GRAMMY WATCH! BY SARAH BISCONTE - Grammy cutbacks inspire Latin Music fightback

“Music Rights Is Our Fight!” says the flyer/invite to a protest and “alternative Grammy party” to be held on Sunday, February 12, the same day as the 54^thGrammy Awards in Los Angeles. (Flyer: Presente.org)

By ED MORALESChannel: Entertainment

This Sunday, instead of attending the Grammy Awards at Staples Center, a group of Latino and other ethnic or “world” musicians and their supporters will hold a protest featuring live music in Downtown L.A., followed by an “Alternative Grammy Party” at Mama Juana’s Latin Lounge in Hollywood. The protest—over the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science’s decision last year to cut 31 categories from the ceremony—is notable because of its political tone. Civil rights activists like Jesse Jackson, Cornel West, as well as presente.org, an online Latino organizing and advocacy group that boasts a quarter million members, back the cause.

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Publicist: Sarah Bisconte via email: 

GRAMMY WATCH! BY SARAH BISCONTE - Latin Jazz Musicians Lead Protest Against Grammy’s for Cutting 31 Musical Categories from Awards Show

Dozens of musicians demonstrated outside the Grammy Awards on Sunday protesting the Recording Academy’s decision to eliminate dozens of ethnic music award categories, including Hawaiian, Haitian, Cajun, Latin jazz, contemporary blues and regional Mexican. Some protesters see racial bias in the revisions, others see them as harmful to low-budget indie labels. Last August, four Latin jazz artists filed a lawsuit with the New York Supreme Court claiming that the dropping of such categories had adversely affected their careers. They also said the academy was violating its "contractual obligations" to its 21,000 members. We speak to Oscar Hernández 


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Publicist: Sarah Bisconte via email bravaguapa@mac.com

GRAMMY WATCH! BY SARAH BISCONTE - News Nuggets: Artists will protest Grammys for cutting ethnic categories

News Nuggets: Artists will protest Grammys for cutting ethnic categories

Paul Simon, Gary Oldman, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Hugo, Adele, Meryl Streep, Bruno Mars, Daniel Radcliffe,Martin Scorsese, Film, Music

By Daniel Montgomery

Feb 08 2012 | 13:35 pm

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Daniel Radcliffe offended by "Harry Potter" Oscar snub: "'I don't think the Oscars like commercial films, or kids' films, unless they're directed by Martin Scorsese,' Radcliffe said. 'I was watching "Hugo" the other day and going, "Why is this nominated and we're not?" I was slightly miffed.' He added: 'There's a certain amount of snobbery. It's kind of disheartening. I never thought I'd care. But it would've been nice to have some recognition, just for the hours put in.'"GUARDIAN

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Publicist: Sarah Bisconte via email bravaguapa@mac.com

GRAMMY WATCH! BY SARAH BISCONTE: Grammy Awards: Musicians will protest category reductions

Grammy Awards: Musicians will protest category reductions

Some musicians will protest outside the Grammys at Staples Center on Sunday over the Recording Academy's elimination and consolidation of some award categories.

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Publicist: Sarah Bisconte via email bravaguapa@mac.com

GRAMMY WATCH! BY SARAH BISCONTE: Grammy Protestors Drop Off 23,000 Signatures at NARAS Headquarters

February 09, 2012

By Justino Aguila, Los Angeles

More than a dozen musicians, community leaders and supporters dropped off a thick stack of documents on Thursday (Feb. 9) with a reported 23,000 signatures at the Recording Academy headquarters as part of an ongoing effort to compel the organization into reinstating 31 categories that were eliminated last year.

The protesting group, comprised mostly of Latin jazz musicians, are also planning to protest the Grammy Awards show on Sunday outside the Staples Center and will later have their own showcase at Mama Juana's nightclub in Studio City at 4 p.m. in an effort to spread the word that their fight is not over. 

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Publicist: Sarah Bisconte via email bravaguapa@mac.com

GRAMMY WATCH! BY SARAH BISCONTE - Musicans Call Out Elimination of Grammy Award Categories as Racist

UPDATE, FEB, 6, 1:56 P.M.: Presente.org andGrammywatch.org, which has its own petition in circulation, are joining forces in calling for a protest this Saturday over the slashing of Grammy Award categories.

The Facebook page for the protest, which encourages supporters to bring their instruments, reads:

Come Support Musicians- Blues, Mexican, Latin Jazz, Gospel, Cajun, Native American, Hawaiian, others- fighting for music justice!

Join us in sending a message to Grammy President, Neil Portnow and the Grammy Board and Demand that they Reinstate the Musical Categories now! 

The action is being called for from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, February 12, with folks gathering at the corner of S. Figueroa and W. Pico Blvd. in Downtown Los Angeles. Greg Esparza, vocalist with Chicano soul band Thee Midnighters, has already stated his intention to attend. Later that day from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. is an Alternative Grammy Party scheduled to take place at Mama Juana's Latin Lounge in Studio City.


Activists invite people to come and listen to the very music the Grammys are set to stop formally recognizing. 


more at http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/2012/02/musicans_take_issue_with_elimi.php


Publicist: Sarah Bisconte via email: bravaguapa@mac.com

Grammy Awards Protest Planned By Musicians During Sunday's Show

By Justino Aguila, Los Angeles

In an ongoing effort to reinstate 31 categories that were eliminated from the Grammy Awards, musicians are planning a protest and a musical showcase on the same day as 54th installment of the awards show on Feb. 12, according to a spokesman for the recording artists who filed a lawsuit last year against the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS).

Neil Portnow on Latin Jazz Grammy Elimination: 'You Can't Make Everybody Happy...'

The protests, mostly by Latin jazz musicians and their supporters, are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles outside the Staples Center from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Artists, community leaders and music fans will gather at the corner of Figueroa Street and Pico Boulevard, according to a spokesperson for Grammy Watch Group Los Angeles, a coalition of musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and New York. 

more at: http://www.impremedia.com/apps/pbcs.dll/search?Category=SEARCH

The Roy Ayers Project Documentary

Roy Ayers Project Documentary

By John Hilderbrand on Mar 21, 2011 in acid jazz, roy ayers

The Roy Ayers Project is first and foremost a documentary, produced by digital media professionals, telling the life, music, and philosophy of the great Roy Ayers. It is also art, talented artists who use their gifts to express themselves through canvas, murals, and other mediums capturing the spirit of Roy Ayers. It is also performance, bringing together Roy Ayers himself with talented musicians to perform live at venues across the country. The Roy Ayers Project is about sharing the essence and legacy of one of the greatest musicians ever to live. This trailer is the first installment of the documentary, which features the legendary drummer from The Roots, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson.

 

Keep track of this must-see project on Twitter, Facebook, and on the Web.

Mint Condition's Lead Singer Stokley Williams Receives 2 Grammy Nominations!

Mint Condition's Lead Singer Stokley Williams Receives 2 Grammy Nominations!

New York, NY December 2, 2011—Fresh from the accolades of his exciting musical performance during the ‘Shining Star/Earth, Wind & Fire’ Tribute at last month’s 2011 Soul Train Awards, STOKLEY WILLIAMS, long recognized as the talented lead vocalist of successful R&B Band, MINT CONDITION, has garnered two nominations for this year’s Grammy Awards that includes Best R&B Performance and Best R& B Song for “Not My Daddy” with KELLY PRICE.

The Grammy nominated song, “Not My Daddy”, appears on the band’s seventh studio album, aptly titled 7 and sounds like vintage Mint Condition.

Al Manerson of Red Velvet Inc and Manger of Mint Condition says, “This is indeed Mint Condition’s time and all their creative moving internal parts this camp deserves . We all are excited about the nomination!”

Nu Jazz from Fujimoto Tetsuro

Nu Jazz from Fujimoto Tetsuro

Check out the nu-jazz/acid jazz feel of the track “Swim” by Fujimoto Tetsuro. It’s from the producer’s new EP "Reflections", which I found in Amazon’s MP3 Store (it’s not on iTunes).

New Disc Coming by Nicole Henry (Japan)

Vocalist Nicole Henry is Set to Release Holiday Album, "Set For The Season: Live In Japan"

Oh night divine!
 

The Urban Music Scene Reports: 

Song stylist Nicole Henry’s Set For The Season: Live In Japan is a year-round delight

Miami, FL (17 October 2011): Only a couple of months after releasing her critically-acclaimed Embraceable CD, song stylist Nicole Henry keeps the momentum rolling with a joyous jazz collection of holiday-themed classics that were recorded live at the Cotton Club in Tokyo.  Set For The Season: Live In Japan, produced by Henry and Grammy nominee Matt Pierson (Kirk Whalum, Jane Monheit, Joshua Redman), will be released October 25th on Henry’s Banister Records. info

Hot Brazilian Programming by Connect Brazil

Now Playing: Singer Rosa Passos, Q meets Austin in the Lounge 24/7 webcast all week long at http://www.connectbrazil.com/. Enjoy!

Poncho Sanchez and Terence Blanchard Jr. Pays Trib's.....

On September 27, 2011, Conguero Poncho Sanchez and Trumpeter Terence Blanchard Pay Tribute To Legends of Latin Jazz!

Reported by the Urban Music Scene, thanks to Terrill Hanna.

Ramsey Lewis Releases 80th Recording!

John Hilderbrand at ContemporaryJazz.com

Ramsey Lewis has pulled out his Fender Rhodes and enlisted his Electric Band for his 80th recording. Ramsey, Taking Another Look features Lewis’ favorite tunes including a new edit of the original “Sun Goddess” recording featuring Earth, Wind & Fire and a new rendition of the Stevie Wonder penned “Living for the City”. After headlining <<more >>

Keiko Matsui's "The Road" CD Now On Video

Keiko Matsui’s latest CD is titled ‘The Road’ and the title cut has just been released as a music video. On the album, the musicians who play on that track, Jackiem Joyner, Eric Baines and Chad Wright, are in fact all members of Keiko’s touring band and when recently I talked to Keiko from her home in Los Angeles I was eager to understand more about the rationale for including them.

Continue reading "Keiko Matsui's The Road Now On Video" »