala Gaonkar, Theater of the Mind. 

Cécile McLorin Salvant has released the title track to Mélusine, her new album, due March 24, along with a video she created for it. You can watch it here. The album features a mix of originals and interpretations of songs dating as far back as the twelfth century, mostly sung in French along with Occitan, English, and Haitian Kreyòl. The title track was written by Salvant.

Carnegie Hall has announced its 2023–24 concert season, and among the performers taking the esteemed hall's stages are Timo Andres, Julia Bullock, Gabriel Kahane, Kronos Quartet (joined by Laurie Anderson, Attacca Quartet, Sō Percussion, and others), Brad Mehldau, and Chris Thile.

Rhiannon Giddens addressed an audience at The Juilliard School’s Glorya Kaufman Dance Studio on January 23 for the tenth annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speaker Series at Juilliard, where she is a Creative Associate. Giddens, who opens her speech with a performance of the traditional tune “Pretty Saro,” centers the talk around artists' responsibility to themselves, their creative process, and their community. You can watch it here.

“The Kronos Quartet in the world of classical music are like The Beatles,” says Tom Power, host of CBC’s Q. “They pack rooms all around the world. They’ve been doing it for 50 years now. And those rooms are filled with people who don’t typically listen to classical music. So ... what have they figured out?” Kronos Quartet artistic director, founder, and violinist David Harrington spoke with Power and tries to answer that question, among others. You can hear their conversation here.

Actor Sanjeev Bhaskar, OBE, of the film Paddington 2 and the dramatic series Unforgotten, gives an unforgettable recitation of the lyrics to Rachael & Vilray’s song “Hate Is the Basis (of Love),” from their new album, I Love a Love Song!, out now on Nonesuch Records. You can watch it here.

Brad Mehldau sat down with Qobuz’s Marc Zisman to discuss his new live solo album, Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays The Beatles, and the challenges of translating the Beatles into solo piano music, as well as his childhood listening habits, moving to Los Angeles in his twenties, what makes a song universal, chasing inspiration, his influences and mentors, and more. You can watch the video here. 

Sam Gendel's new album, COOKUP, is out now. On the album, Gendel and his friends and collaborators Gabe Noel and Philippe Melanson interpret R&B and soul hits originally released between 1992 and 2004 by Ginuwine, 112, Aaliyah, All-4-One, Soul 4 Real, Beyoncé, Joe, Erykah Badu, Mario, SWV, and Boyz II Men. Gendel says: "For this occasion we hovered over a particular flavor: jams that we grew up with. We sculpted in sound our collective memories of this music. Meshell Ndegeocello [featured on vocals on the track "Anywhere"] took the 112 to another dimension (shoutout wayne12)."

Congratulations to k.d. lang, who has been named a recipient of the 2023 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada’s highest honor in the performing arts. The award recognizes artists for having made an indelible contribution to cultural life in Canada and around the world. The six 2023 laureates will be honored at an Awards Gala at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on Saturday, May 27. "I can’t even actually fathom being placed in the same company as the people, the artists who have influenced me so tremendously,” lang says. "Canada has such an embarrassment of riches, so many tremendous artists, and to be bestowed with this honor is unthinkable really ... So, thank you."

Congratulations to Cécile McLorin Salvant, Sam Gendel, Jeff Parker, and Makaya McCraven, who have all been nominated for Deutscher Jazzpreis in Germany: Salvant for International Vocal Album for her Ghost Song; Gendel and Parker for International String Instruments; and McCraven for International Drums/Percussion. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in Bremen on April 27.

Chicago-based percussionist, composer and producer Makaya McCraven stopped by Amoeba Music in San Francisco for a shopping trip and a chat for Amoeba’s What’s in My Bag? series, in which he picks up music by Art Ensemble Of Chicago, Billy Cobham, Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela, Yusef Lateef & Archie Shepp, NNAMDÏ, Charles Stepney, Thelonius Monk & John Coltrane, Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers featuring Wynton Marsalis, Harvey Mason, Augustus Pablo & King Tubby, Bobby Broom, Joshua Abrams' Cloud Script, and Miles Davis. You can take a look inside here.