Adele's 2011 Tour Dates

03/21 – Oslo, NO @ John Dee
03/24 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
03/26 – Hamburg, DE @ Cafe Keese
03/27 – Berlin, DE @ Postbahnhof
03/29 – Munich, DE @ Kesselhaus
03/30 – Milan, IT @ Magazzini Geneali
04/01 – Barcelona, ES @ Bikini
04/02 – Madrid, ES @ Sala Caracol
04/04 – Paris, FR @ La Cigale
04/05 – Brussels, BE @ Cirque Royal
04/07 – Cologne, DE @ Buergerhaus
04/08 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
04/12 – Dublin, IE @ Olympia Theatre
04/14 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy
04/15 – Glasgow, UK @ ABCfff
04/17 – Manchester, UK @ The Ritz
04/18 – Birmingham, UK @ HMV Institute
04/20 – Southampton, UK @ Guildhall
04/21 – London, UK @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire
05/12 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
05/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
05/15 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
05/16 – Montreal, QC @ Olympia Theater
05/18 – Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
05/19 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
05/23 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
05/24 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theater
05/26 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
05/28 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
05/29 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
05/31 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
06/01 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market
06/03 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
06/04 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield Theatre
06/08 – San Diego, CA @ Humphreys Concerts by the Bay
06/09 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
06/12 – Austin, TX @ Stubbs Waller Creek
06/15 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
06/17 – Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
06/18 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
06/20 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium

Janets On Top... and Adele Demands Bigger Venues

Ms. Jackson sits atop the charts once again. This time as an author. Her first book, “True You,” based on her personal experiences, growth, battles with self-worth and weight issues that she's battled with publicly over the years rose to the top of the prestigious New York Times Best Seller List.

Not only is the book about self esteem, Janet enlists her nutritionist to unveil the wholesome, delicious recipes and lifestyle-changing tips that helped her get in shape—mind and spirit, heart and soul.

True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself is co-written with David Ritz. The book is 272 pages. Janet is currently on her SOLD OUT "Up close and personal Tour" That due to demand may end up on a HBO Special fingers crossed yall..











Adele may not like her newfound popularity but that isn’t stopping fans from demanding her. The British soul songstress, who kicks off her U.S. tour in May, was recently forced to change several dates to bigger venues to keep up with demand after her shows sold out in minutes.

On June 1, her show in Seattle, Washington will move from the intimate Showbox hall to the bigger Paramount, which seats more fans. She has also moved a show in Los Angeles on June 9 to the larger Palladium and added extra dates in New York.

Adele who hates playing larger venues recently admitted, "I can't do arenas because I'm not (Lady) Gaga."

'21,' the latest release from Adele, is expected to debut at No. 1 next week on the Billboard 200 chart. The set is expected to shift 275,000 to 300,000 copies by week's end on Sunday, Feb. 27

March Artist Of the Month: Esperanza Spalding

Esperanza Spalding (born 1984)[2] is an American multi-instrumentalist best known as a jazz bassist and singer, who draws upon many genres in her own compositions. In 2011, she won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the 53rd Grammy Awards,[3] making her the first jazz artist to win the award.[4][5]



Early life and educationSpalding grew up in the King neighborhood of Portland, Oregon,[6] a neighborhood she describes as "ghetto" and "pretty scary".[7] Her mother raised her and her brother as a single parent.[8]

Spalding has a diverse ethnic background.[7][9] She notes, "My mom is Welsh, Hispanic, and Native American, and my father is black."[10][11] She also has an interest in the music of other cultures, including that of Brazil,[12] commenting, "With Portuguese songs the phrasing of the melody is intrinsically linked with the language, and it’s beautiful".[13]

Her mother shares Spalding's interest in music, having nearly become a touring singer herself.[8][14] But while Spalding cites her mother as a powerful influence who encouraged her musical expansion, she attributes her inspiration for pursuing a life in music to watching classical cellist Yo Yo Ma perform on an episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood when she was four.[8]

By the time Spalding was five, she had taught herself to play the violin and was playing with the Chamber Music Society of Oregon.[8] Spalding stayed with the Chamber Music Society of Oregon until she was fifteen and left as concertmaster.[8] Due to a lengthy illness when she was child, Spalding spent much of her elementary school years being homeschooled,[8] but also attended King Elementary School in Northeast Portland.[6] During this time she also found the opportunity to pick up instruction in music by listening to her mother's college teacher instruct her mother in guitar.[13] According to Spalding, when she was about 8 her mother briefly studied jazz guitar in college; Spalding says, "Going with her to her class, I would sit under the piano. Then I would come home and I would be playing her stuff that her teacher had been playing."[13] Spalding also played oboe and clarinet before discovering the bass in high school.[2][8] She is able to sing in English, Spanish and Portuguese.[15]

Discovering the bass
Spalding performing at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy on July 12, 2007Spalding had intended to play cello,[13] but discovered the bass during a one-year stint at age 14 at the prestigious performing arts high school, The Northwest Academy, to which she had won a scholarship.[16][17] The school was not a good fit, but the bass was.[16] Spalding found high school "easy – and boring" and dropped out. When asked in 2008 why she plays the bass instead of some other instrument, Spalding said that it wasn't a choice, but the bass "had its own arc" and resonated with her.[18] Spalding says that for her discovering the bass was like "waking up one day and realizing you’re in love with a co-worker."[13] By the time she randomly picked up the bass in music class and began experimenting with it, she had grown bored with her other instruments.[16][19] Her band teacher showed her a blues line for the bass which she later used to secure her first gig.[16] After that, she went in to play the bass daily and gradually fell in love.[13]

When she was 15 or 16 years old, Spalding started writing lyrics for music for the local indie rock/pop group Noise for Pretend, touching on any topic that came to mind.[18] Although she had taken a few private voice lessons which taught her how to protect her voice, her primary singing experience had come from "singing in the shower", she said,[18] before she started performing vocals for Noise for Pretend.[13] Her desire to perform live evolved naturally out of the compositional process, when she would sing and play simultaneously to see how melody and voice fit together, but she acknowledges that performing both roles can be challenging.[13][20] In a 2008 interview, she said, "[W]hat can be difficult is being a singer, in the sense that you are engaged with the audience, and really responsible for emoting, and getting into the lyrics, melody, etc and being an effective bassist/band leader."[20]

CollegeSpalding left high school at 16 and, after completing her GED, enrolled on a music scholarship in the music program at Portland State University, where she remembers being "the youngest bass player in the program."[8] Although she lacked the training of her fellow students, she feels that her teachers nevertheless recognized her talent.[8] She decided to instead apply to Berklee College of Music on the encouragement of her bass teacher, and did well enough in her audition to receive a full scholarship.[14][16] In spite of the scholarship, Spalding found it a challenge meeting living expenses, so her friends arranged a benefit concert that paid her airfare and a little extra.[13][16]

Spalding's savings did not last long. Broke and exhausted,[21] she considered leaving music and entering political science,[14] a move jazz guitarist and composer Pat Metheny discouraged, telling Spalding she had "the 'X Factor'" and could make it if she applied herself.[14] During her time at Berklee, her primary bass instructor was John Lockwood.[citation needed]

TouringSpalding had begun performing live in clubs in Portland, Oregon as a teenager,[12] securing her first gig at 15 in a blues club when she could only play one line on bass.[16] One of the seasoned musicians with which she played that first night invited her to join the band's rehearsals "so she could actually learn something", and her rehearsals soon grew into regular performances spanning almost a year.[16] According to Spalding, it was a chance for her to stretch as a musician, reaching and growing beyond her experience.[13] Her early contact with these "phenomenal resources", as she calls the musicians who played with her,[13] fostered her sense of rhythm and helped nurture her interest in her instrument.[16]

Patti Austin hired Spalding to tour with her internationally after Spalding's first semester at Berklee,[16] where Spalding supported the singer on the Ella Fitzgerald tribute tour "For Ella".[13] In 2008, Spalding recalled the tour as educational, helping her learn to accompany a vocalist and also how to sustain energy and interest playing the same material nightly.[13] She continued to perform with Austin periodically for three years.[13] During the same period, while at Berklee, Spalding studied under saxophonist Joe Lovano before eventually touring with him.[13] They began as a trio, expanding into a quartet before joining quintet US5 and traveling across the United States from New York to California.[13]

She does not consider herself a musical prodigy.[18] "I am surrounded by prodigies everywhere I go, but because they are a little older than me, or not a female, or not on a major label, they are not acknowledged as such," says Spalding.[18]

TeachingSpalding was the 2005 recipient of the Boston Jazz Society scholarship for outstanding musicianship.[8] Almost immediately after graduation from college later the same year, Spalding was hired by Berklee College of Music, becoming one of the youngest professors in the institution's history,[22] at age 20.[23] As a teacher, Spalding tries to help her students focus their practice through a practice journal which can help them recognize their strengths and what they need to pursue.[13] As of 2008, she was also in the process of developing several courses for students at Berklee, including one that focuses "on transcribing as a tool for learning harmony and theory".[13] Since that time, Spalding currently lives in Austin, Texas.[24]

Solo records and collaborationsSpalding has recorded three albums Junjo (2006), Esperanza (2008) and Chamber Music Society (2010).[18][25] The first was created to display the dynamic that she felt among her trio.[18] Though Junjo was released solely under her name, Spalding considers it "a collaborative effort."[13] With Esperanza, Spalding's material was meant to be more reflective of herself as an artist, with musicians selected to best present that material.[18] Ed Morales wrote in PopMatters on June 23, 2008 that Esperanza is "a sprawling collage of jazz fusion, Brazilian and even a touch of hip-hop."[11] Siddhartha Mitter wrote in the Boston Globe on May 23, 2008 that "the big change" in Esperanza "is the singing..... This makes [Esperanza] a much more accessible album, and in some ways more conventional."[26] In Chamber Music Society, inspiration from her earlier days as a concertmaster is apparent in her fusion of three-piece string ensemble with piano, keyboards, drums and percussion. As Patrick Jarenwattananon wrote for NPR Music, "the finished product certainly exudes a level of sophisticated intimacy, as if best experienced with a small gathering in a quiet, wood-paneled room."[27]

In addition to these albums, Spalding has collaborated with Fourplay, Stanley Clarke, Christian Scott, Donald Harrison, Joe Lovano, Nino Josele, Nando Michelin, and Theresa Perez.[20]

Her next project, scheduled for release in late 2011, is an album currently titled Radio Music Society, which she hopes will showcase jazz musicians in an accessible manner suitable for mainstream radio.[28]

Critical receptionGary Burton, Executive Vice President at Berklee, said in 2004 that Spalding had "a great time feel, she can confidently read the most complicated compositions, and she communicates her upbeat personality in everything she plays."[16] Ben Ratliff wrote in The New York Times on July 9, 2006 that Spaldings voice is "light and high, up in Blossom Dearie's pitch range, and she can sing quietly, almost in a daydream" and that Spalding "invents her own feminine space, a different sound from top to bottom."[29]

Ratliff wrote in The New York Times again, two years later, on May 26, 2008 that one of Spalding's central gifts is "a light, fizzy, optimistic drive that's in her melodic bass playing and her elastic, small-voiced singing" but that "the music is missing a crucial measure of modesty."[30] He added, "It's an attempt at bringing this crisscrossing [of Stevie Wonder and Wayne Shorter] to a new level of definition and power, but its vamps and grooves are a little obvious, and it pushes her first as a singer-songwriter, which isn't her primary strength."[30] Pat Metheny said in 2008 it was immediately obvious "that she had a lot to say and was also unlike any musician I had ever run across before. Her unique quality is something that goes beyond her pretty amazing musical skills; She has that rare 'x' factor of being able to transmit a certain personal kind of vision and energy that is all her own."[21]

Andrés Quinteros wrote in the Argentinian periodical, 26Noticias on October 28, 2008 that Spalding is one of the greatest new talents on the jazz scene today.[31]

In February 2011, at the 53rd Grammy Awards, Spalding won the "Best New Artist" award.[28]

Influences and attitude toward music and jazzSpalding cites jazz bassists Ron Carter and Dave Holland as important influences on her music; Carter for the "orchestration" of his playing and Holland for the way his compositional method complements his personal style.[13] She has described the saxophone player Wayne Shorter,[14] and singer-songwriter Milton Nascimento, as heroes.[32] She has also noted her preference for the music of Brazil.[14]

Spalding says she loves fusion music and was influenced by a "wonderful arc that started 40 years ago where people kept incorporating modern sounds into their music."[11] She has expressed concerns that jazz has wandered from its roots, suggesting that jazz has lost its street value and its relevance to "the Black experience to the Black Diaspora and beyond" now that has been co-opted by the "seasoned 'art' community."[7] She notes that in its early days, jazz was "popular dance music" and "the music of young people who considered themselves awfully hip", and believes "hip-hop, or neo-soul ... is our 'jazz' now as far as the role these genres play in the music genre lineage...."[7]


Spalding performing on December 10, 2009 at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert of 2009Spalding, who has expressed a desire to be judged for her musicianship rather than her sex appeal, believes that female musicians must take responsibility to avoid oversexualizing themselves.[11][14] and that in order to write original music, one must read and stay informed about the world.[14] She has said she models her career on those of Madonna and Ornette Coleman.[22]

PerformancesSome of Spalding's high-profile performances include:

2009 Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony and Concert
On December 10, at the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies, Spalding performed at Oslo City Hall in honor of the 2009 Laureate President Barack Obama and again at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert the following day. She was personally selected by Obama, as per the tradition of one laureate-invited-artist to perform.[33]

2009 Park City Jazz Festival
Spalding also was the featured final act for the opening night of the 2009 Park City Jazz Festival in Park City, Utah, one of the top jazz festivals in the country. She closed the show with a number along with bass artists Brian Bromberg and Sean O'Bryan Smith, who also performed earlier that day.[34]

2010 BET Awards
As a tribute to Prince, Spalding was invited to sing along with Patti LaBelle, Alicia Keys, and Janelle Monae. Spalding performed the 1987 hit single "If I Was Your Girlfriend."[33][35]

2010 Austin City Limits (PBS-TV)
On February 7, 2010, Spalding became the most searched person and second most searched item on Google as a result of her appearance the previous evening on the PBS television program Austin City Limits.[36][37]

DiscographySolo albumsOriginal Release Date Album Label
April 18, 2006 Junjo[n 1] Ayva Music
May 20, 2008 Esperanza[n 2] Heads Up International
August 17, 2010 Chamber Music Society Heads Up International

Notes1.^ Accompanied by Cuban pianist and drummer.
2.^ Accompanied by flamenco guitar guitarist Niño Josele, percussionist Jamey Haddad, drummer Horacio "El Negro" Hernández, saxophonist Donald Harrison and others.
With Noise for PretendOriginal Release Date Album Label
October 30, 2001 Blanket Music/Noise For Pretend Hush Records
July 2, 2002 Happy You Near Hush Records

With Stanley ClarkeOriginal Release Date Album Label
October 16, 2007 The Toys of Men Heads Up International

With Nando MichelinOriginal Release Date Album Label
November 21, 2006 Duende Fresh Sound New Talent
January 4, 2010 Reencontro Blue Music Group

With M. WardOriginal Release Date Album Label
March 18, 2003 Transfiguration of Vincent Merge Records

With Mike SternOriginal Release Date Album Label
August 11, 2009 Big Neighborhood Heads Up International

Janet Spills Her Heart in New Book

With The success of her Up Close and personal tour happening now Janet Jackson Sat down with Meridth Viera on dateline to discuss her book "True You" due out this Tuesday. Janet gave a very detailed account of her struggles with self image as well as family life and her new BF. She looked amazing and seems extremely happy in her own skin right now which is great and she also made it clear that she isn't out to prove anything to anyone and this tour was strictly for the fans and her love for us and appreciation for sticking by her Well Ms. Jackson (Strawberry) It has been my pleasure... Be sure to pick up the book in your local book stores on Tuesday... and Check ticketmaster to see Janet in a City Near you...

Grammy's Wrap Up

With all the hype surrounding this years (and others) Grammys we shouldn't be suprised that it isn't anything close to what the hype is. The first 20 mins. was great (tribute to Aretha) but after that it went all the way down. Justin Bieber was himself and I am sure some 12 year old fainted but speaking of fainting... Did you see Usher?? I mean he looked completely winded for the 4th time he performed "OMG" and had the nerve to win 2 grammys and one for his album can anyone tell me what other 4 songs is on that album??? ANYONE? Rhianna proved that she's hanging on tight to be a real artist. shock of the night was Best New artist ESPERANZA SPAULDING. Not Justin Bieber and Lady Antebellum cleaned up beating out Em/Rhianna for record of the Year. Next year we need some Variety nothing more or less just Variety. Here Is the complete list of the winners tonight and NONE WERE BEYONCE!



Record of the Year: "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum
Rap Album: Recovery, Eminem
New Artist: Esperanza Spalding
Song of the Year: "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum

POP:
Pop Vocal Album: Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster
Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: Train, "Hey, Soul Sister (Live)"
Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Michael Bublé, Crazy Love
Female Pop Vocal Performance: Lady Gaga, "Bad Romance," The Fame Monster
Male Pop Vocal Performance: Bruno Mars, "Just The Way You Are," Doo-Wops & Hooligans
Pop Collaboration With Vocals: "Imagine," Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No 1, Jeff Beck & Oumou Sangare, The Imagine Project
Pop Instrumental Performance: "Nessun Dorma," Jeff Beck, Emotion & Commotion
Pop Instrumental Album: Take Your Pick, Larry Carlton & Tak Matsumoto
R&B:
Female R&B Vocal Performance: Fantasia, "Bittersweet," Back to Me
Male R&B Vocal Performance: Usher, "There Goes My Baby," Raymond V Raymond
R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: Sade, "Soldier of Love," Soldier of Love
Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: John Legend & The Roots, "Hang On In There," Wake Up!
R&B Song: John Legend & The Roots, "Shine," Wake Up!
R&B Album: Wake Up!, John Legend & The Roots
Contemporary R&B Album: Raymond V Raymond, Usher



RAP:
Rap Song: Jay-Z & Alicia Keys, "Empire State of Mind," The Blueprint 3
Rap/Sung Collaboration: Jay-Z & Alicia Keys, "Empire State of Mind," The Blueprint 3
Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz, "On to the Next One," The Blueprint 3
Rap Solo Performance: Eminem, "Not Afraid," Recovery
Urban/Alternative Performance: "F*** You," Cee Lo Green

ROCK:
Rock Album: Muse, The Resistance
Solo Rock Vocal Performance: Paul McCartney, "Helter Skelter," Good Evening New York City
Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: The Black Keys, "Tighten Up," Brothers
Rock Song: "Angry World," Neil Young, Le Noise
Hard Rock Performance: New Fang, "Them Crooked Vultures," Them Crooked Vultures
Metal Performance: "El Dorado," Iron Maiden, The Final Frontier
Rock Instrumental Performance: Jeff Beck, "Hammerhead," Emotion & Commotion

COUNTRY:
Country Album: Lady Antebellum, Need You Now
Female Country Vocal Performance: Miranda Lambert, " The House That Built Me," Revolution
Male Country Vocal Performance: Keith Urban, "'Til Summer Comes Around"
Country Song: "Need You Now," Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott, songwriters (Lady Antebellum) (Need You Now)
Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: Lady Antebellum, "Need You Now"
Country Instrumental Performance: Marty Stuart, "Hummingbyrd" (Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions)
New Age Album:Miho: Journey to the Mountain, Paul Winter Consort
Contemporary Jazz Album:The Stanley Clarke Band, The Stanley Clarke Band
Jazz Vocal Album:Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee, Dee Dee Bridgewater

LATIN:
Latin Pop Album: Paraiso Express, Alejandro Sanz
Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album: El Existential, Grupo Fantasma
Tropical Latin Album: Viva La Tradición, Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Tejano Album: Recuerdos, Little Joe & La Familia
Norteño Album: Classic, Intocable
Banda Album: Enamórate De Mí, El Güero Y Su Banda Centenario

JAZZ:
Contemporary Jazz Album: The Stanley Clarke Band, The Stanley Clarke Band
Jazz Vocal Album: Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee, Dee Dee Bridgewater
Improvised Jazz Solo: "A Change Is Gonna Come," Herbie Hancock (The Imagine Project)
Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group: Moody 4B, James Moody
Large Jazz Ensemble Album: Live at Jazz Standard, Mingus Big Band
Latin Jazz Album: Chucho's Steps, Chucho Valdés and the Afro-Cuban Messengers

GOSPEL:
Gospel Performance: "Grace," BeBe & CeCe Winans, Still
Gospel Song: "It's What I Do," Jerry Peters & Kirk Whalum, songwriters (Kirk Whalum & Lalah Hathaway), The Gospel According to Jazz Chapter III
Rock or Rap Gospel Album: Hello Hurricane, Switchfoot
Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: Love God. Love People, Israel Houghton
Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album: The Reason, Diamond Rio
Traditional Gospel Album: Downtown Church, Patty Griffin
Contemporary R&B Gospel Album: Still, BeBe & CeCe Winans

DANCE:
Dance Recording: "Only Girl (in the World)," Rihanna
Electronic/Dance Album: La Roux, La Roux

TRADITIONAL/ALTERNATIVE/WORLD:
Alternative Music Album: Brothers, The Black Keys
Americana Album: You Are Not Alone, Mavis Staples
Bluegrass Album: Mountain Soul II, Patty Loveless
Traditional Blues Album: Joined At The Hip, Pinetop Perkins & Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith
Contemporary Blues Album: Living Proof, Buddy Guy
Traditional Folk Album: Genuine Negro Jig, Carolina Chocolate Drops
Contemporary Folk Album: God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise, Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs
Hawaiian Music Album: Huana Ke Aloha, Tia Carrere
Native American Music Album: 2010 Gathering Of Nations Pow Wow: A Spirit's Dance, Various Artists
Zydeco or Cajun Music Album: Zydeco Junkie, Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band
Reggae Album: Before The Dawn, Buju Banton
Traditional World Music Album: Ali And Toumani, Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté
Contemporary World Music Album: Throw Down Your Heart, Africa Sessions Part 2: Unreleased Tracks, Béla Fleck
New Age Album: Miho: Journey to the Mountain, Paul Winter Consort

VISUAL MEDIA:
Short Form Music Video: "Bad Romance," Lady Gaga
Long Form Music Video: "When You're Strange," The Doors
Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books and Storytelling): The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook)
Musical Show Album: American Idiot (Featuring Green Day)
Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: Crazy Heart (Various Artists)
Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: Toy Story 3, Randy Newman, composer
Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: "The Weary Kind" (From Crazy Heart), Ryan Bingham & T Bone Burnett, songwriters
Instrumental Composition: "The Path Among the Trees," Billy Childs, composer (Billy Childs Ensemble), Autumn: In Moving Pictures Jazz—Chamber Music Vol. 2
Instrumental Arrangement: "Carlos," Vince Mendoza, arranger (John Scofield, Vince Mendoza & Metropole Orkest), 54

CLASSICAL:
Engineered Album, Classical:Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina, Giancarlo Guerrero &Nashville Symphony Orchestra
Producer of the Year, Classical: David Frost
Classical Album:Verdi: Requiem, Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Chicago Symphony Chorus
Orchestral Performance:Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony; Deus Ex Machina, Nashville Symphony
Opera Recording:Saariaho: L'Amour De Loin, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Choral Performance:Verdi: Requiem, Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Chicago Symphony Chorus
Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (With Orchestra):Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 23 & 24, Mitsuko Uchida (The Cleveland Orchestra)
Instrumental Soloist Performance (Without Orchestra): Paul Jacobs, Messiaen: Livre Du Saint-Sacrement
Chamber Music Performance:Ligeti: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2, Parker Quartet
Small Ensemble Performance:Dinastia Borja, Jordi Savall, conductor; Hespèrion XXI & La Capella Reial De Catalunya
Classical Vocal Performance:Sacrificium, Cecilia Bartoli (Giovanni Antonini; Il Giardino Armonico)
Classical Contemporary Composition: Michael Daugherty: Deus Ex Machina, Michael Daugherty (Giancarlo Guerrero), Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony
Classical Crossover Album:Christopher Tin: Calling All Dawns
Surround Sound Album:Britten's Orchestra, Michael Stern & Kansas City Symphony

CHILDREN:
Musical Album for Children: Tomorrow's Children, Pete Seeger with the Rivertown Kids and Friends
Spoken Word Album for Children: Julie Andrews' Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies, Julie Andrews & Emma Walton Hamilton

OTHER:
Comedy Album: Lewis Black, Stark Raving Black
Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): "Baba Yetu," Christopher Tin, Soweto Gospel Choir & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Calling All Dawns
Recording Package: Brothers, The Black Keys
Boxed or Special Limited-Edition Package: Under Great White Northern Lights (Limited Edition Box Set), The White Stripes
Album Notes: Keep An Eye On The Sky, Big Star
Historical Album: The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings), The Beatles
Engineered Album, Nonclassical: Battle Studies, John Mayer
Producer of the Year, Nonclassical: Danger Mouse
Remixed Recording, Nonclassical: "Revolver" (David Guetta's One Love Club Remix), Madonna

Inferno DR Heats up ....

As we know by now Inferno DR has been serving up the HEAT since 2008 well this is shaping up to be a scorcher with the fresh announcement of Circus Reviews Artist of the month MARSHA AMBROSIUS. With The Beautiful song "Far Away" and the Heartbreaking yet teachable moment video as well. She and Kelly Price will bring the Island to its knees with each of their performances.. Love it...

DO WE WANT NOAH'S ARC BACK ??? REALLY?

There has been a public out pour of support to revive the show Noah's Arc and I share part that the show was taken off the air too soon but shouldn't we demand more reality instead of falsehood? I watched the show as a form of entertainment but there were so many people I knew that really thought of the images shown were real. What I saw was a black gay sex and the city and while there was nothing wrong with that shouldn't we as Gay black men demand more variety??? We aren't all the same, we don't feel the same about things but what we all mainly want is to be respected. The movie came out and people ran through cities trying to find where it was playing and I was disappointed but then again with the way the show was going anyway I should have expected not but what it was. Noah and Wade are married so whats left to explore? Are they now going to adopt a baby like Alex and tre??? I mean really people ask yourself,Hasn't the story been told to the point where we can move on? Can't we develope new Black gay stories and movies where were are more inclusive of who we all are as gay men?