The year has just about reached its halfway point, which has naturally led NPR's weekly jazz sampler, Take Five, to pick its top five choices for the Best New Jazz of 2010 (So Far). Two of the five albums on that list come from Nonesuch artists: Pat Metheny's Orchestrion and Brad Mehldau's Highway Rider.

For Orchestrion, Metheny's latest "solo" recording, the guitarist/composer has created a remarkable set of custom-made instruments he plays via solenoid switches and pneumatics. "The compositions, musical arrangements and overall production of this disc are reminiscent of a Pat Metheny Group recording," says Take Five contributor Nick Francis of Jazz24, "but the reality is that this is solo Metheny all the way; he makes every instrument an extension of his guitar skills, technical knowledge and sheer artistic willpower." Francis recommends catching the next leg of the tour, as it returns to the United States this fall. You can read more and hear the album track "Spirit of the Air" at npr.org. For more on the tour, head to nonesuch.com/on-tour. To pick up a copy of the album, head to the Pat Metheny section of the Nonesuch Store.

Take Five contributor Shaunna Morrison Machosky, of NPR affiliate WDUQ, writes about Mehldau's Highway Rider for the list. "With producer Jon Brion lending a hand, Mehldau has put forth a double album of entirely original music that shows how much he's grown as a composer, and not just a renowned pianist," says Machosky. "A chamber orchestra appears on some songs, which and are absolutely integral and not layered for effect ... Saxophonist Joshua Redman is prominently featured, too, in an auditory journey worth taking." Read more and hear the track "Sky Turning Grey (For Elliott Smith)" at npr.org. You can pick up a copy of Highway Rider in the Brad Mehldau section of the Nonesuch Store.

For the complete list of NPR's picks for Best New Jazz of 2010 (So Far), head to npr.org.