Save the date….
February 12th the people in our industry and music lovers all over the world, will either be glued to their televisions or getting ready to watch LL Cool J in person host the 54th Annual Grammy Awards show.
Performers include Adele (in her first live performance since undergoing vocal cord surgery last fall); Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson; Glen Campbell with the Band Perry and Blake Shelton; Coldplay and Rihanna; Foo Fighters; Bruno Mars; Paul McCartney; Nicki Minaj; Katy Perry; Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band; and Taylor Swift.
Ummmm…..awesome!!!!!
In 2011, The Recording Academy announced an overhaul of many Grammy Award categories for 2012.
There used to be 109 categories…now 78.
What did they eliminate…
In the R&B, pop and country fields, male and female performers who have competed separately will now all square off against one another. For Example:
Best Pop Solo Performance
Someone Like You Adele Track from: 21 [XL Recordings/Columbia Records]
Yoü And I Lady Gaga Track from: Born This Way [Streamline/Interscope/Kon Live]
Grenade Bruno Mars Track from: Doo-Wops & Hooligans [Elektra]
Firework Katy Perry [Capitol]
F***in’ Perfect Pink [Jive Records]
(We all know who is gonna win here don’t we?…and well deserved!!!)
Also, several categories for instrumental soloists will be discontinued. Recordings in these categories will now fall under the general categories for best solo performances.
The classical and American roots fields have also lost four categories, and pop, rock, country and Latin each lost three.
In Rap, the categories for best rap soloist and best rap duo or group will be merged a new category. Best Rap Performance
Now there will no longer be separate categories for various regional American music , such as Hawaiian , Native American and Zydeco/Cajun music and Polka. The Recording Academy decided to combine all these music variations into the new Best Regional Roots Music Album
Classical recordings will now only be eligible for the main Album of the Year category.
Several will remain unchanged, such as Dance, Reggae, Traditional Pop, Spoken Word and Comedy. The Crafts field (e.g. Liner Notes, Packaging and Historical Productions) is also unchanged.
I’m sure I missed a bunch, but you get the gist!!!
Lots of artists are unhappy about these changes, but the Grammys defend the cuts. Read the article and weigh in!
Among the many clients we have that vote for the Grammys….one wrote a little article about it. Simeon Sandiford writes…..
What makes a hit record?
I have spent the better part of five decades meddling with various aspects of high-end audio while keeping abreast of the industry’s evolutionary and revolutionary developments. For more than half of those years I have religiously auditioned promotional copies of new releases from audiophile labels distributed by Sanch to determine their suitability for offering to my fussy eclectic clientele.
Over time, I have therefore been able to accumulate a formidable personal collection. This has afforded me the unique opportunity to determine and often predict how different customers would react to myriad diverse genres. Moreover, everyone knows by now that I am very partial to live recordings for a multiplicity of reasons hitherto documented in several published articles.
As a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), I cast my ballot annually in various Grammy categories. The CD An Evening with Dave Grusin instinctively prompted my speculation that it would wend its way to the top of the pyramid for the upcoming 2012 Grammy Awards. Legendary producer Quincy Jones is the only person I know to demand a hit record (We Are the World) from Lionel Richie and the late Michael Jackson. Everyone else just waits patiently until John Public decides. The logical question is what major factors should guide one to conclude that a particular production would become a hit? Here are my personal views…
A hit record should be of concert length duration, sequenced such that its unfolding rivets the listener. Live presentations should permit one to close one’s eyes for teleportation back to the original event. Applause should be spontaneous and natural as this often irritates, sounding like cold bacon sizzling in a hot frying pan. The soundstage should be three-dimensional, balanced, palpable, spacious, and transparent. The aural illusion should be analogous to riding in a vehicle in which the tyres are inflated with nitrogen instead of air. These criteria are ultimately reflected in product sales and shelf-life. So what does all of this have to do with Dave Grusin’s memorable recital?
From the opening bars of Fratelli Chase through the unforgettable Moon River to Memphis Stomp, one feels commandeered by the exquisite fare. The engineering is phenomenal; the repertoire is fabulous with a dream segue of exquisite selections by Henry Mancini, Leonard Bernstein, the Gershwin brothers and Grusin himself. The airy sound of the piano, guest soloists and vocalists deftly accompanied by The Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, is absolutely stunning. These attributes make An Evening with Dave Grusin (HUI-31995-02, also available on Blu-ray HUI-32928-09), my unreserved choice for a 2012 Grammy in the fiercely competitive category Best Surround Sound.
Simeon L Sandiford
Managing Director
23 King Street, St. Joseph, Republic of Trinidad & Tobago.
Tel: 868.663.1384 Fax: 868.645.2205
Internet: www.sanch.com E-mail: sanch@carib-link.net
ENJOY THE GRAMMY’S!!!!
Peace












