The Rebirth Brass Band will compete for its first Grammy on Sunday when Rebirth of New Orleans will be up for the Best Regional Roots Music Album Grammy. The award is one of the hundred or so that will be given out during an afternoon ceremony dubbed the “pre-tel” or pre-telecast, which will stream live [...]
Tag Archives: Grammys
Louisiana’s Rooting Interests in the Grammys
February 1, 2012 – 12:06 am
When the Grammys are awarded on February 12, Lil Wayne will be among the most nominated artists, being up for five Grammys. New Orleans-born Oakland resident Ledisi was nominated in all the major R&B categories for her album Pieces of Me, and the Rebirth Brass Band will contend for its first Grammy. Rebirth is a [...]
The Grammy Awards: Everything vs. Everything Else
January 1, 2012 – 12:06 am
“And the Grammy in the Category of Contradiction and Confusion goes to ….” That announcement would be made at next month’s Grammys if zydeco music veteran Terrance Simien had his way. Simien is still steaming that the Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album was one of 31 categories the Recording Academy cut last year in [...]
Happening on Canal Street…Rebirth or Not?…and Merry Christmas!
December 21, 2011 – 2:37 pm
I just got back from a tour of the Joy Theater on the corner of Canal and Loyola Streets. I’ve seen many a movie there, but the theater had gotten pretty dilapidated over the years, and Hurricane Katrina pretty much put it out of its misery. Thanks to a group of developers, the Joy will [...]
The Grammys: Behind Closed Doors
August 1, 2011 – 12:04 am
[OffBeat gave NARAS’ Bill Freimuth a chance to respond to some of the questions raised in the story below. They didn’t arrive in time to be included in the physical magazine, but they’re included at the end of the story.] Did you hear the one about the guy that went to a fight and a [...]
Grammys Aren’t Budging
July 8, 2011 – 11:13 am
We’ve been reporting on the backlash against the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ decision to consolidate a number of Grammy categories including the Best Zydeco or Cajun Album into the newly formed Best Regional Roots Music award. Those affected by the dropping of the Best Latin Jazz categories have been particularly vocal in [...]
The Grammy Up Sides
July 1, 2011 – 12:04 am
Earlier this year, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) decided to reduce the number of Grammy Awards that are contested each year by “consolidating”—their word—many categories. Needless to say, those whose categories were consolidated are unhappy about it and many have been protesting in one way or another. The young Best Zydeco [...]
Grammys Nix Cajun Zydeco, and a lot more
June 8, 2011 – 6:51 pm
After the many years of hard work and politicking to establish a “Cajun-Zydeco” category at the Grammys, NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences—the organization that presents the Grammys) announced that they had eliminated this category, along with many others, including Traditional Blues. Last year there were 109 categories; for the upcoming year, there [...]
NOCCA Recognized by Grammys Wednesday
April 21, 2011 – 1:20 pm
“You’re in NOCCA. People love you.” Entertainment attorney Ashlye Keaton reminded performing arts students at NOCCA of this fact Wednesday as part of Grammy Career Day, where she sat on a panel with musician Delfeayo Marsalis, Basin Street Records’ Mark Samuels and the Music Shed’s Chris Finney. The session gave students practical insight into how [...]
Grammy Come, Grammy Go
April 7, 2011 – 9:55 am
I have a hard time feeling a sense of great injustice for the Recording Academy’s decision to consolidate categories, in the process wiping the Best Cajun/Zydeco Album category. I’d prefer that they still have it, but the reasons are largely selfish for the region. It has helped drive local membership in NARAS (a good thing) [...]
