There’s been growing discontent in some quarters about the upcoming Grammy awards, scheduled for Feb. 12 in Los Angeles, and though it would seem to be about the structure and politics of the awards, at heart it’s about the music the Grammys celebrate.

Last April, the executives of NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences) unexpectedly announced the slashing of award categories from 109 to 78. Suddenly separate awards for less commercial roots and traditional genres such as Hawaiian, zydeco, Cajun, native American, Latin jazz, traditional world music, traditional folk, traditional gospel, contemporary folk, along with four categories of rhythm & blues, were eliminated. Many who love America’s vernacular and regional music have openly condemned the action NARAS has taken. That growing list includes Paul Simon, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Herbie Hancock, Bonnie Raitt and members of the San Francisco Arts Commission.

However, although the scene is set for a protest come Feb. 12, neither we nor the list of big-name protesters would want the controversy to overshadow the content, so let’s talk about the excellent music that has been nominated in the world music category – who the performers are, what they play, why they’ve been nominated… and what their chances are of winning.

Who: AfroCubism, for their self-title album AfroCubism (World Circuit Nonesuch).

What: A delicious blend of the best that Cuba and Mali have to offer.

Why: From the first highly distinctive notes of Cuban guajira (in its literal translation, country music), AfroCubism exudes joy. Eliades Ochoa plays in his iconic guitar style and sings a haunting melody, alternating verses with Malian star Kasse Mady. Ochoa was a driving force of the Buena Vista Social Club, and the blend here with Malian musicians was the original idea for that earlier project. You’ll also hear Grupo Patria, backed up with kora, balafon, ngoni, talking drums, congas, violins and trumpets.

Chances: Excellent. A major contender, produced by the legendary Nick Gold has gold Grammy dust all over it.

Who: Tinariwen, for Tassili (Anti Records).

What: A musical plea to unite Tinariwen’s desert people. Gentle, earthy, meditative, irresistibly rhythmic, Tassili demonstrates the power of music to communicate across many boundaries.

Why: Indisputably one of the great bands of this or any other year, Tinariwen’s trance-inducing, hypnotic Tuareg-Berber music from the Saharan region of northern Mali transports the listener to a haunting and, for many listeners, previously unknown time and place. Formed in 1979, Tinariwen have become more widely known to the outside world in the past decade. The first time they played San Francisco, my hometown, the Great American Music Hall was filled with DJs. The band walked onstage in full desert regalia, long robes and white headdresses. Bearing Telecasters and fueled by Marshall amps, they pinned everybody against the back wall with their spellbinding sound.

Chances:  Good. Tassili should win, but may not be widely enough known. 

Who:  Femi Kuti, for Africa for Africa (Knitting Factory Records).

What: A powerful, driving Afrobeat, much more evocative of a legendary Fela performance than the Broadway show named Fela! that ran in New York and San Francisco in 2010.

Why: This intense recording by the eldest son of Nigerian superstar Fela Kuti is a true house-wrecker. Here, Kuti offers us a pure, high-octane, horn-infused midnight club band in hyperdrive, with a strong message: we are all brothers and sisters, and Africans must be steadfast in the face of daunting problems.

Chances: Good.  But may not have wide enough appeal in the U.S.

Who: Ladysmith Black Mambazo, for Songs From a Zulu Farm (Razor & Tie).

What: Since the 1960s, LBM has interwoven the rhythms and harmonies of their native South African musical traditions with the sounds of Christian gospel music. In 1986, Paul Simon incorporated their sound into the album Graceland.

Why: Full of love, comfort and sweetness, the sound is familiar, healing and accessible to many for whom “world music” is a bit of a stretch.

Chances: Very good.  But, having been nominated 16 times and won three, it’s time for LBM to let others win.

Related Links:

AfroCubism's website

Tinariwen's website

Femi Kuti's website

Ladysmith Black Mambazo's website


Watching the Grammys this year? CBC Music has assembled an amazing array of guests — top music writers from some of our nation's best music publications and newspapers, CBC personalities and radio hosts, and musicians ranging from poet laureate-rappers to members of Sloan. Join us at 7pm EST on Sunday, February 12 for a Grammys live chat.

 

UPDATE: And the winner is...Tinariwen! You'll find the complete list of Grammy winners here.

posted by Sandy Miranda on Feb 08, 2012