On Wednesday morning, June 8th, a group of artists, musicians, producers, Grammy winners and other celebrities gathered at the American Federation of Musicians Local 47 in Hollywood to protest the recent decision by NARAS (the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) to eliminate thirty-one Grammy categories.

The panel of concerned artists included Pepper Mashay aka Sista Jean representing Contemporary Blues, Auntie Geri Kuhia supporting Hawaiian music, Bill "Birdsong" Miller represented Native American Music, Lisa Haley was there for Cajun-zydeco music, Gaston Rene represented world music, Joey Delgado for Contemporary Blues, and Oscar Hernandez and Bobby Matos for Latin Jazz.

Gary Lasley, Secretary-treasurer of Local 47 welcomed us and expressed adamant objections to the elimination of 31 diverse cultural Grammy Awards. Next, the president of Local 47, Vince Trombetta, complained that the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' actions were " …a desecration of what NARAS truly stands for." He reminded the crowd that under these new parameters, jazz saxophone great Michael Brecker would not even qualify for a Grammy because the Grammy he won is now an eliminated category.

Bobby Matos, one of those who spearheaded this meeting, read from a letter he wrote to NARAS. It expressed how perplexed he was that the NARAS membership was not asked or consulted about these unexpected changes in Grammy Award status. Matos said he recognized that corporations put a great deal of pressure on NARAS and wondered if this move by NARAS President Neil Portnow was made to placate the corporate sponsors of the Grammy Award Show. Bobby reminded everyone that artistic excellence should always be the measure of Grammy Awards rather than political correctness or popularity polls.

Oscar Hernandez, next at the podium, has won the Grammy twice. He urged NARAS to rethink their decision, reminding us that Latin Jazz has been important, historical and significant with support of iconic musicians like Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri and LA's own Pete Escovedo and Poncho Sanchez. The Grammy Awards are the only peer award group to honor musicians and he believes that's important.

Carlos Santana sent a letter stating that to remove Latin Jazz and many other categories from the Grammy Awards is a disservice to the community and the culture. He called their move "ridiculous."

Emerson Bran, head of Emerson Bran Artist Management, is a member of NARAS. He too wrote NARAS to complain, stating their bad decision making lessens the chance for many musicians and eliminates opportunities for young, upcoming musicians.

A discussion about Esperanza Spaulding winning "Best New Artist Award" at the 53rd Grammy Awards ensued. If the voting membership rewarded Spaulding for her talent and accomplishments with the Grammy award, why the huge fuss over Justin Bieber's exclusion? Mention was made of the full page ad in the NY Times complaining about Beiber's non-award status. Some thought the ad was another example of artistic quality being downgraded in the face of pop culture popularity. This raised the question, is the Academy more interested in placating upset sponsors and major record labels rather than respecting the art of music?

Pat O'brien, another panel member representing the Blues category, said that the Grammy Awards has always been perceived as more than a popularity contest. "Blues is an American idiom," he insisted. "How can you eliminate an American treasure?"

Bill "Birdsong" Miller, another Grammy winner and panelist, greeted us in his Native American language. He said that American Indians had lobbied hard to get their music recognized and it's now an insult to have it lumped together with Hawaiian, Zydeco and Cajon music. Not that he objects to these musical cultures, but Miller felt it's like combining the categories of Hard Rock, Disco and Country-Western. You just can't do it!

Lisa Haley, representing Cajun-zydeco music told us " …the only continent [where] we don't have a zydeco band is Africa and we're working on that." Regarding the lumping together of American Indian music and Hawaiian music, she said, "Hawaii is an awfully long way from Louisiana." Haley got a big laugh from the crowd.

It wasn't all NARAS bashing. Some folks stated that, for the most part, the NARAS Board of Directors has done an admirable job. They said they recognized that it's hard work without financial reward.

But the bottom line is that music tells stories and expresses what cultures have been through for generations. Aunti Geri Kuhia, the representative of Hawaiian music, reminded us that we all love each other and each of us makes our own unique expression in song, but "we are separate from Native American and Cajun music."

Actor Edward James Olmos arrived and made a statement, thanking all the people in the room. "It's interesting that when people start to cut things, it usually means there are too many." Olmos told us that AFTRA (the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), by contrast, has recently done just the opposite, increasing their award numbers."NARAS has done a great injustice to the history of music. They should be adding music categories, not taking them away," he said.

Bill Cosby sent a statement asking, how did NARAS get to 109 categories? "Was it something they weren't paying attention to?" Cosby quipped. "Now suddenly they drop from 109 categories to 78. In another year, maybe 33?"

DJ Miles Perlich from KJazz radio made a statement. He, too, feels NARAS has made a mistake, but conceded, "We all make mistakes." He further explained that living up to truth and correcting our mistakes is what makes us a great nation. "The USA has one of the most uniquely diverse populations on Earth," Perlich spoke with pride. He thought big business had no business in the arts and NARAS should answer to us -- we the American people.

Other speakers included Joey Deleon, Justo Almario (who called the omissions "stupid"), John B. Williams, Joey Delgado, Gaston Rene, Ramon Banda, Mark Townes and Eddie Resto.

Andy Garcia sent a short statement, but perhaps Herbie Hancock's written statement summed it up the best: "We made the Grammys. The Grammys didn't make us."

For more in depth information, please go to www.GRAMMYwatch.org and sign the petition demanding that NARAS restore the eliminated categories.

DeeDee McNeil
(Jun 9, 2011, 7:18 PM PDT)

 ↑ Back to Top