Today, GRAMMY-nominated classical-meets-hip-hop duo Black Violin released “Beautiful Day” featuring R&B legend Lalah Hathaway, the final single from their album Full Circle (out this Friday). Produced by Phil Beaudreau (Dr. Dre, Justin Bieber, The Game), the album marks a bold new chapter for the genre-defying duo. Today the duo also announced an extensive fall US tour, full list of dates are below. 

Nashville-via-Sydney singer-songwriter Imogen Clark is getting high octane and back to the nitty gritty with her new album Choking on Fuel. After a breakneck year of non-stop touring, returning to her roots armed with an acoustic guitar, Imogen is rolling out a record that captures the intensity, vulnerability, musical dexterity and vocal power that characterizes her compelling live performances.

Pedrito Martínez, songwriter and master of the Afro-Cuban folkloric music and the batá drum, will release Ilusión Óptica on May 30 (GroundUP Music). Bill Murray says it best at the top of the album: “I am here as your safety monitor to make sure that you are all prepared, completely ready to take an unforgettable journey on board the latest album entitled llusión Óptica from the very great Pedrito Martinez Group.”  

On April 1, 1995, an unforgettable celebration of surf music history took place at the iconic Lighthouse Café in Hermosa Beach. Now, for the first time, this remarkable event will be available on vinyl, CD and digital, for fans around the world to experience. Legends of Surf Guitar captures a pivotal moment when original surf pioneers and revivalists joined forces to celebrate the music that defined a generation.

Ashley Monroe announced her sixth studio album Tennessee Lightning will be released August 8. Recorded in the wake of Monroe’s transformative bout with cancer, the 17-song collection documents her remarkable journey as a celebration of life, love and the healing power of music. Along with the announcement, the 3x GRAMMY nominee shares her new single “The Touch” (feat. Marty Stuart), a smoldering love song complete with a dreamy guitar riff from Stuart on guitar and Shelby Lynne on bass.

Hans Zimmer Presents today announced details for The World of Hans Zimmer – A New Dimension (www.worldofhanszimmer.com), a 24-city arena tour debuting in North America this fall after a tremendously successful European run in 2024. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 2.

Music Factory Records announces the April 25 release of “Blurry Face,” a raw, exhilarating trio performance by guitarist-composer Ari Joshua alongside John Medeski (organ, clavinet) and Billy Martin (drums), the storied rhythm team of Medeski Martin & Wood. Tracked live at Applehead Recording Studios in New York, the piece distills the crackling spontaneity that defines great improvisational music.

Kupferberg Center for the Arts proudly presents Chucho Valdés: Irakere 50, a powerful tribute to the legendary Cuban ensemble that transformed Afro-Cuban jazz. Taking place on Thursday, May 8 at 8 PM at Colden Auditorium, this special performance celebrates the 50th anniversary of Irakere, the groundbreaking band led by Chucho Valdés, a visionary pianist, composer, and arranger who was recently named NEA Jazz Master 2025 by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Through a recently announced partnership with Strata-East Records, Mack Avenue Music Group releases audiophile quality reissues of Charles Tolliver & Music Inc.’s Live at Slugs’, Volume I & II, and Stanley Cowell’s Musa: Ancestral Streams, and Charlie Rouse’s Two Is One. The three albums are available today on 180-gram vinyl, CD and digital platforms.

Fresh off a run of sold-out shows, genre-bending Louisville collective Houseplant unveils their latest evolution: the addition of Ben Atkind, former founding drummer of chart-topping jam act Goose. Atkind’s arrival marks a seismic shift for the band, merging his storied improvisational prowess with Houseplant’s signature blend of indie-rock lyricism and kaleidoscopic grooves.