Chavis, "the king of zydeco," performs a rollicking set of mostly original compositions, joined by his band The Magic Sounds. Feathers, who first learned to play guitar from Junior Kimbrough, this self-titled album more than three decades into his career as a pioneer of rockabilly and country music. Gilmore's After Awhile features some of his most beloved songs, on which he “stamps himself as a great American songwriter,” says Rolling Stone. Johnson, perhaps best known as the pianist for Chuck Berry, here leads various bands that include Keith Richards and Eric Clapton for a rollicking set of country and jazz tinged-blues.

Here's "Peter Pumpkin Eater," from Cabinet of Wonder, Natalie Merchant's collaboration with Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Children's Theatre. You can pre-order the album, due August 21, here.

Mary Halvorson is on the cover of DownBeat! She has won its Critics Poll for Artist of the Year, Guitar, and Group (Amaryllis). And congrats to her fellow winners Ambrose Akinmusire, Trumpet; Cécile McLorin Salvant, Female Vocalist; Darcy James Argue, Arranger; and Rhiannon Giddens, Beyond Artist.

Happy birthday, Gabriel Kahane!

Here's "Little Miss Muffet," from Cabinet of Wonder, Natalie Merchant's collaboration with Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Children's Theatre. You can pre-order the album, due August 21, here.

Flea, who performs with his Honora band at North Sea Jazz in Rotterdam this Saturday, is on the latest episode of Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud to talk about his album Honora, his childhood, finding freedom in music, and more.

Cabinet of Wonder reimagines Mother Goose and her rhymes for a new generation of young children through modern interpretations of the classic children’s canon and three originals by Merchant—performed by her, musicians from the CSO and special guests—in orchestral arrangements by Megan Gould. Two songs from the album, “Little Miss Muffet” and “Peter Pumpkin Eater,” along with their videos, are available today. Cabinet of Wonder represents three years of behind-the-scenes work among the project’s collaborators and the culmination of Merchant's four decades of involvement in children’s arts and education. 

Cécile McLorin Salvant has shared the official music video for her performance of Stephen Sondheim’s “Being Alive” with Metropole Orkest and conductor Jules Buckley, arranged by Darcy James Argue, from her new album, With Every Breath I Take.

Punch Brothers were on CBS Mornings' Fourth of July episode to perform Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" plus two songs from their upcoming instrumental album, The Unsung Adventures of Punch Brothers, out July 24. You can watch the performances, filmed at beautiful Bridal Veil Falls in Telluride, Colorado, here.

Happy July 4th weekend! Celebrate America's 250th with 25.0% off in the Nonesuch Store now through Sunday. That's 25.0% off our everyday low prices on just about everything—vinyl, CD, HD, MP3, hats, t-shirts, and more; pre-orders excluded.

Emmylou Harris stopped by for the Nonesuch Selects video series, in which artists visit the Nonesuch office, pick some of their favorite albums from the music library, and share a few words on their choices. She chose recordings by Bulgarian State Television Female Choir, Laurie Anderson, Nonesuch Explorer Series, Ry Cooder, The Low Anthem, and Kate & Anna McGarrigle.

Composer John Adams says: “Dylan Mattingly is a true original whose music fills the listener with a sense of overflowing abundance ... He’s a genuine American Maverick in the true sense of the term.”

Cécile McLorin Salvant’s album With Every Breath I Take, her first with orchestra, is out now. You can get it and hear it here. On the album, Salvant and Metropole Orkest conducted by Jules Buckley perform timeless songs—by Coleman, Coward, Ellington, Sondheim, Strayhorn, and Salvant—newly arranged by composer and bandleader Darcy James Argue. “Salvant’s first orchestral album immediately announces itself as a Desert Island Disc,” exclaims Jazzwise. “It’s an album full of nuance and lyricism, and one of the most hauntingly beautiful things you’ll hear this year. Magnificent.”

Rhiannon Giddens has shared “Carolina Rain,” a song from her upcoming album, Hope Is the Thing with Feathers, and an animated video for it by Nespy5euro & Valeria Weerasinghe.

The 10-song collection was inspired by the beauty of people coming together and drawing strength from each other. It was intentionally recorded live with no frills and few overdubs, just pure and essential music that captures the feeling of community, clarity, as well as the joy and power of creating together. From exploring the lineages that make American music to the community-oriented spirit in which it was conceived and recorded, in many ways the album tells the story of the past 20 years of Giddens’ life. The vinyl edition is made from 100% recycled vinyl and is carbon neutral.

Grammy-winning composer Donnacha Dennehy’s Limina is due August 28. The album features premiere recordings of two pieces: the piano concerto Limina and Violin Concerto, performed by National Symphony Orchestra Ireland, conductor Ryan McAdams, pianist Eliza McCarthy, and violinist Stephen Waarts; it was recorded at the National Concert Hall, Dublin. The first movement from Limina, “Head,” is available today. You can hear it and pre-order the album here.

Punch Brothers have shared “Found in a Frozen Fog," a new track from their upcoming album, The Unsung Adventures of Punch Brothers, due July 24, and this performance video for it, directed by Josh Goleman.