In April, the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences voted to reduce the number of categories for which “Grammys” are rewarded, from 109 to 78. One of the categories that will be eliminated is “Latin Jazz.” The artists who formerly competed in that genre-specific category will now have to compete in a more general category, like “Best Instrumental Jazz Album.”
This being modern America, how would you expect “Latin jazz” artists to react? Would they all respond graciously, suck it up, and simply resolve to compete in the more general category? Nah! At least four of the “Latin jazz” artists have filed a lawsuit in New York state court, arguing that the decision harms them, devalues their music category, and makes it harder for them to gain recognition. The lawsuit claims that the careers of the artists will be hurt and that they should have been given a chance to offer input on how the changes to award categories would affect them.
What a bunch of whiners! Don’t they realize that nobody pays attention to awards like the Grammys precisely because there are so many ridiculously narrow categories? Perhaps the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences should just nominate every “Latin jazz” artist, give them all a “participation trophy,” and send them home to their Mommies.
Webner House 