Support The Latin Jazz Grammy

On Wednesday April 6th, the National Academy Of Recording Arts and Sciences announced a “restructuring” of the Grammy Awards, which included the elimination of the Latin Jazz Grammy. Citing a lack of entries into the Latin Jazz category, NARAS simply folded the Latin Jazz Grammy into the remaining awards in the jazz category – Jazz Vocal Album, Instrumental Jazz Album, or Large Jazz Ensemble Album. This act undermines the integrity of Latin Jazz and disregards its importance as a major piece of the cultural landscape in the United States. We simply can’t let this attack on Latin Jazz go unnoticed – it’s time to take a stand and support the music that we love. I’ve got some suggestions for supporting Latin Jazz below – take these actions now and spread the word. Come back often – I’ll be updating the page as the situation progresses.

UPDATE (4/13/11): NARAS will be holding a meeting in San Francisco to discuss the “restructuring” of The Grammy Awards on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at the ILM Premier Theater. It’s open to both members and non-members, although an RSVP is required. You can get all the details and RSVP HERE.

UPDATE (4/12/11):
Stephanie Dalton from Urban Music Presents has created an online petition to protest the elimination of the Latin Jazz Grammy. Follow the link below and sign the petition. Once you do this, spread the word and encourage everyone that you know to sign the petition – post the link on your Facebook page, send it out through Twitter, make calls, do everything you can to build awareness. You can find the link HERE.

What can you do?

  • Send e-mails to the following people with a message that says Latin Jazz is important to you and let NARAS know that you want the Latin Jazz Grammy Award to survive. Your voice DOES matter – the louder our voices, the more NARAS will be willing to listen. Encourage friends, family, and everyone that you know to do the same. Contact all of the people listed below with the same message – keep the Latin Jazz Award alive!

    • Neil Portnow – neil@grammy.com
    Joanna Chu – joanna@grammy.com
    Linda Wilvang – LindaW@grammy.com

  • Share this information across your social media channels – Facebook, Twitter, and more. An important step in the process is building awareness; many people simply don’t realize what has happened and the significance of the Latin Jazz Grammy Award’s disappearance.
  • Link back to this page to give people the information that they need and encourage them to do the same. I’ll be keeping the page updated, so please return often.
  • Sign the online petition to reinstate the Latin Jazz Grammy, created by Stephanie Dalton of Urban Music Presents. Send the message about this petition out through all your social media channels as well – a mass collection of signatures will send a strong message to the people at NARAS. You can find the petition HERE.

    • Where can you get more information?
    Grammy.org has quite a bit of information about the restructuring process. You can check it out through the links below.
    Official Press Release For Awards Category Restructuring
    Explanation For Category Restructuring
    Full Category List & Comparison Between 53rd & 54th Annual Grammys
    Grammy Category Mapper
    Grammy Category FAQs

    More Links On The Situation:
    Village Voice Article On The 4/11 New York NARAS Meeting
    New York Daily News Article On The 4/11 New York NARAS Meeting
    New York Times Article On The 4/11 New York NARAS Meeting
    Pianist Randy Klein’s Report On The 4/11 New York NARAS Meeting
    New York Daily Article On The 4/11 New York NARAS Meeting
    A Call To Action At Latino Web Cafe
    The Afro-Latin Jazz Alliance Makes A Statement About The Recent Changes

    Most importantly, keep supporting the Latin Jazz artists that you know and love. In trying times, it’s more important than ever that we support musicians and the important work that they do. We will keep this music alive!