Pat Metheny's new album, Orchestrion, is out now. In a review on the ABC News site, the Associated Press says the latest project from this "inveterate tinkerer who constantly imagines new soundscapes" finds Metheny taking "the notion of a solo album to a new dimension through some technological wizardry."

Pat Metheny's Orchestrion—which pairs him with remarkable, custom-made robotic instruments for a "solo" recording unlike any other—is out tomorrow. The Kansas City Star says that "one of the most creative performers and composers of his time, has now blazed another trail." The Lexington Herald-Leader, calls it "a grand reminder of Metheny's gift for compositional melody." All Music gives it four stars, exclaiming: "Metheny exceeds our expectations, and perhaps even his own."

Nonesuch Records releases Highway Rider, a double-disc of original work by pianist and composer Brad Mehldau, on March 16. The album is his second collaboration with producer Jon Brion and features performances by Mehldau’s trio—drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Larry Grenadier—as well as drummer Matt Chamberlain, saxophonist Joshua Redman, and a chamber orchestra led by Dan Coleman. In a Nonesuch Store Exclusive, orders include an early demo recording in which Mehldau explains to Brion how he'd like the title track to unfold.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops' Nonesuch debut, Genuine Negro Jig, is out now. The Sunday Times says to "file under quality music." After a Boston show, the Boston Herald said "an evening spent in this young trio’s exciting presence proves they are really about one thing: entertainment." The reviewer described Rhiannon Giddens voice as "among the most dynamic, startling instruments" he has ever heard.

There's just one day left before the release of The Magnetic Fields' latest Nonesuch release, Realism, and that means two things: the fourth installment of the five-part video series about the new record (today revealing which room in the house offers the best acoustics for recording) and the CD release party, which the band hosts at New York's Beauty Bar tonight. All are welcome; admission is free. The Independent names Realism its CD of the Week.

Ali and Toumani—an album of duets from the late guitarist Ali Farka Touré and kora player Toumani Diabaté—will be released February 23 on World Circuit / Nonesuch Records and is available for pre-order in the Nonesuch Store with the exclusive bonus track "Kenouna." MusicOMH gives the album four-and-a-half stars, calling it "the most perfectly pitched and unselfish of pairings, a meeting of wonderfully-matched musical minds and skills." NPR calls Touré "one of the most remarkable artists of the past century."

To support relief efforts in Haiti, Wilco is offering two of its performances from last year as free downloads to anyone who makes a minimum donation of $15 to Oxfam or Doctors Without Borders. The two shows are last summer's show at KeySpan Park in Brooklyn, New York, and the fall show at the HMV Forum in London.

Chris Thile's Mandolin Concerto gets its California premiere ... Carolina Chocolate Drops concludes the first leg of its US tour ... Bill Frisell Trio plays the Pacific Northwest ... Richard Goode plays Bach, Haydn, Schumann in San Francisco ... Glenn Kotche joins Bang on a Can All-Stars at Emory ... NPR's Fresh Air remembers Kate McGarrigle ... Brad Mehldau performs two solo sets in California ... Stephen Sondheim revisits his alma mater, Williams College, to talk with Frank Rich ... and more ...

Orchestrion, Pat Metheny's adventurous new "solo" recording, is out now. The Guardian calls it "Metheny's most ambitious experiment," one the Star-Ledger says has paid off: "The chiming, undulating result feels organic and joyous." All About Jazz would agree, calling it "not just an unqualified and unequivocally successful experiment, but as one of the most innovative and compositionally profound albums of his career."

As reported yesterday in the Nonesuch Journal, Natalie Merchant is set to make her Nonesuch debut with the April release of Leave Your Sleep. Tonight, fans in the UK can catch Natalie on the inaugural episode of the new BBC arts and culture discussion television program The Review Show, which airs live on BBC Two at 11 PM. She'll be the show's first music guest. Next week, Natalie performs live in Dublin and Glasgow.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops' Nonesuch debut, Genuine Negro Jig, is set for release in the UK this Monday, January 25, one day before the band launches the UK leg of its current tour. The US release has now moved up one week, to February 16. The Times of London gives the album four stars, as does the Guardian, saying the band is "sounding as fresh and enthusiastic as ever ... They are well worth ­checking out."

Rokia Traoré's latest Nonesuch release, Tchamantché, was released in early 2009 and made a lasting impression, finding its way to year-end best-of lists, including that of the New York Times's Jon Pareles, who remarked on Traoré's "preternatural grace." She now prepares to take her music on the road, as she announces a spring tour of the United States and the United Kingdom set for April and May.