Congratulations to Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, who have won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Music for their opera Omar. Based on the life and autobiography of enslaved Muslim scholar Omar Ibn Said, who was forcefully brought to Charleston from Africa in 1807, Omar premiered at the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston in May 2022 and has been performed by LA Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Carolina Performing Arts at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and Boston Lyric Opera; it will be performed by San Francisco Opera in November.

“We have this tendency to group ourselves, but then we also have this ability—through music, through dance, through food—to come together and make something new,” Rhiannon Giddens says on the PBS mini-series The Articulate Hour hosted by Jim Cotter. The episode delves into humans' contrasting needs for community and solitude and includes a conversation with Giddens and performances by her and Francesco Turrisi. You can watch it here, along with the second episode of her own PBS series My Music with Rhiannon Giddens, with guest Allison Russell.

Molly Tuttle stopped by Garden & Gun in Charleston to perform a Back Porch Session for the magazine. She is joined by Golden Highway band member Kyle Tuttle on banjo to perform “Where Did All the Wild Things Go?,” from their upcoming album, City of Gold, and three songs from their Grammy-winning debut album, Crooked Tree: the title track, “Dooley’s Farm,” and “Over the Line.” You can watch it here.

Cécile McLorin Salvant's new album, Mélusine, released last month on CD and digitally, is now available on vinyl worldwide here. The album features a mix of five originals and interpretations of nine songs, dating as far back as the twelfth century, mostly sung in French along with Occitan, English, and Haitian Kreyòl. "Anyone who thinks they already know the full extent of Cécile McLorin Salvant's artistry should listen to Mélusine without further delay," exclaims Jazzwise. "It's a remarkable recording in several respects. Beautifully recorded, Salvant continues to confound and delight at every turn."

Mary Halvorson, Caroline Shaw & Sō Percussion, and Tyondai Braxton perform at Bang on a Can's Long Play Festival in Brooklyn. Hurray for the Riff Raff and Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway are at New Orleans Jazz Fest. Kronos Quartet leads a 50 for the Future Weekend in Amsterdam. Cécile McLorin Salvant is in residence at SFJAZZ, streaming live tonight. Opéra National de Paris performs Thomas Adès' Dante. Sam Amidon is in Finland. The Black Keys headline Beachlife Festival in CA. Julia Bullock sings Messiaen in Belgium and Germany. Brad Mehldau Trio plays JazzFest Bonn. Sarah Kirkland Snider's Mass for the Endangered is performed in NYC.

The new series My Music with Rhiannon Giddens premiered on PBS stations across the US this week. In the inaugural episode, Rhiannon Giddens visits with three lifelong friends: Justin Robinson, one of her fellow Carolina Chocolate Drops co-founders; her sister, singer Lalenja Harrington; and singer-songwriter Laurelyn Dossett. You can watch it here.

Congratulations to the Jazz Journalists Association's 2023 JJA Jazz Awards nominees, including Mary Halvorson for Jazz Musician of the Year, Composer of the Year, and Guitarist of the Year, as well as Album Art of the Year for Amaryllis and Belladonna; Cécile McLorin Salvant for Female Vocalist of the Year and Record of the Year for Ghost Song; Brad Mehldau for Pianist of the Year; and the LongGone quartet of Joshua Redman, Mehldau, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade for Midsize Ensemble of the Year. Winners will be announced on May 17.

“Brad Mehldau is one of the greatest jazz musicians of our time,” says Tom Power, host of CBC’s Q. “The way he thinks about music is unlike anyone else I’ve ever met.” Mehldau is on the show to talk with Power about his new solo album, Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays The Beatles, about which Power says: “I really loved it.” You can hear their conversation here.

"She is, without a doubt, her generation’s most accomplished jazz vocalist, and easily could have continued along the trajectory of performing and recording standards, punctuated by her own and other compositions both within and outside the borders of the genre," Angela Y. Davis writes in this appreciation of Cécile McLorin Salvant. "But given the immensity—the breadth and depth—of her artistic vision, that would have been equivalent to aesthetic perjury. Mélusine, Salvant’s most recent album, is a bold declaration that she is willing to answer the call of her expansive imagination, especially when it urges her to transgress borders based on language, genre, cultural tradition, and historical time." You can read Davis's essay here.

Tigran Hamasyan’s StandArt, his first album of American standards, was released one year ago. To mark the anniversary, the pianist/composer has shared Night Odyssey, a short film by his sister Melanya Hamasyan that begins and ends with the album track “I Should Care,” written by Alex Stordahl, Paul Weston, and Sammy Cahn. He is joined on the track by trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. You can watch it here.

Rhiannon Giddens is in the UK, performing in Edinburgh, Gateshead, and Perth. John Adams is performed in DC and Madrid. Emmylou Harris joins Willie Nelson's 90th birthday bash at the Hollywood Bowl. Natalie Merchant takes her Keep Your Courage tour south for a concert in St. Augustine and a sold-out show with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Cécile McLorin Salvant sings songs from Mélusine, Ghost Song, and more in Virginia. Sarah Kirkland Snider is in Maine for performances of her Mass for the Endangered. Richard Goode plays Beethoven in NYC. Mandy Patinkin is in Connecticut.

Grammy Award–winning singer, songwriter, and musician Molly Tuttle and her band, Golden Highway, will release their new album, City of Gold, July 21, on Nonesuch. You can watch the video for the album track “El Dorado” here. Produced by Tuttle and Jerry Douglas and recorded in Nashville, City of Gold was inspired by Tuttle’s near constant touring with Golden Highway and their growth together as musicians and performers, cohering as a band. These 13 tracks—mostly written by Tuttle and Ketch Secor (Old Crow Medicine Show)—capture the electric energy of the band’s live shows by highlighting each member’s musical strengths. City of Gold also features special guest Dave Matthews on the song “Yosemite.” Tuttle and Golden Highway will tour through this summer.