The 73rd DownBeat Critics Poll results are in, and among the winners are repeat winner Ambrose Akinmusire, Trumpeter; Darcy James Argue, Arranger; Mary Halvorson, Guitarist and Group of the Year (Amaryllis); and Cécile McLorin Salvant, Vocalist.

An album comprising the first recordings of Steve Reich’s two latest works—Jacob’s Ladder (2023) and Traveler’s Prayer (2020)—is out now on Nonesuch. Jacob's Ladder, performed by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Jaap van Zweden, and Synergy Vocals, was made during its October 2023 world premiere at Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall. “Lovely and refreshing," says the New York Classical Review. "Superb." Traveler's Prayer, performed by Colin Currie Group and Synergy Vocals, was made at Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall in 2023. "The tone of its score, from first note to last, is sustained sublimity," says the Los Angeles Times. The two pieces were first released earlier this year digitally and as part of the 27-disc box set Steve Reich Collected Works.

“I’m excited for everyone to hear 'The Highway Knows,' because it’s one of my favorite songs on the new record," Molly Tuttle says of the new single from her upcoming album, So Long Little Miss Sunshine. "I had written the finger-picked guitar part that you hear in the chorus a few years ago, and finally last year, Ketch Secor and I dug up the voice memo of that guitar scrap and wrote words to it. This song is all about finding the person you want to journey through life with." You can watch the video for the song, directed by Fletcher Moore, here. And tune in to see Tuttle perform it on CBS Saturday Morning this weekend.

Cécile McLorin Salvant’s new album, Oh Snap, is due September 19. It comprises 12 very personal songs by the singer/composer (plus a cover of a verse from the Commodores’ 1977 hit “Brick House”) mostly recorded outside of a traditional studio environment. The songs showcase her genre-spanning tastes and influences from her 1990s childhood in Miami—from boy bands to grunge to classical to folk—and include party tracks with beats, samba grooves, and quiet folk songs. Salvant wrote the intimate songs as part of a creative quest: To place spontaneity and joy at the center of her writing process. The album features longtime collaborators Sullivan Fortner, Yasushi Nakamura, and Kyle Poole, plus cameos from singers June McDoom and Kate Davis. You can watch a video for the title track here.

Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, and Marcus Gilmore were at Chenery Auditorium in Kalamazoo, Michigan, for The Gilmore in April, performing songs by Mehldau, Cole Porter, Thelonious Monk, and more. You can now watch it here. Mehldau and McBride meet up again in October for a duo tour of the US and again next March for shows in Paris and Munich. Brad Mehldau’s new album of songs by Elliott Smith, Ride into the Sun, is out August 29.

Molly Tuttle gives a solo performance of "That's Gonna Leave a Mark," the first single from her upcoming album, So Long Little Miss Sunshine, in a new video. "I wrote ‘That’s Gonna Leave a Mark’ with my friend Kevin Griffin," she says. "It’s fun, sort of sassy, and that guitar part is one of my favorites that I play on the record." You can watch it here.

Congratulations to Ambrose Akinmusire and to Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion, who have been nominated for Edison Jazz and Klassiek Awards in the Netherlands, respectively, for their latest Nonesuch albums: Akinmusire's honey from a winter stone for Jazz: International and Shaw and Sō's GRAMMY–winning Rectangles and Circumstance for Extraordinary Classic. The awards ceremony will take place on October 6 at the AFAS Theater in Leusden, Netherlands.

Brad Mehldau has released “Between the Bars," a new track from his forthcoming album, Ride into the Sun—a songbook record of music by the late singer, songwriter, and guitarist Elliott Smith—due August 29 on Nonesuch. He's joined on the song by bassist Felix Moseholm and drummer Matt Chamberlain. You can watch a performance video, directed by Matthew Edginton, here. Also on the album are singer/guitarist Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear), singer/mandolinist Chris Thile, bassist/engineer John Davis, and a chamber orchestra led by Dan Coleman.

"Composer Steve Reich is one of the most influential musicians of modern times," BBC Radio 4's This Cultural Life host John Wilson says of his guest. "In the 1960s he helped rewrite the rules of composition, using analogue tape machines to experiment with rhythm, repetition and syncopation. As the godfather of musical minimalism, his influence on Philip Glass, David Bowie, Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, and many other composers, has been enormous." You can hear their conversation about Reich's life, work, and the influence of Stravinsky, Bach, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Pérotin, and more here.

Collaborators and friends from Tortoise's lengthy and illustrious career give their unique takes on the band's 2025 single “Oganesson"—the first new Tortoise offering since 2016, foreshadowing a larger body of work to come—on Oganesson (Remixes), now available digitally and due on vinyl September 5: poet and activist Saul Williams, renowned mastering engineer Heba Kadry, The Black Keys' Patrick Carney, indie heavyweights Broken Social Scene, and percussionist, producer, and composer Makaya McCraven. 

Thanks to Hurray for the Riff Raff, aka Alynda Segarra, for autographing copies of both vinyl editions of their acclaimed 2024 album, The Past Is Still Alive—glow-in-the-dark green and translucent orange—for the Nonesuch Store. NPR exclaims: "Segarra has created an epic tale of life on the road, a nearly mythic version of their own life story that stands alongside other great American musical travelogues ... Career-defining." Rolling Stone calls it "the best batch of songs Segarra's ever written."

Guitarist/composer Mary Halvorson's new album, About Ghosts, is out now. It features eight new compositions by Halvorson, performed with her improvisatory sextet Amaryllis: Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Nick Dunston (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Jacob Garchik (trombone), and Adam O’Farrill (trumpet). Saxophonists Immanuel Wilkins and Brian Settles join the ensemble on five tunes, and Halvorson adds Pocket Piano synthesizer overdubs on a number of tracks. The album was produced and mixed by Deerhoof's John Dieterich. Halvorson and Amaryllis will tour the US in September, preceded and followed by shows in Europe.