Canada's CBC News reports that South African police have arrested five men linked to the shooting death last Thursday of reggae star Lucky Dube. Late last week, Youssou N'Dour urged South African leaders to use Dube's death as a wake-up call to address that nation's high incidence of violent crime.

In the October 12 episode of NPR's All Songs Considered, Robert Christgau, a contributing editor for Rolling Stone magazine, calls Youssou N'Dour and Super Étoile "the best band in the world." Before closing the episode with the song "4-4-44" from Youssou's new record, Rokku Mi Rokka (Give and Take), Christgau urges listeners to catch one of the live shows on Youssou's upcoming US tour: "It's very simple," he says, "If you're within 150 miles, don't miss them."

The Guardian honors Philip Glass with an editorial, on the occasion of his 70th birthday celebration, Glassworks, at London's Barbican Centre. The events included a rare performance—the first in London since 1985—of Glass's entire Music in 12 Parts by the Philip Glass Ensemble.

Playbill.com reports that ABC's Private Practice, the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off starring Audra McDonald, has been picked up for a full season. The show, which airs Wednesday nights at 9 PM EST, will add nine new episodes for a total of 22 shows this season. Audra was among the performers last night at a gala benefit for the Motion Picture & Television Fund hosted by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Hugh Jackman. The MPTF offers retirement care and social services for people in the entertainment industry.

In recapping Boston's 7-1 win over Cleveland in last night's game five of the American League Championship Series, bostonist.com sportswriter Michael Fernia offers a suggestion of music opener for tonight's game in Boston: Randy Newman's "Burn On," about the fire that set Cleveland's Cuyahoga River ablaze in 1969. This follows rumors that the woman the Indians brought out to sing before last night's game in Cleveland was an ex-girlfriend of Sox starting pitcher Josh Beckett. A spokesman for the Indians denies having known of the connection.

Glenn Kotche and Kronos Quartet sent in some photos from a recent rehearsal for their October 25 and 26 performances at the San Francisco Jazz Festival, where they'll premiere Glenn's piece Anomaly. To view the pictures, visit the photo gallery at nonesuch.com/media.

The latest edition of BBC Radio 3's flagship arts program, Night Waves, features an interview with Youssou N'Dour about his upcoming Nonesuch release, Rokku Mi Rokka (Give and Take), and the social and political issues behind his music. 

In today's Kansas City Star, music writer Paul Horsley recommends that runners prepping for a long-distance run, like this weekend's Kansas City Marathon, avoid the common mistake of training to disposable Top 40 hits ("simple carbs"). He recommends instead a healthy dose of "high energy" compositions to motivate through the long haul. On his list of Top 10 training tunes: Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians and Philip Glass's score to Koyaanisqatsi.

Steve Reich recently participated in a special event at Manhattan's Aish NY as part of the Daniel Pearl World Music Days—an international music celebration promoting tolerance, inspired by the legacy of journalist Daniel Pearl. At the October 9 event, which included a discussion with Reich, the composer played a recording of Daniel Variations, a piece he wrote in Pearl's memory. The recording is set for release on Nonesuch early next year.

Glenn Kotche marks the world premiere of his new work, Anomaly, with Kronos Quartet, at the 25th Anniversary San Francisco Jazz Festival in a discussion of the story behind the collaboration (commissioned for Kronos by the Angel Stoyanof Commission Fund); the unique challenges of writing, as a percussionist, for string quartet; and the very personal inspiration for the piece.

Reporters Without Borders, an organization established to protect freedom of the press around the world, just announced that Youssou N'Dour was among the first to sign its petition calling for the release of Moussa Kaka, the Niger correspondent for Radio France Internationale and Reporters Without Borders. Kaka was arrested on September 20 for being in contact with members of a minority rebel group in Niger and could face life in prison.

The closing night of New York City Center's 2007 Fall for Dance festival, on October 6, featured the Elisa Monte Dance company's signature work, Treading (1979), set to Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians. This was the fourth annual festival, which kicks off City Center's season with low-priced tickets to see some of the world's greatest dance companies.