Allen Toussaint recently rounded out some concert dates in Europe with a set at the Jazz Cafe in London this past Sunday. He and his recent Nonesuch debut album, The Bright Mississippi, are the focus of an encore broadcast of Words & Music from Studio-A, from New York NPR member station WFUV. "There is no separating Allen Toussaint from New Orleans or the Crescent City from his music," says WFUV's Claudia Marshall her introduction to the episode, "and on his latest album, Allen looks even further into his hometown history, paying tribute to the forefathers of jazz."

Sara Watkins celebrated her birthday in style this year: on June 7, the night before her 28th, Sara joined the legendary singer-songwriter Steve Earle and bluegrass masters Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver in a live concert performance at the Chuck Mathena Center in Princetown, West Virginia, for public radio's Mountain Stage. Now you can hear Sara's birthday-eve performance, with brother Sean on guitar, streaming online at npr.org.

All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen made an appearance on All Things Considered to discuss his favorite songs from the past six months. First on his list was The Low Anthem’s “Charlie Darwin,” from their recent Nonesuch release, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin. “I get chills the moment I hear this guy’s voice,” said Boilen, referring to band member Ben Knox Miller. 

Tune in to NPR's World Cafe today to hear a rebroadcast of Sara Watkins's May 26 appearance on the show. She talks discusses her self-titled Nonesuch debut, produced by Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones, and performs three songs from the new album: "All This Time," "Long Hot Summer Days," and "Any Old Time." "Watkins's self-titled solo debut is a charming mix of new songs and covers," says NPR. "It puts her great instrumental breadth on display as she plays the guitar, ukulele and fiddle in addition to her sweet-voiced singing."

Today is release day for Christina Courtin's self-titled Nonesuch debut. To mark the occasion, Christina will appear on WNYC's Soundcheck to talk about the new record and perform a few songs from it. The Washington Post's Express Night Out says: "Courtin's voice is effortless adaptable, weaving in and out of the instrumentation, constantly playing with texture and volume, never particularly anxious about how it sounds, but never perfectly content, either ... It may only be her debut album, but considering her confirmed songwriting and singing abilities, Courtin already sounds like a veteran."

Sara Watkins will be a special guest on this week's episode of A Prairie Home Companion, airing a live national broadcast performance from the Ravinia Festival Pavillion in Ravinia, Illinois, on hundreds of public radio stations across the US beginning Saturday at 4:45 PM CT. Joining Sara and the show's host, Garrison Keillor, as special guest is Oklahoma blues man Elvin Bishop.

The Low Anthem's Nonesuch debut, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, is set for release tomorrow. The album's first track, "Charlie Darwin," opens this week's episode of NPR's All Songs Considered. "If you listen to just one song today," insists the show's host, Bob Boilen, "make it this opening track to the new CD by The Low Anthem. It all starts off with a sound that at times feels Gospel and then at the very same time feels agnostic. Those two ideas seem at odds with one another, but then the title of the record's called Oh My God, Charlie Darwin."

k.d. lang will be among the special guests on this week's episode of A Prairie Home Companion, airing a live broadcast performance, recorded tonight from LA's Greek Theatre, on hundreds of public radio stations across the US this weekend. Joining k.d. and the show's host, Garrison Keillor, as special guests are Sheryl Crow and Martin Sheen. The episode will also feature the Royal Academy of Radio Actors; Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and sound effects man Fred Newman; singer Heather Masse; the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band; and The News from Lake Wobegon. 

Christina Courtin, whose self-titled Nonesuch debut is due out on June 23, is featured on this week's episode of NPR's All Songs Considered. The show's host, Bob Boilen, tracks Christina's career, from her earliest days playing violin at the age of three through her time at Juilliard and to the forthcoming release, from which he plays the song "Bundah." "She always knew she could sing," Boilen says, "and that became her desire." You can also hear "Bundah" and watch a video for the song on the new multimedia page nonesuch.com/christinacourtin, which also features the album tracks "Foreign Country" and "February" plus a photo slideshow of Christina.

Fernando Otero will perform songs from his 2008 Nonesuch release, Pagina de Buenos Aires, live on Soundcheck, a program of WNYC, New York Public Radio, 93.9 FM, today at 2 PM ET. He'll talk with the show's host, John Schaefer, and will perform at the piano along with Nick Danielson on violin and Hector del Curto on bandoneon, both of whom performed on the album.

Sara Watkins is taking a couple days off from her extensive US tour behind her recently released, self-titled Nonesuch debut. But while you wait to see her back in action in her live show, you can hear her perform songs from the new album on NPR's World Café this afternoon. Listen live online at xpn.org at 2 PM EST or check back in with npr.org later in the day to listen to today's episode streaming.

Allen Toussaint's residency at the Village Vanguard with The Bright Mississippi band continues through Sunday. The New York Times, in its review of Tuesday's opener, writes: "New Orleans was in every phrase, with hints of swing, of humor, of sly sensuality ... It wasn’t a re-creation of old New Orleans music but a reverie on a New Orleans heritage: a lifetime of memories refined by a genteel sensibility that finds the elegance in the blues." Last night's set is now streaming at npr.org. Bob Boilen, host of NPR's All Songs Considered, previewed the show, saying, "If you listen to one jazz concert this year, tonight is your night." His NPR colleagues called it "an intimate, graceful and eminently enjoyable jazz show." New Orleans' Times-Picayune exclaims: "The Bright Mississippi is a highlight of an already remarkable career."