Congratulations to Cécile McLorin Salvant, who has been awarded a $200,000 grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation as part of its new Creative Inflections program. Salvant, a 2020 Doris Duke Artist, is one of seven artists to receive the new grant, which is given to the artist and a collaborating presenting organization. In Salvant's case, that is the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, for "Ogress: Envisioned," a multimedia, animated piece in which her illustrations bring to life her musical exploration of the true story of Sara Baartman, a 19th-century South African woman taken to Europe and put on display who now stands as a symbol of colonialist, racist, and sexist exploitation.

Cécile McLorin Salvant has released her take on the Sting song "Until," from her Nonesuch debut album Ghost Song, due March 4; you can watch the video here. "This is the weirdest, moodiest set of lyrics," she says. "I feel like lyrics can morph into what you want them to be depending on when you listen. Of course it’s about love and romance, but there are these weird turns it takes, the dance at the center of the song. And that idea of catching the world in an hourglass is so great to me. I’m obsessed with hourglasses; I draw a lot of them in my visual art. It’s one of my favorite memento mori moments—the beauty of it and also the finality of it."

Nonesuch Records releases Brad Mehldau’s Jacob’s Ladder on March 18 on CD; a vinyl LP version is due later in the year (date TBD). The album features new music that reflects on scripture and the search for God through music inspired by the prog rock he loved as a young adolescent—his gateway to the fusion that eventually led to his discovery of jazz. Featured musicians on the album include label mates Chris Thile and Cécile McLorin Salvant, as well as Mark Guiliana, Becca Stevens, Joel Frahm, and others. Nonesuch Store pre-orders include an exclusive signed, limited-edition print while they last. You can watch a video for ‘maybe as his skies are wide’—a song that builds off an interpolation of one portion of Rush’s classic "Tom Sawyer"—here.

Cécile McLorin Salvant has released "Thunderclouds," from her Nonesuch debut album Ghost Song, due March 4; you can watch the video here. "I suffer from insomnia, and so do others in my family, and in one way this song is about having to suffer in darkness," she says. "It’s again celebrating something that is dark—that line, ‘Sometimes you have to gaze into a well to see the sky.’ It’s talking about looking down into the depths of a situation to truly see the beauty of it."

Joshua Redman and Cécile McLorin Salvant are among the artists to contribute tracks to Relief, a compilation of previously unreleased music to benefit Jazz Foundation of America, out today. Redman's track, "Facts," is from the sessions for his 2018 Nonesuch album Still Dreaming, with cornetist Ron Miles, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Brian Blade; Salvant performs "Easy Come, Easy Go Blues." Both can be heard here. All net proceeds from Relief will go to JFA's Musicians’ Emergency Fund, which provides direct financial support to musicians in need.

Singer/songwriter Cécile McLorin Salvant makes her Nonesuch Records debut with the release of Ghost Song on March 4, 2022. The new album features a diverse mix of seven originals and five interpretations on the themes of ghosts, nostalgia, and yearning. Salvant says, “It’s unlike anything I’ve done before—it’s getting closer to reflecting my personality as an eclectic curator. I’m embracing my weirdness!” A video for the album track “Ghost Song,” written by Salvant, can be seen here. Nonesuch Store pre-orders of the album include an exclusive, limited edition signed artwork by Salvant while they last. Cécile McLorin Salvant is on tour in Europe now and will play four shows at SFJAZZ in February and two nights featuring the music of Ghost Song at Jazz at Lincoln Center in May

Chris Thile hosted a centenary celebration for the esteemed Town Hall in New York City from just around the corner, outdoors in Bryant Park, for the culmination of the park's Picnic Performances season last night. He was joined on stage by Cécile McLorin Salvant and Sullivan Fortner, Timo Andres, Zakir Hussain and Ganesh Rajagopalan, Emily King, Damon Daunno, and others for the evening of performances honoring the hall's storied past. You can watch it here.

Joshua Redman and Cécile McLorin Salvant are among the artists to contribute tracks to Relief, a compilation of previously unreleased music to benefit Jazz Foundation of America, due November 12. Redman's track "Facts," from the sessions for his 2018 Nonesuch album Still Dreaming, with cornetist Ron Miles, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Brian Blade, was released today and can be heard here. All net proceeds from Relief will go to JFA's Musicians’ Emergency Fund, which provides direct financial support to musicians in need. 

The SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco has announced its 2021–22 concert season, and featured among the performers taking the Miner Auditorium stage are four Nonesuch artists: Joshua Redman, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Brad Mehldau, and Kronos Quartet. Tickets go on sale to members July 29 and to the general public August 5. 

The Jazz Journalists Association has announced the 2021 JJA Jazz Awards nominations, including three for Rob Mazurek for the new Exploding Star Orchestra album, Dimensional Stardust; all four members of the RoundAgain quartet, Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade; performers on Pat Metheny's album From This Place, including Metheny, Linda May Han Oh, and Grégoire Maret; Jeff Parker for Suite for Max Brown; and Cécile McLorin Salvant, whose Nonesuch debut album is forthcoming.

Chris Thile, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Rhiannon Giddens, Jeremy Denk, Mandy Patinkin, Gaby Moreno, and Nico Muhly will take part in NY PopsUp, a festival featuring hundreds of pop-up performances—many of which are free of charge and all open to the public—throughout New York City and State. Additionally, Thile and Salvant are on a council of artistic advisors partnering with curator Zack Winokur to program the series. NYPopsUp, which will run from Saturday, February 20, through Labor Day, will make stages out of existing landscapes, including iconic transit stations, parks, subway platforms, museums, skate parks, street corners, fire escapes, parking lots, storefronts, and upstate venues. The festival is being coordinated with state public health officials and will strictly adhere to Department of Health COVID-19 protocols.

Four conversation between Nonesuch Chairman Emeritus Bob Hurwitz and artists, presented last October for In Our Time, a series of online discussions he conceived for the New School's College of Performing Arts and UCLA, are now available to watch here. Hurwitz speaks with four artists whose creative lives and work have left an indelible mark in music, and arts and culture globally: Caetano Veloso, Julia Bullock, Laurie Anderson, and Cécile McLorin Salvant.