Ahead of the long-awaited world premiere of Omar, the opera composed by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, at the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, SC, next Friday, Giddens has released her own recording of the song “Julie’s Aria” from the opera. The recording was made by Giddens with guitarist Bill Frisell and her frequent collaborator Francesco Turrisi. Omar is based on the life and autobiography of enslaved Muslim scholar Omar Ibn Said, who was forcefully brought to Charleston from Africa in 1807. “My work as a whole is about excavating and shining a light on pieces of history that not only need to be seen and heard," Giddens says, "but that can also add to the conversation about what’s going on now. This is a story that hasn’t been represented in the operatic world—or in any world.” Omar will also be performed by LA Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Boston Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Carolina Performing Arts at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

Hurray for the Riff Raff (aka Alynda Segarra) stopped by Amoeba Music in Hollywood to share what they've been listening to and reading lately, including music by Bessie Smith, The Weather Station, Toots & the Maytals, Bad Bunny, Nina Simone, and more. You can take a look inside here. Hurray for the Riff Raff heads out on tour as special guest of Bright Eyes starting Thursday.

Guitarist/composer Mary Halvorson makes her Nonesuch debut with two albums, Amaryllis and Belladonna, out now. The two suites come in a two-LP vinyl set or as two separate CDs and digital albums, produced and mixed by John Dieterich. "These are new landmarks in Halvorson’s already inimitable discography," exclaims the Guardian in a five-star, Jazz Album of the Month review. Amaryllis is a six-song suite performed by a newly formed sextet of master improvisers; the Mivos string quartet joins for three of the songs, making this the largest ensemble for which Halvorson has written to date; you can watch a new video for the title track here. Belladonna is a set of five compositions written for Halvorson on guitar plus the Mivos Quartet, whose parts are through-composed and augmented by Halvorson’s guitar improvisations. They celebrate the albums’ release with performances of the two suites in Brooklyn, New Hampshire, and Quebec next week.

Cécile McLorin Salvant has released a video of her performing Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg, and Herbert Stothart's "Optimistic Voices" and Gregory Porter's "No Love Dying," from her Nonesuch debut album, Ghost Song, with Sullivan Fortner on piano, Marvin Sewell on guitar, Alexa Tarantino on flute, and Keita Ogawa on percussion. You can watch it below. Salvant and the band will give the New York premiere performance of Ghost Song in two shows at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater tonight and on Friday. Tonight's performance will also stream live and will be available on demand through May 18. 

Brad Mehldau has recorded a podcast episode about his new album, Jacob’s Ladder. He talks about some of his personal experiences over the last two years while working on the music he's made during these turbulent times. You can hear it here. Additional episodes are expected to come.