Nonesuch will release a/rhythmia, the new album from Alarm Will Sound, the 20-member group described by the New York Times as “one of the most vital and original ensembles on the American music scene," on September 15; it is available to pre-order now in the Nonesuch Store. On the album are works by Michael Gordon, Conlon Nancarrow, Benedict Mason, György Ligeti, and Autechre, among others, that challenge in playful and often dazzling ways conventional notions of rhythm and pulse.

Sara Watkins recently stopped by the Rolling Stone offices to perform three songs off her self-titled Nonesuch debut for the "Smoking Section," which praises her "gorgeous voice and killer fiddle." She is joined for the performances by her brother Sean and keyboardist Benmont Tench (of the Heartbreakers), both of whom are featured on the album as well.

Shawn Colvin's Live, featuring 15 live tracks from two decades’ worth of material, was released on Nonesuch earlier this summer. No Depression sees the new collection as "a terrific career overview," confirming that "Colvin is a solo-acoustic performer of stratospheric skill." The album serves as "a gorgeous and satisfying reminder of what is so special about this great American artist." Country Chart calls it "the best concert recording of the year."

By any measure, it would seem that The Black Keys helped turn the muddied fields of New Jersey's Liberty State Park into a memorable closing day for the 2009 All Points West festival. Rolling Stone says their "primal power" of "one of America’s most respected bands" served them well. Esquire says the band's set stood out from the rest of the pack, making everything "whole again," and gives a "Daily Endorsement" to drummer Pat Carney.

Toumani Diabaté joins forces once more with banjo master Béla Fleck for a free outdoor event at New York's Central Park SummerStage tonight. The two will perform in concert, followed by a screening of the film Throw Down Your Heart, which documents Fleck's trip through Africa in search of the source of his instrument. It begins a two week tour of the US and Canada. The New York Times says "it makes musical sense" to pair Diabaté, "renowned for his mastery of the kora ... with the virtuosic banjoist Béla Fleck."

Bill Frisell's latest Nonesuch album, Disfarmer, is out now. Billboard sees it as evidence of Frisell's being "best suited for exploring vast territory and responding with imaginative integrity." Q says, "As ever, Frisell’s playing, all texture and touch, raises matters way beyond the merely atmospheric," and selects the album's "shimmering instrumental version" of a Hank Williams tune as an Essential Track of the month. The Philadelphia Inquirer gives the album three-and-a-half stars, praising its "wonderfully rootsy and evocative music" and the "superb ensemble" that plays it.

The Black Keys play as the sun sets on All Points West ... Laurie Anderson talks gardens in the Hamptons ... David Byrne brings his Songs to Benelux; preps Playing the Building in London ... Richard Goode continues on at "close to perfection" Marlboro Music ... The Low Anthem celebrates Newport Folk Festival's 50th ... Youssou documentary opens in six more US cities ... Wilco's on NPR's World Cafe; Nels Cline joins M. Ward, Mike Watt at NYC's SummerStage ... and more ...

Bill Frisell's latest Nonesuch release, Disfarmer, features music inspired by the haunting black-and-white images of the late American photographer Michael Disfarmer. The Houston Chronicle gives it a perfect four stars, calling it "a particularly beautiful suite of music. Frisell's pacing is magnificent, and the album sweeps along with purpose like a gorgeous, spacious epic. It is full of sounds that suggest settings and characters, including the mysterious eccentric who inspired the recording." All About Jazz praises "the effortless interaction and instrumental acumen of its participants ... Frisell's quartet proves capable of empathic exploration throughout."

The Low Anthem stays close to home in Rhode Island this weekend to play the state's most famous musical gathering, the Newport Folk Festival, in its 50th year. NPR has series of features on the festival and will be broadcasting from Newport all weekend long. Ben Knox Miller tells the band's hometown paper, the Providence Journal, that of all the summer festivals the band finds itself playing, Newport is "the one I’m probably most looking forward to."

To mark the release of Shawn Colvin's new Live album earlier this summer, Nonesuch Records teamed up with Martin Guitar to give away a brand-new X-Series guitar, signed by Shawn. The winner: Ms. Megan Crotty, who says of her connection with Shawn's music, "It was love at first listen. I love her unique voice. That, combined with the music and lyrics makes her one of my favorites." Three runners-up were awarded a signed copy of the new Live CD.

Youssou N'Dour spoke with Al Jazeera about the many facet of his life and career, as musician, actor, activist, and UNICEF ambassador. The interview looks at his latest efforts, to combat malaria in Africa through the distribution of mosquito nets, and using the power of his music to spread that message and the one in Egypt, his 2004 album dedicated to Sufi Islam. I Bring What I Love, the film that documents the making of that album, opens in six more cities today.

Steve Reich was born in New York, raised there and California, and has spent much of his life in the City. He has also been spending time in Vermont for more than three decades. Vermont Public Radio spoke with the composer about his career and how the quiet of Vermont has influenced his writing. He was in Massachusetts this weekend for MASS MoCA's Bang on a Can Festival, which culminated in a performance of Music for 18 Musicians. Says the Boston Globe: "Reich’s towering 1976 epic rang out like a renewed statement of purpose: a postmodern hoedown of joyfully interlocking parts."