Pat Metheny has composed and performed new music for The New Group's revival of Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra, directed by Scott Elliott and starring Lili Taylor and Jena Malone. Previews begin tomorrow night, with the official opening night on February 19. The play will run at New York's New Group @ Theatre Row on 42nd Street through April 18. Pat recorded his solo guitar score on an 1860s instrument contemporary to the play's Civil War-era setting.

While 2008 may go down as one of the more turbulent years in recent (or distant) memory, or, more optimistically, a time of change, there is much to celebrate in the year in music. Nonesuch artists across all genres have contributed to that and, accordingly, have made their way onto many critics' lists of the year's best. For the final Nonesuch Journal article of the year, we offer an overview of just some of that year-end critical praise.

The Grammy nominations are in, and a big congratulations goes out to the many Nonesuch artists whose work has been recognized by the Recording Academy, the organization behind the awards. Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Brad Mehldau, Ry Cooder, Emmylou Harris, Toumani Diabaté, Youssou N'Dour, Stephen Sondheim, Jonny Greenwood, and Isabel Bayrakdarian were all recognized for their recent Nonesuch releases, as were producers Danger Mouse and Judith Sherman for their work on Nonesuch albums this year.

Pat Metheny's 1989 album Question and Answer, recently remastered and reissued by Nonesuch, is described by All About Jazz as one of "a glittering, altogether too infrequent series" of acoustic trio albums from Metheny. The review cites drummer Roy Haynes ("just heavenly") and the "shining" performance of bassist Dave Holland for creating "another magnificent Metheny trio line-up." The album is a "whirlwind of an affair, invigorating and exquisite; a masterpiece of the first order." Along with that reissue comes the wider release of Upjonie, the 2002 collaboration between Metheny and Polish singer/pianist Anna Maria Jopek, in which, The Guardian states, "Metheny's guitar often accompanies Jopek's floating, fragile intensity like another voice."

Today marks the release of Pat Metheny's new Tokyo Day Trip Live EP. The collection contains five tracks originally made available online as bonus tracks for Pat's recently released trio album Day Trip, with Christian McBride and Antonio Sanchez. "There was such an outpouring of demand from listeners," Pat explains, "that we decided to compile the recordings all in one place and release them together as a set."

Pat Metheny makes his long-awaited return to Yoshi's celebrated jazz club in San Francisco for a four-night stint with his trio, Christian McBride on bass and Antonio Sanchez on drums, as featured on his new album, Day Trip. Inside Bay Area's Jim Harrington says: "Jazz fans have been waiting for this one for months ... it's the one that we all circled on our calendars back in November when the club announced its first batch of shows."

NPR's music programs and reviewers are turning in their lists for the Best of 2007, and a number of Nonesuch artists are among the top choices from public radio. Wilco's Sky Blue Sky tops World Cafe's list of the best albums of the year. All Things Considered's Banning Eyre has three Nonesuch albums among his Top Ten of 2007: Caetano Veloso's Cê, Sérgio and Odair Assad's Jardim Abandonado, and Youssou N'Dour's Rokku Mi Rokka (Give and Take). On the list for "Top Ten Jazz Jewels of 2007" from WDUQ is Metheny/Mehldau Quartet. And Wilco's "Hate It Here," from Sky Blue Sky, is among the best songs of the year, per KUT.

Earlier this week, we brought you news that the Metheny Music Foundation would be holding a concert with the Pat Metheny Trio and Pat's brother, Mike, to raise funds for the Foundation's scholarship program. The Kansas City Star has more of the details on the organization's backstory and its dual goals of supporting music education in the Methenys hometown of Lee's Summit, Missouri, and honoring the family's dedication to that town.

Lee's Summit, Missouri, Pat Metheny's hometown, is also the home and inspiration for the new Metheny Music Foundation, which awards scholarships for local high school students to attend the University of Missouri—Kansas City Jazz Improv Camp. On Friday, March 7, the Foundation will hold a fundraising concert at the nearby Unity Village Activities Center featuring student musicians from Lee's Summit schools along with the Pat Metheny Trio and Pat's brother, trumpeter Mike Metheny.

Last night, Pat Metheny played the last in a string of dates in South Africa with the trio from his upcoming Nonesuch release, Day Trip—bassist Christian McBride and drummer Antonio Sanchez. The Independent (South Africa)'s entertainment guide, Tonight, reports that the Sunday show in Durban was "the gig we were all itching for." After hearing the trio perform songs from Day Trip and others, the site declares: "'Gig of the year' was the general pronouncement."