Last night’s Grammy awards show was what we’ve come to expect. It was the usual parade of revealing dresses (Toni Braxton), self-important speeches (U2’s Bono) and performances by your favorite radio-friendly pop acts (N’Sync). But in between all the cleavage and catchy hooks they managed to give out a few awards to jazz artists.
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones won in the Best Contemporary Jazz Album category for Outbound, beating out Fourplay and Ronny Jordan. Chucho Valdes and Dianne Reeves scored awards in separate categories for their respective live albums Live at the Village Vanguard and In the Moment. Branford Marsalis, Pat Metheny and Joe Lovano also took home awards for recent works.
There were, of course, awards given for reissued material as well. JazzTimes contributor Bob Blumenthal won for his liner notes in the Miles Davis and John Coltrane box set, The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955-1961. That box set also won for Best Boxed Recording Package. And don’t forget Pops! The Louis Armstrong Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings won in the Historical Album category.
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