Brian Eno teams with Jon Hopkins, Leo Abrahams for Warp debut

English ambient pioneer Brian Eno has partnered with fellow crossover artists Jon Hopkins and Leo Abrahams to release his next album, Small Craft on a Milk Sea, out November 2 on Warp Records. The album, available as CD and high-quality download, will also be available in a limited-edition or collectors’-edition box set, both designed by Eno.

We don’t know how Small Craft on a Milk Sea will sound yet, but Hopkins and Abrahams are excellent picks for collaboration.  Hopkins’ 2009 album Insides made our list of 50 unheralded albums from last year.

Native Musicians in Popular Culture at Smithsonian

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian’s current exhibition, Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians in Popular Culture, displays the oft-overlooked relationship between Native artists and American contemporary music with audio samples and artifacts from big-name artists like Chuck Billy (Testament), Jimi Hendrix, Link Wray, and Buffy Sainte-Marie. This ain’t your average trip to the history museum.

League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots: Mechanized Performers

Founded in 2000 by Eric Singer, LEMUR is a collection of robots designed to play virtually any instrument in any style imaginable. Though the mechanical musicians may elicit skepticism and raised eyebrows, Singer’s bots have worked with acclaimed musicians such as Pat Metheny, JG Thirlwell, Morton Subotnick, and others.

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey announces Stay Gold tour

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey (or JFJO or The Fred) has gone from an octet when they began in 1994 to the quartet of Brian Haas on piano, Jeff Harshbarger on upright bass, Chris Combs on lap steel, and Josh Raymer on drums. Often blurring genres, JFJO’s sound is considered a mix of jazz, avant-garde and rock.

JFJO’s fascinating creations culminate in its 20th album, Stay Gold, released June 22 through Kinnara Records on CD and vinyl. To promote the new EP, JFJO has announced a two-month American tour starting in Louisiana and wrapping up in the band’s hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma on New Year’s Eve. The band plans to play the music of Beyonce, Madonna, and Lady GaGa at the event.

Kronos Quartet to play encore of JG Thirlwell’s Eremikophobia in NYC

Featured in the upcoming ALARM 38: Invisible, Australian experimental composer JG Thirlwell recently commissioned his second piece for the prolific chamber ensemble Kronos Quartet.

Kronos Quartet debuted the 18-minute multi-movement piece, named Eremikophobia (a fear of sand or deserts), at Carnegie Hall in March as part of its Perspectives Series. Now, the group will perform it again on October 8 and 9 2010 at New York’s Le Poisson Rouge.

They will also be playing pieces by Michael Gordon, Clint Mansell and Dan Visconti.