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." 

On September 14, Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club brings its world tour to the US for a run of dates that will hit New York, San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta, Indianapolis, and more. The 15-member lineup includes Latin Grammy Award winners Omara Portuondo and Eliades Ochoa, trumpeter Guajiro Mirabal, and laúd virtuoso Barbarito Torres, all of whom count themselves among the original members of Buena Vista Social Club. Opening a number of concerts with his quintet will be Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca.

Fatoumata Diawara performs a free set at Central Park SummerStage in NYC ... Diawara, Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell play GrassRoots Fest in upsatate NY ... Sam Amidon supports Martha Wainwright in UK, Glen Hansard in Ireland ... Devendra Banhart, Rokia Traoré play Czech festival ... Björk headlines Pitchfork Fest in Chicago ... Bombino supports Robert Plant ... Carolina Chocolate Drops, Chris Thile & Michael Daves play Grey Fox Fest in upstate NY ... Dr. John performs at Minnesota Zoo ... Lianne La Havas concludes European tour in UK ... Audra McDonald is in Provincetown ... Natalie Merchant joins Hudson Valley Philharmonic ... Allen Toussaint wows Wyoming ... Sara Watkins plays Vancouver Folk Fest ... and more ...

Shawn Colvin and Mary Chapin Carpenter’s ongoing duo tour of North America brought them to the Mountain Stage in West Virginia earlier this year. Their performance airs on the latest episode of the Mountain Stage radio show on NPR and is streaming online at npr.org. The episode's other special guests include Marti Jones & Don Dixon and Aoife O’Donovan. Colvin and Carpenter's tour continues through the summer and fall.

The Royal Conservatory's Koerner Hall in Toronto has announced its 2013–14 concert season, the organization's fifth anniversary season, which will feature performances from several artists familiar to readers of the Nonesuch Journal: Audra McDonald, performing the season's sold-out opening gala concert, Chris Thile, Shawn Colvin, Rokia Traoré, and Fatoumata Diawara. Tickets are on sale now.

The Nonesuch Journal is taking a bit of a break for the Fourth of July holiday and the week that follows, ready to return with all the latest Nonesuch news on Monday, July 15. Till then, the summer concert season remains in full swing, of course, and with plenty of great music being made around the world, here's a look at some of the many events featuring Nonesuch artists in the coming days, hopefully reaching wherever your summer travels may take you.

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.

Joshua Redman is "a musician of such intelligence and energy, who is so adaptable, that he easily finds a way to make himself at home in any given musical surrounding," writes All About Jazz in a review of his new album, Walking Shadows. "As such, Redman is perfectly suited to performing with large ensembles," as he does on the new album, a "riveting collection" and "an emotionally charged, wonderfully seamless slow burn of an album that is a great work of art." 

Devendra Banhart, Rokia Traoré, Fatoumata Diawara, and Lianne La Havas all perform at Glastonbury ... Amadou & Mariam are in the Midwest ... Sam Amidon kicks off a tour of Japan ... Laurie Anderson, Kronos Quartet debut Landfall at the Barbican ... Bombino plays three French festivals ... Carolina Chocolate Drops, Punch Brothers are at ROMP ... Jeremy Denk guests with Westchester Philharmonic ... Dr. John hits Milwaukee's Summerfest ... Adam Guettel concludes Australia tour ... Gidon Kremer, Kremerata Baltica host Latvian festival ... Joshua Redman plays Walking Shadows songs at Montreal Jazz Fest ... Sara Watkins tours with Jackson Browne ... 

Kronos Quartet, as part of its 40th Anniversary Season, is the subject of a special exhibition at the New York Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center titled For the Record: The World of Kronos on Nonesuch Records, which opened last night and runs through August 30. For the Record features original album artwork, composers' manuscripts and materials, historic performance photos, audio samples, tour memorabilia, and posters; the exhibition is presented in conjunction with KRONOS at 40, a five-day program starting July 24 and comprising 28 free performances on Lincoln Center’s plazas during the opening week of this year’s Lincoln Center Out of Doors festival.

Audra McDonald was featured on PBS Newshour last night, speaking with the show's Art Beat correspondent Jeffrey Brown about her new album, Go Back Home. McDonald, whom Brown describes as "a leading lady of musical theater and much more," discusses her connection to the songs on the album, her most personal yet, and the sense of home she found in the theater at an early age. You can watch the complete Newshour piece here.