Donnacha Dennehy's Nonesuch debut album, Grá agus Bás, has been named one of NPR Music's 25 Favorite Albums of the 2011 (So Far). NPR's Anastasia Tsioulcas calls it "a revelation." She describes the title piece as "haunting and utterly bracing"; the second piece, That the Night Come, was set for "Upshaw and her silvery, glistening voice in bracing, rich, complex and just plain gorgeous displays." Tsioulcas will "be listening to this for a long time to come."

Pat Metheny's latest Nonesuch album, What's It All About, is out today. The Boston Herald gives it an A-, saying: "Metheny’s thoughtful, loving approach elevates every tune he tackles to a realm of beauty." To mark the release, the album is streaming in full at MSN Music, and we've posted the third in a series of videos of Metheny performing songs on the new record: The Association's "Cherish." Watch it here.

Kronos Quartet will be the featured guests on CBC radio arts program Q Wednesday morning. Kronos will be joined on the program by pipa virtuoso Wu Man, who also joins the group in the fourth and final concert of its residency at the Luminato Festival in Toronto Wednesday night. The concert features the Canadian premiere of the multimedia piece A Chinese Home. The Toronto Star says of Sunday's free outdoor concert from Kronos: "This is what makes Luminato special."

Ry Cooder's new album, Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down, will be released by Nonesuch/Perro Verde Records on August 30, 2011. Pre-order the album in the Nonesuch Store on CD and vinyl to receive an instant download of the album's opening track, "No Banker Left Behind." You can listen to the song here. Cooder will perform with special guests Los Cenzontles at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on August 31 and September 1, 2011.

Among the more memorable moments of this weekend's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival were sets from The Black Keys, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Wanda Jackson, and The Low Anthem. Whether performing on the festival’s largest What Stage, or in one of three intimate festival tents, Nonesuch artists conquered the infamous Bonnaroo dust and heat to deliver noteworthy performances. Among the highlights was what Rolling Stone called a "supersized and stunning" main-stage debut from The Black Keys, "the perfect soundtrack as the sun was setting.”

As Chris Thile and Michael Daves gear up to perform live at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival this Friday, NPR has posted a Tiny Desk Concert featuring the mandolin-and-guitar duo performing songs off their debut album, Sleep with One Eye Open, recently released on Nonesuch. You can listen to the complete performance here. "What stands out between these two musicians when they play traditional music," says NPR's Bob Boilen, "is the level of extremity they achieve. This is small-town music with New York City intensity."

Pat Metheny's new album, What's It All About, is out tomorrow. To start the count down to the big day, we posted the first in a series of videos on Friday of Metheny performing songs off the new record. Now comes the second video in the series: "Garota de Ipanema" ("Girl from Ipanema") by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes. Watch it here.

Bonnaroo is under way all weekend in Manchester, Tennessee, and includes sets from Jessica Lea Mayfield, Wanda Jackson, The Low Anthem, The Black Keys, Dan Auerbach, and Allen Toussaint ... Laurie Anderson brings Delusion to Amsterdam ... Christina Courtin celebrates LPR's anniversary in NYC ... Philip Glass performs at the Met ... Gidon Kremer receives Lifetime Achievement Award in Istanbul ... Kronos Quartet launches Luminato residency ... Joshua Redman Trio plays São Paulo ... Dawn Upshaw performs at Ojai ... and more ...

Randy Newman is the guest on American Public Media's Dinner Party Download this weekend, the show's 100th episode. The Christian Science Monitor says of Newman's latest album, Songbook Vol. 2: "As a gift to us and the world at large, Newman has recorded his sardonic, hilarious, and often moving repertoire in the studio, solo at the keys ... the next best thing to seeing this unique artist and American treasure live."

Pat Metheny's latest Nonesuch album, What's It All About, is due out this Tuesday. Earlier this week, we posted a video of Metheny introducing the album. Today, we offer the first in a series of videos to be released in the coming days of Metheny performing full-length songs off the new record. Today's video: Carly Simon's "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be." Watch it here and check back on Monday and Tuesday for more videos in the series.

Kronos Quartet begins its residency at the Luminato Festival in Toronto today. The residency features four concerts reflecting the Quartet's global musical journey. Kronos is "one of the world's finest—and definitely most adventurous—chamber ensembles," says the Toronto Star. "Every one of their nearly four-dozen albums—which have earned every industry award imaginable—have introduced their growing legion of fans and audiences to a new piece of a global musical puzzle."

Kronos Quartet was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize, which recognizes outstanding achievement and excellence in music, in a ceremony held last night at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. As the recipient of this honor, Kronos receives a monetary award of $75,000. At last night’s ceremony, Nonesuch Records President Robert Hurwitz spoke of the label’s relationship with Kronos, now three decades strong, and the group’s unique contributions to the world of music. Read the full text of his speech here.