Joshua Redman and his trio begin a five-night residency at New York's Jazz Standard tonight. The New York Times says to expect "plenty of dynamism in the exchange" from the trio; the Village Voice says that "Redman's authoritative these days, and he's taught his team how to keep lots of balls in the air at once." The Guardian gives four stars to the saxophonist's recent concert with Brad Mehldau in London and the Mehldau Trio's own show there, citing the pianist's "remarkable contrapuntal improvising style and incisive musical intelligence."

I Am Love, the film to which John Adams has contributed his first-ever score, has been nominated for a Hollywood World Award for best international film; the Los Angeles Times says the score "adds a staggering emotional punch" to the film. The Times review of Sunday's LA Master Chorale performance of Klinghoffer Choruses calls Adams "an American icon" and the opera's music as "some of the most haunting Adams has written." The composer delivers the Tanner Lectures on Human Values next week at Yale.

Natalie Merchant will give her first UK performance in over seven years at Conway Hall in London November 16, showcasing material from her forthcoming Nonesuch debut. The previous Friday, Natalie will join the London Jazz Festival Orchestra at the Barbican for the London Jazz Festival's Opening Night; a week later, she'll perform at the Crossing Border festival in The Hague. This Friday, UK fans can catch Natalie on a special episode of BBC Two's Newsnight.

Wilco closes out the US leg of its fall tour tonight in the second of two consecutive shows in its hometown, at the University of Illinois Chicago Pavilion, with fellow locals Tortoise opening. The Chicago Sun-Times review of Sunday's set calls them "visionaries"; the Chicago Tribune says Wilco has "evolved into something of a mini-orchestra." The National Post says Wilco's shows in Toronto last week "solidified its position as one of the greatest that ever DID get signed."

Bill Frisell takes his 858 Quartet to Southern France to start a three-week European tour tomorrow night. JamBase says his recent Nonesuch release, Disfarmer, "should please any fan of such Frisell classics as 1997’s Nashville and 1999’s outstanding Good Dog, Happy Man." The songs, inspired by the haunting work of early 20th-century American photographer Mike Disfarmer, "perfectly capture the era and the region in all of its sepia-toned beauty."

Alarm Will Sound throws album release party in NYC ... Carolina Chocolate Drops play close to home ... Christina Courtin heads south ... Philip Glass heads weekend of piano and dance at Chicago museum ... Bill Frisell Trio plays The Kennedy Center ... Emmylou Harris tours with Buddy Miller ... Low Anthem headlines in the Northwest ... Brad Mehldau Trio launches tour from London ... Punch Brothers play Carnegie Hall ... Joshua Redman Trio traverses Europe ... Allen Toussaint travels to two jazz fests ... Sara Watkins joins John Prine in Canada ... Wilco winds via Chicago ... and more ...

The Low Anthem has spent the better part of the days since the release of Oh My God, Charlie Darwin this spring on the road, performing at clubs and concert halls across the United States and Europe. The trio makes a quick stop at home in Providence tonight, before touring with Blind Pilot, for a unique show at The Avon, a historic old movie house.

Punch Brothers returns to Carnegie Hall for its first performance in Stern Auditorium this Friday, following the 2007 premiere of The Blind Leaving the Blind in Carnegie's Zankel Hall, the work later featured on the band's Nonesuch debut, Punch. To celebrate, Nonesuch is offering two free tickets to the show, plus a copy of the album Punch. Winners will also receive free entry into the concert's after party, courtesy of the makers of the forthcoming film about the Punch Brothers, How to Grow a Band.

Wilco's TransCanada tour doesn't take place till February 2010, but Toronto fans get a preview with two sold-out sets at Massey Hall tonight and Thursday, which John Stirratt previews in Canada's National Post. In A.V. Club Chicago, Jeff Tweedy responds to anonymous comments, both good and bad, left on sites around the web, ranging from his own hair care to fan expectations.

Bill Frisell and his trio are playing at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on Friday, and the Prairie Center outside of Chicago, on Saturday. The Chicago Reader takes a look at the guitarist/composer with "an almost preternatural ability to evoke pensive, introspective moods of various flavors," and his latest Nonesuch release, Disfarmer, which "feels like a relatively unfettered expression of Frisell’s imagination."

Following a two-night set "stomping through songs from his fine solo debut, Keep It Hid" (New York Times) in Austin at Austin City Limits and an official ACL Aftershow, Dan Auerbach is set to begin a three-week North American tour with his band The Fast Five, beginning November 5 in Columbus, Ohio. Joining for the length of the tour are Justin Townes Earle and Jessica Lea Mayfield.

Wilco's North American tour winds its way north after several stops in the South, including Friday night's show at the Palladium in Dallas, Texas. "Wilco (the album) has garnered considerable critical acclaim for bridging the extremes of this wonderfully ambitious group," says the Star-Telegram. "As Friday’s excellent performance demonstrated, letting in a little light—and calmness—cements Wilco’s standing as one of America’s finest rock bands."