LJC Community Conversations are designed to explore major ideas in the Latin Jazz world together as a community and inspire conversation through comments. My main motivator here is my belief that LJC readers hold a great deal of knowledge and passion around Latin Jazz, and I think that we can learn something from everyone. Whether you’re a seasoned Latin Jazz performer or a newcomer to the music, leave a comment and let your voice be heard!

The Grammy Awards always seem to get my goat – here’s my take on the latest Latin Grammys . . .

I’ve maintained a hot-cold relationship with the Grammys over the years; although my opinions have leaned heavily in one direction, I’ve never been able to stay purely pro or con. The Grammy Foundation wields a lot of power – the music that they endorse gets a major promotional boost among the general public. This could be a good thing, but I’ve generally felt that the albums and artists that they choose to promote haven’t quite shown musical excellence. Last year’s selection of Herbie Hancock’s album River: The Joni Letters as Album of the Year was a step in the right direction. At the same time, it felt a little contrived – a careful move that was meant to demonstrate diversification at a time when ratings were starting to fade. The organization does some fantastic educational outreach programs for young musicians, which always counts as a plus. There’s a wealth of good and bad, but I just can’t seem to get past the organization’s years of promoting bad music.

Last year I created the Best of 2007 awards to provide an insider’s view of a Latin Jazz listener’s favorite albums; it was quite an educational experience for me. I loved watching the votes pile up in each category – it seemed like Latin Jazz fans were finally having their say about the music that we love. At the same time, I noticed that many of the albums or artists that I considered to be “slam-dunks” in their categories were being quickly passed by other nominees. Some artists spread the word through their website, blogs, newsletters, and more; as a result, their fans came to LJC in droves. This was a good thing – Latin Jazz artists garnered some extra promotion, LJC received a lot of attention, and artists made a connection with their fans. The artists that didn’t actively spread the word (some of whom I considered “slam-dunks”) fell behind in the polls. The final results looked a bit different than I imagined them, and all of a sudden I had a little closer understanding of the Grammys. It was a serious self-reflection that I’ll carry into the LJC Best of 2008 Awards and one that I though I would carry into this year’s Grammy nominations.

The nominees for this year’s round of Latin Grammy Awards were announced last week, and I’m trying to keep my sense of perspective steady. The list certainly doesn’t reflect my opinion of the year’s best work in Latin music, with a few exceptions. I find it frustrating to read a list like this, considering some of the outstanding albums I’ve heard this year. Before I go any further, take a second to check out the nominees for Best Latin Jazz Album and Best Instrumental Album below. If you’d like to see the nominees for all the other categories, go HERE

Best Latin Jazz Album
Afro Bop Alliance
Caribbean Jazz Project Featuring Dave Samuels

Brasilianos 2
Hamilton de Holanda Quinteto

Nonada
Rodolfo Stroeter, Tutty Moreno, Nailor Proveta, André Mehmari y Teco Cardoso

Cultural Survival
David Sánchez

Charlie Sepúlveda & The TurnaroundCharlie Sepúlveda & The Turnaround
[Turnaround Records]

Best Instrumental Album
Rhythm & Romance
Kenny G

Pra Ca E Pra La: Trilha Jobim E Gershwin
Paulo Moura

Orquesta Filarmónica De Bogotá – 40 Años
Orquesta Filarmónica De Bogotá

Avatar
Gonzalo Rubalcaba

Live at the Village Vanguard
Bebo Valdés & Javier Colina

The Latin Jazz category presents a mixed bag of nominees. The Caribbean Jazz Project album delivers some decent big band Latin Jazz, but in a year filled with incredible big band releases like the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra’s Song For Chico or Papo Vazquez’s Marooned/Aislado, Afro-Bop Alliance just doesn’t represent the year’s best. David Sanchez’s Cultural Survival was an outstanding album, but it’s relationship to Latin music remains mostly implied. Of all the releases, Charlie Sepúlveda & The Turnaround stands as the one recording that arose as a memorable Latin Jazz release. I’m sorry to say that I actually haven’t heard the two Brazilian Jazz releases – if anyone has any input on those two albums, please speak up! It was a good year for Latin Jazz, and I wish that the Latin Grammys had honored more of the strong work.

The Instrumental Album category is a bit broad – it covers anything from jazz to classical music. I haven’t heard two of the albums – Orquesta Filarmónica De Bogotá’s 40 Años and Paulo Moura’s Pra Ca E Pra La: Trilha Jobim E Gershwin . . . so no comment there. The inclusion of Kenny G seems like a very typical Grammy move which panders to the pop music machine. Gonzalo Rubalcaba’s Avatar was another fine album, but I don’t quite understand why it didn’t make the jazz list. The Bebo Valdes and Javier Colina album is truly oustanding, a classic piece of work in every way – but up to this point it’s only been available on Sony BMG Europe! Live at the Village Vanguard has a Septmeber 30 release date in the States – it seems like a strange connection for a US based foundation. Some of these choices are questionable.

I’m really interested in hearing what you have to say about the Latin Grammy choices . ..

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WHAT DO YOU THINK?
What do you think about this year’s crop of Latin Grammy nominees? Love ‘em? Hate ‘em? Let us know your thoughts on at least a few issues:

* What’s your opinion of the Latin Grammy nominees?

* Who Do You Think Is Missing From The Nominees?

* Based Upon The Choices, Who Do You Think Will Win?

* What Do You Think The Latin Grammys Say About Latin Music?

JOIN THE CONVERSATION!
LEAVE A COMMENT and let us know what you think of the Latin Grammys. Once you’ve left your thoughts here, don’t forget to visit our past community conversations.

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Do you have an idea for a future Community Conversation? As much as I enjoy exploring my own interests with this regular post, I’d prefer to have this forum address the overall interests of the entire community. Do you have an issue that effects Latin Jazz? Do you have an idea for a fun topic? Let me know so that we can throw it out to the whole community – Leave a Comment or e-mail me.

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