So now the Grammy Awards have done away with a host of award categories, ostensibly to look at the "underlying infrastructure and rationale across all the awards as to how we're doing this," as Recording Academy president/CEO Neil Portnow told Billboard Magazine. Gone are the delineations between traditional and contemporary blues, as well as gender-based categories in pop, R&B, rock and country. There will no longer be separate awards for male or female vocals, simply an award in each genre for a single "solo performance." In R&B, for example, the three categories of female, male and duo or a group vocal performance have been consolidated to R&B performance. Several instrumental categories have been eliminated as well, including the key Latin Jazz category, home to numerous well-loved artists over the past 40 years.
It's surely no coincidence that this restructuring happened on the heels of the win by independent band Arcade Fire for Album of the Year. The Canadian band shocked the music world by taking the Grammy over industry heavyweights such as Eminem and Lady Gaga. That prompted longtime marketing/music exec and hip-hop insider Steve Stoute to take out a full-page ad in the New York Times taking NARAS to task. Stoute basically made the point that in years when major artists are flourishing that NARAS can’t deny the album sales and have to recognize it on Grammy night, indicating that Justin Bieber, Eminem, and Lady Gaga should have won the major awards. In other words, there's no artistic relevance here, it's just a popularity contest. This restructuring of the Grammy Awards certainly favored the major labels and undermined the work of independent record labels. Steve, why don't you just take your ball and go home?
Well, why would he when he can gain Portnow's ear? After Stoute called the show "a series of hypocrisies and contradictions" in that full-page ad, he and Portnow buddied up. After meeting several days later, the two issued a joint statement saying they would discuss how the Recording Academy could evolve "in an ever-changing cultural environment." Talk about the tail wagging the dog. Portnow later said the changes that were made were already in play prior to his meeting with Stoute. Oh, we all certainly believe that.
Look, with a few exceptions (Herbie Hancock winning Album of the Year), the Grammys are and have almost always been a joke. They have almost always been skewed towards popularity at the expense of artistry recognize artistry. We all know the example of Milli Vanilli, who sucked to start with, before being found out as impostors.
For further proof, look no further than 1979, when the Best New Artist Grammy went not to the Cars, Elvis Costello, Chris Rea, or Toto, all of whom were nominated, but instead to those influential tastemakers, A Taste of Honey. No, I'm not kidding. Or that the first ever Heavy Metal Grammy went to - Jethro Tull? Yes, the band that gave us "Bungle in the Jungle" and "Songs from the Wood"has always been one of my favorite head-banging outfits.
So yes, by all means, let's penalize the musicians some more. Take away more opportunities for artists to break in and garner some accolades. Idiots.
"Led Boots" by Jeff Beck. One of the standout tracks from the brilliant concert at Devos Hall in Grand Rapids April 19. Beck and his band, including the hard-hitting Narada Michael Walden on drums, were on fire from the first note. "Led Boots" was the only track from Wired to make the cut ( it would have been great to hear "Blue Wind") and was among the many highlights of the evening. Check for my upcoming piece on Beck in Progression magazine.
