A new full-length opera by Rhiannon Giddens will receive its world premiere at the 2020 Spoleto Festival in Charleston, then travel to Carolina Performing Arts in Chapel Hill, NC. The opera traces the spiritual journey of Omar Ibn Said, from his life in West Africa to his capture and enslavement in the Carolinas in 1807. Giddens says: "My work as a whole is about excavating and shining a light on pieces of history that not only need to be seen and heard, but that can also add to the conversation about what's going on now. This is a story that hasn't been represented in the operatic world—or in any world."

Storied musician Dr. John—Mac Rebennack—has died at the age of 77. "He was so one of a kind," Dan Auerbach, who produced the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's 2012 album, Locked Down, tells Rolling Stone. "He could truly be unique, isolated in a way—that special gumbo. We lost one of the greatest musicians who ever lived and also one of the greatest reflections of this country, musically, in one man. He was a human melting pot, a human embodiment of what makes American music great. He grew up with different races and experiences, and it made him the most incredible mutt ever. We lost something that will never be duplicated."

Mountain Man's single featuring its take on two John Denver tunes, "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Around and Around," is now available on 7" vinyl, following its digital release earlier this year. "We love John Denver so much we gave Alex his haircut, and recorded a few of his legendary tunes too," says the trio—Amelia Meath, Molly Erin Sarlé, and Alexandra Sauser-Monnig. "Have a listen! They are so sooooothing, we promise."

Mountain Man concludes Magic Ship spring tour in New England … Devendra Banhart performs in Germany … Tyondai Braxton is in New Hampshire … David Byrne presents at the Tony Awards ... Olivia Chaney is at the Barbican in London … Jeremy Denk plays Mainly Mozart in San Diego … Lake Street Dive's US tour under way … Stephin Merritt takes part in NYC variety show … Gaby Moreno continues tour with David Gray … Joshua Redman joins WDR Big Band in Germany … Caroline Shaw performs with Roomful of Teeth at BAM … Chris Thile hosts Live From Here from Louisville … Yola performs on BBC Radio 2's Good Morning Sunday ...

The SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco has announced its 2019–20 concert season, and among the performers taking the Miner Auditorium stage are several Nonesuch artists: Brad Mehldau, Joshua Redman, Rhiannon Giddens, Kronos Quartet, and Laurie Anderson, who is an SFJAZZ Resident Artist Director for the season.

On Brad Mehldau's new album, Finding Gabriel, he peforms on multiple instruments and welcomes several guests artists. On the title track, he performs on piano, Therevox, Moog Little Phatty synthesizer, drums, Yamaha CS-60 synth, Mellotron, Hammond B-3 organ, shaker, handclaps, and vocals. Now, he's shared the piano track alone, and the sheet music for the same. "I'd like to share the piano part for the title track of my new record, for pianists, other musicians, and anyone else curious," he says. "I wrote it as a piano solo piece, recorded that first, and then built everything else on top of it. Maybe some piano players would like to play it? Hope you enjoy!" You can do that by downloading the score and listening to the piano track here.

Lake Street Dive kicks off a months-long spring and summer tour of the US in Ponte Vedra, Florida, tonight. The tour continues with double bills with The Wood Brothers, supporting spots with The Avett Brothers, and headline shows across the country, some with Yola as special guest. The band released a wiidope remix of "I Can Change," a song from their album Free Yourself Up, as a thank-you to fans helping to raise funds for the organization SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW. 

Happy Pride Month! We're honoring the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall uprising and celebrating Pride with an eclectic playlist of new and classic Nonesuch recordings by LGBTQ+ composers, performers, and allies, including The Magnetic Fields, k.d. lang, Rostam, Nico Muhly, Jeremy Denk, Fred Hersch, and others. Listen here via Spotify and Apple Music.

Composer-performer Daniel Wohl's album État is out now on New Amsterdam and Nonesuch Records. The album features electro-acoustic pieces written by Wohl, and includes guest performances by Poliça's Channy Leaneagh with co-production by Son Lux's Ryan Lott and mmph. État, recorded with members of yMusic and the Calder Quartet, explores new dimensions of production. It's "a potent dreamscape" from "a sorcerer of electroacoustic sonorities," says NPR, which named it one of the Top 6 Albums Out This Week.

Brad Mehldau has written an essay regarding his song "The Prophet Is a Fool," from his new album, Finding Gabriel, and the video for it featuring animation by Dima Drjuchin, to "explain a bit of the personal emotions and politics that went into it." You can read it here.

Kronos Quartet hosts its fifth hometown festival at SFJAZZ; Sam Amidon performs … John Adams conducts LA Phil New Music Group … Jeremy Denk performs with Toronto Symphony … Emmylou Harris joins Brandi Carlilie at The Gorge … Brad Mehldau Trio is in Tokyo … Gaby Moreno tours Northeast with David Gray … Mountain Man is in New York State … Joshua Redman tours Europe with Reis Demuth Wiltgen Trio … Chris Thile hosts Live From Here from Wolf Trap … Yola concludes UK tour … and more ...

Brad Mehldau's Nonesuch Records debut album, Live in Tokyo, first released on September 14, 2004, will make its vinyl debut fifteen years later, on September 13, 2019. The vinyl edition, made with Run Out Groove, comprises the original album's eight tracks plus seven tracks previously available only on the Japanese edition. This triple-LP set, pressed on 180-gram vinyl, is available to pre-order now. "Few pianists can match Brad Mehldau when it comes to cross-fertilizing jazz, classical, and rock," said JazzTimes. "The same applies for technique, taste and intellectual curiosity. All of those qualities are on display [here]."