The Grammys!

In my second blog, I talked about the female figure in jazz and considered the ways in which jazz as a whole has dealt with gender discrimination. I mentioned briefly Esperanza Spalding, the new up-and-coming jazz bassist/singer with a killer image and great talent. This next blog is sparked by the latest post by Patrick Jarenwattananon in A Blog Supreme. In essence, the author notes the jazz surprises in the 2011 Grammy Award nominations and notes that Spalding received a nomination for best new artist, yet did not receive one for best new jazz musician. As Jarenwattananon did, here is the full list of Grammy Nominees.

My first reaction to this is enthusiasm. It seems like finally a jazz musician is touching America just as deeply as Drake and the teen heart-throb Justin Bieber, whom both appear on the nominee list alongside Spalding. With Best Song nominees such as “Fuck You” by Cee-Lo Green making the list makes me wonder what America really considers to be great and progressive music. (Don’t get me wrong. This particular song has a sweet beat and is appallingly catchy. I just would not deem it the Best Song of the Year.)



In the categories having to do with jazz such as Best Jazz Vocal Album, Best Improvised Jazz Solo, and Best Instrumental Jazz Album (Individual or Group), Spaulding’s name does not appear. This makes me wonder how this reflects upon her success as a musician, an artist, and a performer. It also makes me consider the question of how much Spalding’s commercial success outweighs her musical accomplishments. My feelings are similar with the success of Norah Jones Grammy success in 2003, another woman whose image may have boosted voter confidence.

Overall, I am pretty pleased with the nomination. After all, this particular category is not called Best New Jazz Artist, but Best Artist overall. This category has always been dominated by pop stars and I don’t recall a jazz artist ever finding themselves in this specific category. And as for who will win the title of Best New Artist, that I cannot say. Trying to compare Spalding with Justin Bieber is just… something I never thought I would have to consider. What I do know is that the Grammy Awards are not always all about musicianship and talent, so I am sorry to say that Bieber might just come out on top for this one.