Clark Terry, Lifetime Achievement Awardee.
We've already looked at the Grammy nominations for jazz — and the many nominations for jazz people in non-jazz categories — in this space. Since the nominations were made public, however, the Recording Academy has also announced several special awards. Two of them are going to NEA Jazz Masters, and another to a talented jazz pianist.
Trumpeter Clark Terry will be presented a Lifetime Achievement Award in a special ceremony on the day preceding the Grammy Awards telecast, and there will be mention made in the TV special itself. (Press release here.) You may know of his many jazz laurels and recordings; I, not knowing his full biography, was surprised to learn he was the first black staff musician hired by NBC (for the very early, pre-controversy Tonight Show band). David Adler has some further thoughts. Also receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award this year is Andre Previn, who most people know as a conductor, film composer and classical pianist, but who jazz buffs remember for his hard-swinging late '50s trio records on Contemporary. Previn and Terry join Leonard Cohen, Honeyboy Edwards, Loretta Lynn and the late Bobby Darin and Michael Jackson in the honor.
The Grammys also celebrated guitarist Kenny Burrell at its now-annual Salute to Jazz event, held at the Grammy Museum. In the ceremony, held on Tuesday night, Recording Academy President Neil Portnow said that he once studied with Burrell, now director of jazz studies at UCLA. And then there was music: flutist Hubert Laws and guitarist Anthony Wilson played tributes, and Burrell himself performed with members of the Grammy Ensembles, made up of high school musicians. The Grammy blog has a recap and a short video, and links to photos. And here's a review from Chris Barton in the L.A. Times music blog.
More about jazz and the Grammys soon.
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