PJ Morton and his daughter Peyton. Photo by Dominic Scott

Seventeen Louisiana acts set to shine at Grammy Awards

Louisiana’s deep and diverse musical heritage will once again be on display Sunday night with the 63rd annual Grammy Awards presentation. A total of 17 Louisiana acts are nominated for 23 awards, representing musical genres from jazz and blues to Cajun, rap and gospel.

With pandemic precautions still in place, this year’s prime-time awards show from Los Angeles will be largely a virtual event. The show will be broadcast live from the Staples Center with no audience members in attendance, and most nominees will participate in the awards show via online connections. The broadcast is scheduled for 7 p.m. on CBS, with Trevor Noah of The Daily Show hosting.

“Again this year, the Grammy Awards provide an outstanding showcase for many of Louisiana’s great musical ambassadors,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said. “Music in all its forms is an important aspect of our state’s unique culture, and it’s gratifying to see so many of our great artists get the recognition they deserve. We congratulate all of our nominees this year and wish them the best of luck on awards night.”

Jon Batiste, who won a Golden Globe last month for his original score of the Pixar film Soul has two Grammy nominations. He is nominated in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category for Chronology of a Dream: Live at the Village Vanguard and Best New Age Album for Meditations, with Cory Wong.

PJ Morton, a 14-time nominee who won Grammys in each of the past two years, is nominated this year for Best Gospel Album for Gospel According to PJ.

Other Louisiana nominees are:

  • Harry Connick Jr., Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter. Connick has earned 15 Grammy nominations during his career, with three wins.
  • Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Best Improvised Jazz Solo for Guinevere; and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Axiom.
  • Lucinda Williams, Best Americana Album for Good Souls Better Angels; and Best American Roots Song for Man Without a Soul. The singer-songwriter is a three-time Grammy winner and has been nominated 17 times.
  • John Beasley, with four nominations: Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for Monk’estra Plays John Beasley; Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella for Donna Lee; Best Arrangement, Instrument and Vocals for Asas Fechadas with Maria Mendes; and Best Jazz Vocal Album for Holy Room: Live at Alte Oper.
  • Bobby Rush, Best Traditional Blues Album for Rawer Than Raw. Rush won the 2016 Grammy for this category and has been nominated a total of six times.
  • Ledisi, Best Traditional R&B Performance for Anything For You. The New Orleans native is a 13-time Grammy nominee.
  • Jay Electronica, Best Rap Album for A Written Testimony.
  • Luke James, Best R&B Album for To Feel Love/d.
  • North Mississippi Allstars, Best Contemporary Blues Album for Up and Rolling. The late Carl Dufrene, a member of the band, was a Louisiana native.
  • Social Science, Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Waiting Game, with Terri Lyne Carrington. Band member Morgan Guerin is a New Orleans native.
  • Brian Blade, two nominations in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album category for Trilogy 2, featuring Blade, Chick Corea and Christian McBride; and RoundAgain, featuring Blade, McBride and Redman Mehldau. The three-time Grammy winner is a Shreveport native.
  • Alfred Walker, an alumnus of Loyola University’s century-old opera program, is among the cast of Porgy and Bess at the Metropolitan Opera nominated for Best Opera Recording.

Three of the five contenders for Best Regional Roots Album are Louisiana acts. They include two Cajun bands and a New Orleans brass band, all first-time Grammy nominees:

  • Sweet Cecilia for A Tribute to Al Berard. The group comprises two daughters and a niece of the late Al Berard, a Grammy-nominated Cajun musician.
  • Cameron Dupuy and the Cajun Troubadours for their self-titled album Cameron Dupuy and the Cajun Troubadours.
  • New Orleans Nightcrawlers for Atmosphere.

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