Michel Camilo is a nominee for the 46th GRAMMY Awards, in recognition of his performance on the CD “Live at the Blue Note.” DR1 had reported last week on the popularity of the CD among jazz fans in the United States. The recording, which Camilo has called “a self-portrait”, was produced at the Blue Note last March, during the pianist’s annual tour of the New York club scene. His trio of musicians includes bass player Charlie Flores and drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez. At a time when Dominican merengue has been displaced internationally by the bachata, it is good news that jazz, Dominican-style, is being so well received. Camilo will compete for the honors in the category of Best Latin Jazz Album (Vocal or Instrumental). His rivals are “Cuban Odyssey” by Jane Bunnett, “Birds of a Feather” by Caribbean Jazz Project, “Isla” by Mark Levine & the Latin Tinge and “New Conceptions” by Chucho Valde).
This year’s GRAMMYs are set to be staged in Los Angeles at the Staples Center on Sunday, 8 February 2004. The show will be broadcast on CBS from 8 to 11:30pm. As the recording industry’s most prestigious award, the GRAMMY is presented annually by the Recording Academy’s voting membership to honor excellence in the recording arts and sciences and is awarded by and to artists and technical professionals for artistic or technical achievement, not sales or chart positions. The annual GRAMMY Awards presentation brings together thousands of recording industry professionals from all over the world. To read more about Camilo, see http://www.ejn.it/camilo/bluenote.htm