Crossing generational lines, two alumni spanning 50 years of the college's history - Quincy Jones '51, and Andrew Dawson '01 - were nominated for their work on the blockbuster Kanye West album Graduation. Other nominees include John Mayer '98 for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance; Diana Krall '83 for Album of the Year; Steve Vai '79 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance; Juan Luis Guerra '83 for Best Tropical Latin Album; Howard Shore '68 for Best Score Soundtrack Album, for The Departed; and Paul Winter Consort member Eugene Friesen, associate professor of strings, for New Age Album of the Year.
Mark Walker, associate professor of percussion, earned nominations in the categories Best Instrumental Composition, and Best Latin Jazz Album, as a member of the Paquito D'Rivera Quintet. Walker's bandmates, Diego Urcola '90, Pernell Saturnino '95, Alon Yavnai '95, and Oscar Stagnaro, professor of bass, were also nominated. Other jazz and Latin jazz nominees include Jeff Lorber '71 for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, Tierney Sutton '87 for Best Jazz Vocal Album, Joe Lovano '72 (Gary Burton Jazz Chair at Berklee), for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, and Bobby Sanabria '79 for Best Latin Jazz Album.
A complete list of Berklee alumni nominees for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards follows.
Category 2 - Album Of The Year
* River: The Joni Letters
Herbie Hancock, Leonard Cohen, Norah Jones, Joni Mitchell, Corinne Bailey Rae, Luciana Souza '88 & Tina Turner, featured artists; Herbie Hancock & Larry Klein, producers; Helik Hadar, engineer/mixer; Bernie Grundman, mastering engineer [Verve]
* These Days
Vince Gill, John Anderson, Guy Clarke, Rodney Crowell, Diana Krall '83 & The Del McCoury Band, featured artists; Vince Gill, John Hobbs & Justin Niebank, producers; Neal Cappellino & Justin Niebank, engineers/mixers; Adam Ayan, mastering engineer [MCA Nashville]
* Graduation
Kanye West, Dwele, Lil Wayne, Mos Def & T-Pain, featured artists; Andrew Dawson '01, engineer/mixer [Roc-A-Fella Records]
Category 6 - Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
* Belief
John Mayer '98
Track from: The Village Sessions
[Columbia/Aware]
Category 19 - Best Rock Instrumental Performance
* The Attitude Song
Steve Vai '79
Track from: Sound Theories Vol. I & II [Epic/Red Ink]
Category 34 - Best Rap Song
* Good Life
A. Davis, F. Najm, K. West, J. Ingram, Quincy Jones '51, songwriters (Kanye West Featuring T-Pain)
Track from: Graduation [Roc-A-Fella; Publishers: Very Good Beats/Hip Hop Since 1978, Warner-Tamerlane Punlishing, Yellow Brick Road Music/Eiseman Music]
Category 44 - Best New Age Album
* Crestone
Paul Winter Consort
(Eugene Friesen) [Living Music]
Category 45 - Best Contemporary Jazz Album
* He Had A Hat
Jeff Lorber '71 [Blue Note]
Category 46 - Best Jazz Vocal Album
* On The Other Side
Tierney Sutton '87 (Band) [Telarc Jazz]
Category 48 - Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
* Kids: Live At Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola
Joe Lovano '72 And Hank Jones [Blue Note]
Category 50 - Best Latin Jazz Album
* Funk Tango
Paquito D'Rivera Quintet (Diego Urcola '90, Pernell Saturnino '95, Alon Yavnai '95, Oscar Stagnaro, Mark Walker) [Paquito Records]
* Big Band Urban Folktales
Bobby Sanabria Big Band (Bobby Sanabria '79) [Jazzheads]
Category 59 - Best Latin Rock Or Alternative Album
* No Hay Espacio
Black:Guayaba (Carlos Colon '04) [Machete Music]
Category 61 - Best Tropical Latin Album
* La Llave De Mi Corazn
Juan Luis Guerra '83 [EMI Televisa]
Category 83 - Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
* The Departed
Howard Shore '68, composer [New Line Records]
Category 85 - Best Instrumental Composition
* Deep Six
Mark Walker, composer (Oregon)
Track from: 1000 Kilometers [CamJazz]
Category 86 - Best Instrumental Arrangement
* Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair
Frank Macchia '80, arranger (Frank Macchia & The Prague Orchestra) Track from: Emotions [Cacophony]
Category 92 - Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
* II
Jason Lehning '94, engineer (Viktor Krauss) [Back Porch Records]
Category 108 - Best Classical Crossover Album
* A Love Supreme: The Legacy Of John Coltrane
Turtle Island Quartet (Mads Tolling '03, Evan Price '96) [Telarc]
For more information contact All About Jazz.
