The 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, better known as Jazz Fest, gets under way today and runs through this weekend and the next at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. Among the performers set to take the various stage at the festival this year are four artists familiar to readers of the Nonesuch Journal: two New Orleans legends and hometown heroes, Dr. John and Allen Toussaint, plus two artists whose unique musical styles will make them feel right at home at Jazz Fest, Carolina Chocolate Drops and Cheikh Lô.

Punch Brothers make their headlining debut at NYC's Town Hall in a sold-out show tonight. "They are an all-star bluegrass band, five virtuosos led by Chris Thile, the mercurial mandolin player, but their songs smash the three-chord harmonies and blazing march rhythm of bluegrass," says the New York Times. "It is restless music, by musicians so preternaturally talented they get bored easily with fiddle tunes." The New York Daily News says they "have not only turned a rural sound urban, they’ve achieved that most rare of musical feats—to create something genuinely new." Listen to their complete performance on WNYC's Soundcheck here and watch them perform three songs from the show.

Cal Performances at the University of California, Berkeley, has announced its 2012–13 season, which will feature Kronos Quartet as the season's Artists in Residence; Philip Glass's groundbreaking work with Robert Wilson, Einstein on the Beach; Fatoumata Diawara's debut; a Sérgio & Odair Assad concert with Paquito D'Rivera; and the return of the Mark Morris Dance Company with the holiday favorite Hard Nut. Subscription sales begin on Friday.

Fatoumata Diawara has won the 2012 Songlines Music Award for Newcomer of the Year for her debut album, Fatou. The album was released in the UK to great critical acclaim on World Circuit. She was introduced to North American audiences with the release of her debut EP, Kanou, on World Circuit/Nonesuch Records. "The youthful Malian songbird draws on the Wassoulou tradition of southern Mali," says Songlines. "There's a unique but subtle intensity to her beguiling songs." Chris Thile, with Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, and Edgar Meyer, has won the award for Cross-Cultural Collaboration on their album The Goat Rodeo Sessions.

Steve Reich makes a rare visit to Australia for the launch of a new series at the Sydney Opera House called The Composers. The House will stage The Composers: Steve Reich in Residence, a program that will celebrate Reich's work through a number of events, culminating in a Sunday night performance of some of the highlights of his musical repertoire by Synergy Percussion, eighth blackbird, and others. On Monday, Reich heads down to Melbourne for a conversation and concert at the Melbourne Recital Centre with eighth blackbird and members of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Carolina Chocolate Drops joined The Chieftains for a performance on Later ... with Jools Holland on BBC Two last night, marking the legendary Irish band's 50th anniversary and the UK release of its new album, Voice of Ages, on which Carolina Chocolate Drops perform "Pretty Little Girl" with The Chieftains. The two bands performed the song together live on the Later. Watch it here. Then tune in to Later on Friday for a song from the Chocolate Drops' new album, Leaving Eden. The band resumes its US tour in New Orleans this weekend.

Punch Brothers are guests on today's episode of Soundcheck from WNYC. Today's special edition of the show will take place before a sold-out audience in the Greene Space in downtown Manhattan and broadcast live on 93.9 FM and online at wnyc.org, where you can also watch a live webcast, all starting at 2 PM ET. Also on today's show is guitarist/composer Kaki King. Punch Brothers perform at New York's Town Hall tomorrow night as part of their US headlining tour.

Randy Newman will join Larry Mantle, host of KPCC's AirTalk, for a live broadcast event from The Crawford Family Forum in Pasadena, California, this evening at 6:30 PM PST. The event is an in-depth discussion about the state of contemporary film music and how the business is changing. Joining the discussion are fellow composers Michael Giacchino, David Newman, and Trevor Rabin. Watch it streaming live at scpr.org. Randy Newman's film work has garnered two Academy Awards and 20 Oscar nominations.

Carolina Chocolate Drops join The Chieftains as the legendary Irish band marks its 50th anniversary and the UK release of its new album, Voice of Ages, on which Carolina Chocolate Drops perform. The bands play together on Later ... with Jools Holland tonight on BBC Two; the Chocolate Drops will also perform a tune of their own on Friday's show. Also on this week: Jack White, Norah Jones, Alabama Shakes, and Grimes. The Guardian calls "Pretty Little Girl," the Carolina Chocolate Drops' tune on Voice of Ages,"a romping collaboration."

Natalie Merchant and a group of fellow New York–based artists will participate in a rally and concert event in Albany on Tuesday, May 15, regarding the dangers of hydraulic fracturing and to call on Governor Cuomo to ban the controversial natural gas drilling process in New York State. Also participating are Medeski Martin & Wood, Citizen Cope, The Felice Brothers, Joan Osborne, Tracy Bonham, Toshi Reagon, Dan Zanes, Ida, The Horse Flies, and The Ahkwesasne Women Singers. Actors Mark Ruffalo and Melissa Leo will host. The rally will take place on The West Capitol Lawn, followed by the concert at The Egg.

The Black Keys were the subject of a feature profile on CBS Sunday Morning. Band mates Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney return to their home town of Akron, Ohio, to take a tour of their old neighborhood, visit with family, take a spot on their high school's Wall of Fame, and discuss their rise to being what the show says "may be the hottest rock band in the country." While headlining Coachella on Friday, they were joined by John Fogerty to honor Levon Helm with a performance of The Band's "The Weight." The Los Angeles Times says "the night belonged to the Black Keys—and to Helm." Watch it here.

The schedule for the 2012 season of Central Park SummerStage free concerts has been announced, and among the performers taking to the stage in the heart of New York City's Central Park this summer are Amadou & Mariam, on August 4, and Carolina Chocolate Drops, on August 11. Theophilus London, a contributor on Amadou & Mariam's recently released new album, Folila, joins the Malian duo for their SummerStage concert; Buckwheat Zydeco and Abigail Washburn join Carolina Chocolate Drops for theirs.