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  • Monday, November 9, 2009

    Tony Allen—best known for his work as drummer and musical director for Fela Kuti—will make his Nonesuch debut with the release of Secret Agent on April 13. Following the album's European release on World Circuit earlier this year, The Guardian proclaimed, “There is no question that Tony Allen is a genius, one of the greatest percussionists in the history of popular music,” while Observer Music Monthly said, “If you’re wondering why Afrobeat is hip, start here.”

    Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist News
  • Friday, November 6, 2009

    Bill Frisell "keeps stirring up fine and fresh new ideas" ... the St. Lawrence makes "big news" with Adams's String Quartet ... Dan Auerbach takes tour to Canada ... Carolina Chocolate Drops do three dates in California ... Shawn Colvin plays Portland, Maine ... Ry Cooder, Nick Lowe are in Osaka ... Kronos plays Reich at the Kimmel Center ... The Low Anthem, Blind Pilot visit Virginia ... Brad Mehldau Trio tours France, Spain ... Youssou N'Dour docu delivers in Denver ... Nicholas Payton plays St. Louis ... Wilco bookends Baltic Rolling Stone fest with sold-out sets ... and more ...

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Weekend Events
  • Friday, November 6, 2009

    Caetano Veloso has won the 2009 Latin Grammy Award for Best Singer-Songwriter Album for his latest release in Brazil, Zii e Zie. The Guardian, in its four-star review of the album, describes its songs as "intimate and surprising." Caetano was also recognized for his work on a video celebrating the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim. The 10th annual Latin Grammy Awards ceremony was held last night in Las Vegas.

    Journal Topics: Artist News
  • Friday, November 6, 2009

    John Adams's new blog, Hell Mouth, has been given a "cheers" in The Guardian, which describes the blog as both "hilarious" and "brilliant." The St. Lawrence String Quartet continues its world tour with the String Quartet Adams wrote for the group in 2008, in concerts in Des Moines and Ann Arbor this weekend. The Detroit Free Press says "the appearance of a new Adams string quartet is big news."

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Web
  • Thursday, November 5, 2009

    Natalie Merchant will perform and discuss a selection of songs from her forthcoming Nonesuch release at the new Free Word Centre in London on November 18. She has been researching, writing, and recording a collection of songs adapted from the works of various classic and contemporary poets; the evening will give a unique insight into the project prior to the album’s release in early 2010.

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Artist News
  • Thursday, November 5, 2009

    Kronos Quartet performed at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday as part of Kronos's Perspectives series, the only artist to be given such a focus this season. It also happens to coincide with the Hall's current festival of Chinese music, and, says the New York Times, "Of the many Western ensembles trooping into Carnegie to play Chinese music (or music about China) the Kronos is by far the most adept at cultural crossing over."

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Reviews
  • Thursday, November 5, 2009

    The Carolina Chocolate Drops are on tour in California this week, performing at UC Santa Barbara tomorrow night. The Santa Barbara Independent spoke with band member Don Flemons to preview the show and discuss the resurgent old-time string band music scene. Fans across the country can catch the group's performance on Later ... with Jools Holland on Ovation TV tonight.

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Television
  • Wednesday, November 4, 2009

    Ry Cooder and Nick Lowe's tour of Japan, New Zealand, and Australia begins in Nagoya, Japan, tonight. Joachim Cooder will join on drums, and singer Juliette Commagere as special guest vocalist. In the Japanese concert programs, Ry offers a short text giving a little taste of what to expect at the shows as only Cooder could. The Nonesuch Journal has an exclusive first-look at that here.

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Artist Essays
  • Wednesday, November 4, 2009

    Wim Wenders's film Wings of Desire was filmed in Berlin not long before the fall of the Wall. Now, on the 20th anniversary of that event, The Criterion Collection has released DVD and Blu-ray special editions of the film it describes as "one of cinema’s loveliest city symphonies." It's a fitting description for a film set to so hauntingly memorable a score. Its soundtrack, with music by Jürgen Knieper and performances by Laurie Anderson and Nick Cave, is available in the Nonesuch Store.

    Journal Topics: Film
  • Tuesday, November 3, 2009

    Just as Wilco begins its tour through Europe in the UK tonight, the band's 2002 album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot has nabbed the No. 2 slot on the list of the 50 Best Albums of the Decade according to Paste magazine and claims the No. 1 spot in a poll of the magazine's readers. "Through its circuitous provenance and runaway success," says Paste, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot proved that great art—even in difficult times—will find the light of day."

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Artist News, Reviews
  • Monday, November 2, 2009

    Steve Reich led a concert of his works at London's Royal Festival Hall last weekend. The Guardian and The Times both give it four stars, the latter calling it "spellbinding." "Three thousand people sat gripped on Saturday night by 11 musical chords elongated over 57 minutes," says The Times. "Nearly half a century has passed since Steve Reich’s first concerts, but the standing ovation after Music for 18 Musicians suggested that his brand of minimalism hasn’t lost its hypnotic allure."

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Reviews
  • Monday, November 2, 2009

    Christina Courtin's hometown tour-closer in Buffalo on Friday saw the return of "a local woman who’s done well," says the Buffalo News. In a performance that alternated between "delicate lures and rocking out," Christina proved her versatility and "crooned and modulated her voice to fit whatever the music of Western civilization can throw at her."

    Journal Topics: On Tour, Reviews