NARAS Reinstates the Latin Jazz Grammy Category: A Victory That Should Give Us Pause

The Marlowsphere (#14)

On Friday, June 8, 2012, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) announced that a month earlier its Board of Trustees had decided to reinstate the Latin Jazz category in anticipation of the 55th Annual Grammy Awards (to be held in February 2013).

Fourteen months earlier this same body decided to eliminate the Latin Jazz category along with 30 other categories, including blues, Hawaiian, Cajun/Zydeco, et al.

In reaction to the 2011 decision, the Latin jazz community, led tenaciously by percussionist Bobby Sanabria, called for an immediate reversal of this decision. The Academy, led by President Neil Portnow, was incalcitrant. After the fait accomplis, it held meetings all over the country to explain the reduction of Grammy categories from 109 to 78, essentially to justify its actions. Maestro Sanabria, along with three others—Mark Levine, Ben Lapidus, and myself—sued NARAS in New York State Supreme Court to reinstate all the categories, including Latin jazz. NARAS called the suit “baseless and without merit.” On April 24 of this year a judge ruled in favor of the Academy, saying essentially the Board of Trustees could do whatever it wanted, regardless of the membership’s wishes. An appeal was filed a few weeks later. Then came the Academy’s announcement a few days ago that the Latin-jazz category would be reinstated. It also announced the creation of two other categories—in classical music and R&B. It also announced the creation of a “Music Educator of the Year” award.

A victory for the Latin-jazz community? Yes, thanks to Bobby Sanabria’s tenacity, attorney Roger Maldonado for carrying the legal torch, and to Sarah Bisconte of BravaGuapa Public Relations for effectively placing 1,000+ stories globally in print and electronic media about this issue. Collectively, these efforts had an effect. Despite the negative outcome of the legal suit, NARAS reversed its decision with regard to the Latin-jazz category.

Just a Beginning

But this victory should be just a beginning. In last week’s blog I pointed out that NARAS’ decision to reduce the number of Grammy categories from 109 to 78 in 20111 paralleled the consolidation of media that has been a fact of life globally for the last 30 years or so. Thirty years ago 50 companies owned 90% of global media assets. Today that number is six!

NARAS’ decision last year effectively lined up the Grammy categories with the business (read profit) needs of the six media conglomerates with respect to marketing music on a global basis.

What about the 30 other categories?  Stephanie Dalton, Director of www.urbanmusic presents.com (San Francisco), responded to the recent NARAS decision as follows:

I wish other categories had stood up in the passionate way that the Latin Jazz community did, as the decision for the cuts made were unfair on the basis that they were created by just a few, done without membership awareness and knowledge and done so behind closed doors. 

While I am very happy that Latin Jazz continues to be recognized for its greatness and is judged independently for the music that it is, there still are many genres of music that will remain unrecognized because of these unethical practices.

To remind folks, the categories that were cut included all the best male and female categories – so no differences in music is recognized based on gender, all but one Blues category remains, all but one R&B category remains, traditional Gospel eliminated, all the true ROOTS music categories are consolidated under broad umbrellas to be compared to each other and not named for what they are (this includes, Cajun/Zydeco, Hawaiian, Native American, Norteno and Banda.

In my observation these categories by and large come from poorer social/economic backgrounds and the cost to record a CD is extraordinary, therefore I understand why there are fewer submissions. The Record Labels do not support these genres as they are not huge sellers like Hip Hop is – however – does that mean these genres cannot compete with their peers on the basis of excellence? 

Now that the Latin-jazz Grammy category that Maestro Eddie Palmieri successfully campaigned to create in the 1990s has been reinstated, isn’t it time for representatives of the 30 other categories to also stand up for what is rightly theirs? There are other issues. NARAS has claimed transparency with respect to its decision-making. So where are the minutes from the Board of Trustees vote last year to eliminate 31 Grammy categories? It has been requested but not forthcomng.

Who Benefits from this Victory?

In the last few days dozen of articles (even one in Pakistan) online and in print have been published in response to the NARAS announcement. Many statements of praise have appeared on the Latin-jazz listserve commending those of us who put our names to the lawsuit. But what kind of victory is this? It is certainly a moral and professional victory. Now, those of us who compose and perform Latin-jazz style music again have a chance of gaining recognition through either a Grammy nomination or even a win!

Maestro Sanabria has earned five nominations and now there’s a chance of a sixth. Later this summer he will release his newest album—“Multiverse”—on the Jazzheads label.  I am honored to have one of my ballads (“Broken Heart”) on this album. I’ve heard a rough master. This is Bobby’s best big band album—it is full of energy, risk, and edginess: a reflection of Bobby’s leadership with respect to the Latin-jazz category reinstatement.

But At What Cost?

Presumably, others in the Latin-jazz community will also benefit from the category’s reinstatement. And this is all to the good. But I cannot close this blog without making one final point. Even though many notables in the jazz and pop music world came forward to openly protest last year’s behind closed doors, draconian decisions by NARAS’ Board of Trustees, and earlier this year NARAS was presented with a 23,000 signature petition also protesting the organization for the category reductions, only four people put their names to the lawsuit. Even though we lost in New York State Supreme Court, apparently our decision to move forward to appeal the decision, together with a relentless public relations/media campaign, prompted the Board of Directors to reverse its decision of last year, at least with respect to the Latin-jazz category.

The apparent victory aside, those of us who put our names to the lawsuit along with Bobby Sanabria put our reputations on the line. We also put our pocketbooks on the table.

Where were the other notables in the Latin-jazz and jazz world who have benefited from the Latin-jazz tradition, those who have already received Grammys, those who have served in leadership positions in Grammy chapters around the country, especially in New York City, the birthplace of the Latin-jazz genre? It’s one thing to talk the talk, it’s quite another to walk the walk.

There’s more work to be done to evolve NARAS’ governance. For the moment, though,  we can all enjoy a victory initiated by a small group of Latin-jazz musicians and composers on behalf of many.

If you have any comments on this or any of my other blogs, please write to me at meiienterprises@aol.com.

Eugene Marlow, Ph.D.
June 11, 2012

© Eugene Marlow 2012

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