Congratulations to Darcy James Argue, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Mary Halvorson, and Ambrose Akinmusire, who have all been nominated in the Jazz Journalists Association's 2024 JJA Jazz Awards: Argue for Composer of the Year, Arranger of the Year, Large Ensemble of the Year for Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, and Record of the Year for the group's Dynamic Maximum Tension; Salvant for Jazz Musician of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, and Record of the Year for Mélusine; Halvorson for Guitarist of the Year; and Akinmusire for Trumpeter of the Year. Winners will be announced on May 8.

The 2024 Big Ears Festival is next week, taking place in venues throughout downtown Knoxville, TN, March 21–24, with more than a dozen Nonesuch artists past, present, and future performing as part of the label's 60th anniversary celebrations. In addition to all of the music and film offerings, Big Ears also hosts a number of artist conversations with music journalists Ann Powers and Nate Chinen, including talks with Sam Amidon, Laurie Anderson, Darcy James Argue, Rhiannon Giddens, Mary Halvorson, Robin Holcomb, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Brad Mehldau, Davóne Tines, and Yasmin Williams.

As part of Nonesuch Records's 60th anniversary celebrations, the 2024 Big Ears Festival lineup includes fifteen Nonesuch artists past, present, and future. Ahead of the festival, taking place in Knoxville, TN, March 21–24, we've got a playlist of music from all of those artists: Sam Amidon, Laurie Anderson, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Tyondai Braxton, Rhiannon Giddens, Mary Halvorson, Robin Holcomb, Wayne Horvitz, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Kronos Quartet, Brad Mehldau, Ringdown (Caroline Shaw and Danni Lee), Davóne Tines, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, and Yasmin Williams. You can hear it here via Spotify and Apple Music.

Congratulations to all of the Nonesuch GRAMMY Awards nominees! We're celebrating with 25% off all of this year's nominated albums in the Nonesuch Store using code GRAMMY25 at checkout: Thomas Adès's Dante, performed by LA Phil and Gustavo Dudamel (Best Orchestral Performance, Best Contemporary Classical Composition, Producer of the Year, Classical); Darcy James Argue's Secret Society's Dynamic Maximum Tension (Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album); Julia Bullock's Walking in the Dark (Best Classical Solo Vocal Album); Rhiannon Giddens's You're the One (Best Americana Album, Best American Roots Performance); Cécile McLorin Salvant's Mélusine (Best Jazz Vocal Album; Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals); Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway's City of Gold (Best Bluegrass Album); andThe Blue Hour (Best Engineered Album, Classical).

Congratulations to all of the Nonesuch nominees for the 66th Grammy Awards: the premiere recording of Thomas Adès's Dante, performed by LA Phil and Gustavo Dudamel, for Best Orchestral Performance and Best Contemporary Classical Composition, and the album's producer, Dmitriy Lipay, for Producer of the Year, Classical; Darcy James Argue's Secret Society for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for Dynamic Maximum Tension; Julia Bullock for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album for Walking in the Dark; Rhiannon Giddens for Best Americana Album for You're the One and Best American Roots Performance for the album track "You Louisiana Man"; Cécile McLorin Salvant for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Mélusine and Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals for the album track "Fenestra," arranged by Godwin Louis; Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway for Best Bluegrass Album for City of Gold; and The Blue Hour for Best Engineered Album, Classical.

The line-up for the 2024 Big Ears Festival—taking place in downtown Knoxville, TN, March 21–24—has been announced, including more than a dozen Nonesuch artists past, present, and future, in celebration of the label’s 60th anniversary in 2024: Sam Amidon, Laurie Anderson, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, Tyondai Braxton, Rhiannon Giddens, Mary Halvorson, Robin Holcomb, Wayne Horvitz, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Brad Mehldau, Ringdown (Caroline Shaw and Danni Lee), Davóne Tines, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, and Yasmin Williams.

Composer and bandleader Darcy James Argue and his Secret Society ensemble make their Nonesuch Records debut with Dynamic Maximum Tension, out now. The album pays homage to some of Argue’s key influences with original songs dedicated to R. Buckminster Fuller, Alan Turing, and Mae West. Cécile McLorin Salvant joins for “Mae West: Advice.” "Superb … Dynamic Maximum Tension is a delight," exclaims All About Jazz in a four-star review. The New York City Jazz Record adds: "Remarkable in its ambition, scope, and sheer length, this is Argue’s crowning achievement to date."

“The music on Dynamic Maximum Tension consists mostly of portraits of people—Buckminster Fuller and Alan Turing and Mae West and Duke Ellington,” composer and bandleader Darcy James Argue says of his upcoming album with his Secret Society ensemble in a new behind-the-scenes video. "I tried to think about, well, what are the places in my life where I turn to look for optimism and inspiration and the idea that the future is something to be anticipated rather than dreaded. So that’s the impetus for so much of the music on this record—to look to a period in the past where the future seemed brighter than it does today, and to try to find a way to represent that optimism about the future in music some way.” You can watch the video, directed by Reuben Hernandez at PowerStation at BerkleeNYC, here.

Darcy James Argue's Secret Society has released “Last Waltz for Levon,” a new song from their upcoming album, Dynamic Maximum Tension, due September 8. The track, which you can hear here, is dedicated to drummer and vocalist Levon Helm of The Band. Argue’s treatment, featuring solos by trombonist Mike Fahie and bassist Matt Clohesy, is also inspired by the horn arrangements written by legendary songwriter and producer Allen Toussaint for The Band’s classic live album Rock of Ages. Argue and Secret Society celebrate the release of Dynamic Maximum Tension with a four-night run at NYC’s Jazz Gallery, September 13–16.

Composer and bandleader Darcy James Argue and his Secret Society ensemble make their Nonesuch Records debut with Dynamic Maximum Tension on September 8. The album pays homage to some of Argue’s key influences with original songs dedicated to R. Buckminster Fuller, Alan Turing, and Mae West. Cécile McLorin Salvant joins for “Mae West: Advice.” You can watch the ensemble perform the album track “Dymaxion”—a portmanteau of “dynamic maximum tension”—from the song’s recording session, here.