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  • Thursday, October 20, 2011

    The acclaimed 1999 album Jim Hall & Pat Metheny will be reissued for the first time on Nonesuch Records on November 8 and is available to pre-order now. Metheny's duo collaboration with Hall, whom he has called the "father of modern guitar playing," features 17 tracks: original tunes from each guitarist, several improvisations captured in the studio, plus six tunes recorded live in concert, including Gershwin's "Summertime." "The excellence of the playing is the heart of the matter," says the Philadelphia Inquirer. "It's a privilege to listen in." The Los Angeles Times calls it "extraordinary."

    Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist News
  • Thursday, October 20, 2011

    In the title piece of his latest album, WTC 9/11, Steve Reich reflects on the 2001 World Trade Center attacks. Clash magazine talks to the composer about the piece and the very personal story behind it. "Steve Reich has composed one of his greatest works to date," says Clash. "It is a tale of protest, frustration and artistic mastery ... a staggering work for many reasons." The San Jose Mercury News, reviewing Kronos Quartet's recent Bay Area premiere of WTC 9/11, calls it "immersive and moving."

    Journal Topics: Artist News
  • Wednesday, October 19, 2011

    Björk continues to celebrate the release of her new album, Biophilia, with the latest show in her Reykjavik residency tonight. New York magazine found her "pitch-perfect" at Sunday's show. She is the subject of a Q&A with Mashable and a feature article in the Los Angeles Times, which says that, with Biophilia, Björk "has reinvented the album into a transformative transmedia experience." The San Francisco Chronicle says she "has come up with her most compelling work in eons"; "the results are extraordinarily sumptuous and seductive." The Philadelphia Inquirer calls it "eerily beautiful."

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Artist News, Reviews
  • Monday, October 17, 2011

    Steve Reich was featured on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday. In honor of the composer's 75th birthday, the program examines the work and impact of "arguably the most influential composer of his generation," whose music has "inspired generations of composers whose work can be heard in concert halls, dance clubs, and rock festivals." The composer joined the London Symphony Orchestra in concert at Barbican Hall, to which the Daily Telegraph gives a perfect five stars. Cité de la Musique in Paris continued its Reich birthday festival, Pulsations, with a performance of choreographer Karine Saporta's Notes, now available to watch online.

    Journal Topics: Artist News, Reviews, Video
  • Monday, October 17, 2011

    Jonny Greenwood’s smear receives its US premiere in a performance by the Either/Or ensemble, conducted by Richard Carrick, at Columbia University's Miller Theatre in New York City, tonight as part of the nine-day SONiC Festival. smear was Greenwood's first concert work and included as part of his score for the film There Will Be Blood. Greenwood's Popcorn Superhet Receiver, which was also incorporated into the film score, is among the pieces on the forthcoming Nonesuch album of works by Greenwood and Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, due out next year.

    Journal Topics: Artist News
  • Monday, October 17, 2011

    Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy, whose Nonesuch debut album, Grá agus Bás, was released earlier this year, is in Chicago for the performance of his 2002 piece To Herbert Brun. Musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Cliff Colnot, kick off the 2011/12 season of the CSO's MusicNOW new-music series with tonight's concert, held at the Harris Theater. Dennehy's piece features guest soprano Carrie Henneman Shaw. The program also include works by John Corigliano, Kirsten Broberg, Alejandro Viñao, and Paula Matthusen.

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Artist News
  • Friday, October 14, 2011

    Björk continues her Biophilia Reykjavik residency following Wednesday's "remarkable" premiere (Rolling Stone) ... Laurie Anderson takes Delusion to Vermont ... Timothy Andres plays New York's SONiC Festival ...  Richard Goode joins The Met Orchestra at Carnegie Hall ... Wanda Jackson plays Delua Fest ... Kronos Quartet gives Terry Riley's Sun Rings its Australia debut at Melbourne Festival ... k.d. lang tours the Southwest ... Jessica Lea Mayfield is in Nashville ... Audra McDonald plays her hometown of Fresno ... Pat Metheny closes out Blue Note NYC residency ... Josh Redman, Brad Mehldau continue duo tour in the Northeast ... Steve Reich birthday celebrations continue in Paris and London ... Allen Toussaint joins Mavis Staples in Vancouver ... Sara Watkins tours the South ... and more ...

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Weekend Events
  • Friday, October 14, 2011

    Björk, whose new album, Biophilia, was released this week, is the featured guest on PRI's Studio 360. Björk leads host Kurt Andersen through different tracks on the album and the App, which features a separate component for each track on the album. "For the last two decades, Björk has pushed every boundary she could find," says the show. Now, on Biophilia, "Björk’s odes to the mysteries of the universe can be as intoxicating as any love song." Listen to the segment here.

    Journal Topics: Artist News, Radio
  • Thursday, October 13, 2011

    Randy Newman is the guest on this week's episode of On Canvas, the performing arts program from Philadelphia public television station WHYY. Newman's performance was recorded at the Scottish Rite Theatre in Collingswood, New Jersey, shortly before the release of his latest album, Songbook Vol. 2. Philadelphia-area fans can tune in tonight at 10 PM ET on WHYY. Fans around the world can watch the complete episode online starting Friday morning. Watch Newman perform "I'm Dead But I Don't Know It" in a preview of the show here.

    Journal Topics: Artist News, Television
  • Thursday, October 13, 2011

    Jessica Lea Mayfield performs at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville tonight for the Americana Music Association's 10th Annual Honors and Awards. She has been nominated for the award for New/Emerging Artist of the Year. The ceremony also includes live performances by this year's Lifetime Achievement Award recipients Lucinda Williams, Jerry Douglas, and Gregg Allman. The show will be webcast live at npr.org and broadcast in an edited version on PBS's Austin City Limits in November.

    Journal Topics: Artist News, Television
  • Thursday, October 13, 2011

    Inspired by a news headline about the Wall Street bailout, Ry Cooder began work on his new album, Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down, with the track “No Banker Left Behind,” an ode to the corrupt few spared from the financial crisis while most were left to fend for themselves. The article appeared on Truthdig, which is now giving away a copy of the album and Cooder's new book, Los Angeles Stories. Simply share your favorite protest song for a chance to win.

    Journal Topics: Artist News
  • Thursday, October 13, 2011

    Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman, longtime friends and frequent collaborators, head out for a brief duo tour of the United States, starting in Easton, Pennsylvania, tonight, followed by stops in Philadelphia, New York City, Ithaca, and San Francisco, where the duo makes its West Coast debut at the San Francisco Jazz Festival. As the San Francisco Chronicle writes: "Two of jazz's most gifted improvisers converse in the moment." They head to Europe next month for a tour of Spain, Switzerland, Netherlands, Germany, and Luxembourg.

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Artist News