We join Natalie Merchant in sending our thanks to all the health care workers and first responders who have served their communities during this pandemic with such skill, grace, kindness, and generosity, such as those at Montefiore in New York City. Happy Thanksgiving, all.

Congratulations to all of the Nonesuch nominees for the 63rd Grammy Awards: David Byrne's American Utopia on Broadway for Best Musical Theater Album; Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade's RoundAgain for Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Redman for Best Improvised Jazz Solo on the track "Moe Honk"; Pat Metheny's "From This Place" for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals; and Dan Auerbach for Producer of the Year.

Congratulations to Lianne La Havas, who has received three MOBO Awards nominations: Best Female Act, Best R&B/Soul Act, and Album of the Year, for her new, self-titled album. The UK’s biggest celebration of Black music and culture, the MOBO Awards celebration will take place on December 9, live-streamed for the first time on YouTube at 7pm GMT, and broadcast on BBC One at 10:45pm GMT.

Composer Tristan Perich, whose Drift Multiply, for 50 violins and 50-channel 1-bit electronics, was released on New Amsterdam and Nonesuch Records earlier this month, discussed the piece and recording—which both Uncut and the New Yorker call "mesmerizing" and the Wire calls "unapologetically beautiful"—with conductor Douglas Perkins in a live, online Q&A moderated by Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti. You can watch the conversation again here.

Rob Mazurek's new album with Exploding Star Orchestra, Dimensional Stardust, is out now via International Anthem / Nonesuch Records. Mazurek arranged his pieces for eleven musicians, including Jeff Parker, and commissioned his long-time lyrics collaborator Damon Locks to draft original texts for the songs. The album recalls an array of Mazurek’s symphonic­ influences, from Béla Bartók to Morton Feldman to Gil Evans to Sun Ra to Pedro Santos to Bill Dixon to The Art Ensemble of Chicago. Opting to focus on tight ensemble orchestration over passages of open improvisation, he distills an orchestra of explosive improvisers into a graceful group exercise in melodic minimalism.

Portuguese singer Mariza celebrates the 20th anniversary of her career and the centenary of the late Queen of Fado, Amália Rodrigues, with Mariza Sings Amália, her first full album of classics, available in the US on January 29. Though Mariza has sung pieces from Amália’s repertoire since the start of her career, this is the first complete album pairing the work of the late, great voice of 20th-century popular song and the singer who helped bring fado into the 21st century. "This the best way I can find to pay my tribute to Amália," says Mariza, "and to thank her for the legacy and inspiration she gave us." Mariza celebrates the album release with a livestreamed performance via NYC's Town Hall on January 29.

k.d. lang's 2008 Nonesuch album, Watershed, declared "a masterpiece" by the Times, is now available on vinyl for the first time (December 4 outside the US). As the title suggests, Watershed represented a milestone in lang’s career. For the first time, she assumed the role of producer, as well as writer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. “Watershed is like a culmination of everything I’ve done," lang said; "there’s a little bit of jazz, a little country, a little of the Ingénue sound, a little Brazilian touch ... I didn’t feel the need to be genre-specific because this experience felt so wide open."

Mountain Man will perform three unique, ticketed streaming concerts on three Thursdays next month—December 3, 10, and 17—for their Live From the Garden series. The band filmed the shows in North Carolina: in the woods, at home, and by the fire. Each night has a different set list. Tickets are on sale now.

Joachim Cooder has released a video for his album Over That Road I'm Bound featuring an excerpt from the album track "Over That Road I'm Bound to Go" by children's book author Barney Saltzberg. "Barney is one of our favorite children’s book authors and illustrators," Cooder says. "After meeting backstage at a show I was playing in San Francisco we began sending each other books and music. One day he sent me this video. It hit such a perfect tone for the song.” You can watch it here.

Congratulations to Yola, who has been nominated for two UK Americana Awards: UK Artist of the Year and UK Song of the Year for "I Don't Wanna Lie," from the digital deluxe edition of her Dan Auerbach–produced solo debut album, Walk Through Fire. Yola won both UK Americana Awards for which she was nominated last year: UK Artist of the Year and UK Album of the Year for Walk Through Fire. The sixth-annual UK Americana Awards will be presented as part of the virtual AmericanaFest UK in January 2021.

Lianne La Havas was the guest on the Twitch show The Needle Drop. She spoke with host Anthony Fantano about her new, self-titled album. You can watch the conversation here.

Joachim Cooder is the guest on the latest episode of WNYC / New Sounds' Soundcheck, hosted by John Schaefer, to discuss his recently released Nonesuch debut album, Over That Road I'm Bound. Cooder, on electric mbira and vocals, is joined by his father Ry on guitar for special live, duo performances of songs from the new album. Over That Road I'm Bound "is full of inventive arrangements of songs by Uncle Dave Macon, an early 20th century songster," says Schaefer. "One of the most pleasant surprises of a year that has been full of unpleasant surprises." You can hear the conversation and performances here.