Devendra Banhart stopped by KCRW on Monday to perform six songs from his new album, Ma, plus an earlier tune from his album Mala, on Morning Becomes Eclectic and chat with Raul Campos. Hear it here. Banhart's twenty-five city US tour, which began in Ventura, CA, last night, continues with shows in San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, Mexico City, Detroit, Toronto, Brooklyn, and more in the months ahead.

Devendra Banhart begins a twenty-five city North American tour—his first since 2017—featuring music from his new album, Ma, at The Majestic Ventura Theater in Ventura, California, tonight, and includes shows in San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, Mexico City, Detroit, Toronto, Brooklyn, and more. He tours Europe in early 2020. Banhart has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 from every US ticket sold (excluding a festival in Austin) will go to World Central Kitchen and every ticket bought in Canada, $1 will go to support Rainbow Railroad.

The Black Keys bring "Let's Rock" tour to Boston, DC … John Adams, Steve Reich works performed by Rotterdam Philharmonic … Timo Andres joins yMusic in NYC … David Byrne takes part in The New Yorker Festival … Daughter of Swords tours Boston, NYC with Wilco ... Emmylou Harris plays Grand Ole Opry in Nashville ... Kronos Quartet is in Australia … Lake Street Dive tours mid-Atlantic … Gaby Moreno continues German tour … Chris Thile hosts Live From Here from NYC … Yola plays Austin City Limits festival …

Congratulations to Laurie Anderson, the 2020 recipient of The Vanguard Award & Residency at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater in NYC. The program celebrates the work and influence of an icon of American popular culture. She will be honored at the third-annual Vanguard Gala on February 3, with an all-star slate of artists and friends, with musical direction by Shara Nova of My Brightest Diamond and Chris Bruce, and her residency will take shape in a Sunday night performance each month, from March to December. "I love Sunday evening shows," Anderson says. "The end of the weekend is such a no man’s land—an interesting time to play with new combinations."

The line-up for the 2020 Big Ears Festival has been announced, and as usual, featured among the performers are several artists familiar to readers of the Nonesuch Journal: Devendra Banhart, Kronos Quartet, Terry Riley, and Caroline Shaw. Big Ears will be held at venues throughout downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, March 26–29, 2020. Weekend passes go on sale this Thursday.

Composer-performer Daniel Wohl, whose album État was released on New Amsterdam and Nonesuch Records in May, has released a video for the album track "Orbit." The generative music video, made by Ben Heim, is driven by sound data extracted from the music, evolving over time with the sonic landscape and can be seen here. Wohl will be the special guest of A Winged Victory for the Sullen on the duo's European tour early next year. The fourteen-concert tour begins in Amsterdam on February 20 and stops in Germany, Belgium, Ireland, and the UK.

Yola was named among "the best things we saw" at Farm Aid 2019 by both Rolling Stone, noting "her powerhouse vocals," and Billboard, which reports of the festival's "breakthrough artist": "An imposing presence with a massive, gospel-fired voice, Yola held the midday crowd riveted with songs from her debut album Walk Through Fire." One such festival performance, of the song "It Ain't Easier," can be seen here. It has just been announced that she will perform at Holiday Cheer for FUV at the Beacon Theatre in NYC in December and at Chris Stapleton's benefit concert in Kentucky next April. Fittingly, Yola has been nominated as Live Act of the Year in the UK's Independent Festival Awards.

Emmylou Harris, Kronos Quartet, Robert Plant, Chris Thile, Punch Brothers, Yola play Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco …Sam Amidon performs in Dublin … Laurie Anderson leads Lincoln Center Nightcap, plays duo show with John Zorn … Attacca Quartet performs Caroline Shaw in Boston … Devendra Banhart gives in-store in Singapore ... The Black Keys play Milwaukee, Detroit … David Byrne’s American Utopia begins Broadway run … Daughter of Swords tours California … Rhiannon Giddens performs at Met Museum in NYC … Lake Street Dive plays Massachusetts, New York … Brad Mehldau Trio tours Portugal … Gaby Moreno tours Germany …

David Byrne’s American Utopia begins its strictly limited engagement on Broadway at the intimate Hudson Theatre on Friday, with the official opening on October 20. The performances run through January 18 and follow a sold-out, year-long critically acclaimed international tour and pre-Broadway run in Boston. "A marvel of humanity and hope," exclaims the Boston Globe, "American Utopia brings wonder back to the world."

Rhiannon Giddens performed as part of NPR Music's multi-artist Turning the Tables concert at Lincoln Center Out of Doors in July, a celebration of "eight women who invented American popular music": Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Maybelle Carter, Marion Anderson, Ella Fitzgerald, Mary Lou Williams, Celia Cruz, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Giddens opens the concert, performing A.P. Carter's "You Are My Flower" with Courtney Marie Andrews, the spiritual "Deep River" with Lizz Wright, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe's "Up Above My Head." You can watch it here.

Devendra Banhart plays Ohana festival in Southern California … John Adams conducts Philadelphia Orchestra, Leila Josefowicz in Scheherazade.2 … The Black Keys tour Midwest … Jeremy Denk gives solo recital in Reykjavik … Rhiannon Giddens tours Northeast … Emmylou Harris inaugurates City Winery Philadelphia … Gaby Moreno tours Europe … Nico Muhly, Timo Andres lead season opener at National Sawdust in Brooklyn … Robert Plant plays out West … Joshua Redman Quartet leads Jazz St. Louis residency … Chris Thile hosts Live From Here from NYC … Yola performs in New Orleans with Kacey Musgraves …

Chris Thile and Yo-Yo Ma—who made the 2017 Nonesuch album Bach Trios with Edgar Meyer—kicked off the Atlantic Festival in Washington, DC, this week with an eclectic medley of music from Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, "Rabbit in the Log," and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." You can watch it here. Thile hosts the public radio show Live From Here, including with Rachael & Vilray on October 26, and leads his own US tour in the months ahead.