John Adams's memoir, Hallelujah Junction, is now available in the UK. The Independent calls it "engaging" and says that like Adams's musical work of the same name, the book "radiates a calm, Californian confidence, letting its ideas unfold at a gentle pace." The parallels continue: "Adams's unique touch finds its literary analogue in a style of rare precision." The composer "here emerges as a storyteller."

Punch Brothers kicked off a string of November tour dates this past weekend. These latest dates marked the debut of Punch Brothers' new bassist, Paul Kowert, who, fittingly, studied with Chris Thile's recent duo partner, Edgar Meyer. The Bluegrass Blog says Kowert is "more than up to the task. Not only has he memorized the demanding Punch Brothers repertoire, but he is a brilliant soloist in his own right." The band, the review concludes is "the most technically gifted string ensemble yet assembled, and the discipline they exhibit individually and as a unit is a wonder to behold."

Pat Metheny's 1989 album Question and Answer, recently remastered and reissued by Nonesuch, is described by All About Jazz as one of "a glittering, altogether too infrequent series" of acoustic trio albums from Metheny. The review cites drummer Roy Haynes ("just heavenly") and the "shining" performance of bassist Dave Holland for creating "another magnificent Metheny trio line-up." The album is a "whirlwind of an affair, invigorating and exquisite; a masterpiece of the first order." Along with that reissue comes the wider release of Upjonie, the 2002 collaboration between Metheny and Polish singer/pianist Anna Maria Jopek, in which, The Guardian states, "Metheny's guitar often accompanies Jopek's floating, fragile intensity like another voice."

Laurie Anderson's European tour of Homeland comes to a close this week in Italy this Wednesday, after two shows in Tel Aviv, Israel, last week with special guest Lou Reed. The Jerusalem Post calls Laurie's pieces "all-encompassing experiences" and Homeland in particular a "thought-provoking performance." The addition of Reed to the lineup "charmingly combined her artistic style with his rock," for "an exceptional show that ranged from the finest in performance art to a classic rock experience."

David Byrne brings his show—"as enigmatic and adventurous as his three decades-long career" (Boston Globe)—to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and DC ... Adams's Doctor Atomic explodes onto movie screens around the world ... Laurie Anderson's Homeland tours Italy ... Shawn Colvin tours the Northeast and talks to the Washington Post ... Toumani Diabaté travels the West Coast ... Bill Frisell Trio's film music plays Eastern Europe ... Glass-scored ballets leap from Toronto to Miami to Sweden ... Kronos does Denver with Alternative Radio ... k.d. lang plays the Mile High City too ... Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman trios meet up in Spain ... Punch Brothers play the Peace Center Bluegrass Festival ... Pacific Northwest Ballet performs to Reich ... Laura Veirs plays Portland's Siren Festival ... and more ...

Following its Met premiere earlier this month, John Adams's 2005 opera Doctor Atomic was described as the composer's "most complex and masterly music" by the New York Times and "hauntingly powerful, deeply humane and eloquent" by the Boston Globe. This Saturday's matinee will be broadcast live in movie theaters around the world through The Met: Live in HD, which reaches close to 800 screens. Met General Manager Peter Gelb tells the Boston Herald: "I was determined to bring [Adams] to the company. Taking advantage of that with new media just adds to the experience."

Isabel Bayrakdarian's Gomidas Songs was the subject of a segment of New Classical Tracks on Minnesota Public Radio, in which host Julie Amacher declares: "There are so many just plain gorgeous melodies on this recording ... songs that will make you dance, cry, and smile ... Bayrakdarian taps into a well of emotion as she shares these songs of her Armenian heritage. When you join her for the journey, you'll find it's an enriching experience."

Randy Newman fans in the UK who had hoped to see the singer-songwriter perform this month are in luck. Though he was forced to postpone the European leg of his Harps and Angels tour this month due to severe back pain, Randy was able to tape a special concert for BBC Four Sessions this summer at LSO St. Lukes that debuts tonight. Time Out calls it "essential viewing for fans, but also worthwhile for those who haven't heard anything beyond his work with Disney." The Calgary Herald picks Randy's new album as CD of the Week, calling its songs "tuneful and interesting on so many levels."

Following her performance in Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall this past Sunday, Dawn Upshaw is preparing for two nights at Lincoln Center's Gerald Lynch Theater, in a production of Kurtág's Kafka Fragments. She first brought the piece to Zankel Hall in 2005, under the direction of Peter Sellars and with violinist Geoff Nuttall, who also return for the current iteration. The New York Times talks to the soprano about the piece and her other current projects; she says: "I feel I’m doing the world—or my audience—the most good by bringing things to them that I either feel have an important message or bring perspective or beauty to their lives, and do it as honestly as I can."

The current run of k.d. lang's Watershed tour brought her to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area last night for a performance at Bass Performance Hall that the Star-Telegram called a "superb 90-minute set ... A wondrous, multilayered instrument seemingly assembled from smoke, cinders and a husky yearning, the voice ranged over a multitude of moods." Next up is a show at the Paramount Theatre in Austin tonight.

Buena Vista Social Club at Carnegie Hall, the new two-CD recording of the unforgettable 1998 performance by the legendary Cuban group, is the subject of a feature in the Wall Street Journal, which calls the concert recording "another chapter in the success story" of the Buena Vista Social Club. "Countless bands have been promoted as 'the next Buena Vista Social Club,'" the article declares. "None have replicated the group's success ... Buena Vista Social Club remains a potent example of Cuban music's power and reach ..." Jazz.com calls the original album "an exceptional body of performances by smart and seasoned musicians who had spent a few collective centuries immersed in the aural traditions of their native country."

The newly redesigned Nonesuch Records site, launched this past July, has been named the Site of the Day by Adobe, which explains its selection of Nonesuch.com this way: "This site goes way beyond album promotion and song previews by giving fans more ways to enjoy their favorite music." The Nonesuch Journal was recently included among 50 Beautiful Blog Designs chosen by Smashing Magazine for having designs "that literally stand out—either through their layout or through their design or through their attention to little details." Let us know what you think.