PRESS RELEASES
DL Media Artists Receive Six Nominations in 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards
DL Media Artists Earn Six Nominations for 63rd Annual GRAMMY® Awards
DL Media is proud to congratulate our artists on six nominations in five categories in the 63rd Annual GRAMMY® Awards, including: John Beasley, Kurt Elling feat. Danilo Pérez, Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band, Maria Mendes and John Beasley, and Christian Sands.
“The DL Media team is excited about the tremendous music that was released in late-2019 and 2020. We extend our congratulations to our clients on their nomination achievements,” states DL Media President Don Lucoff. “We value the time honored process by the Recording Academy to highlight these wonderful artists and support great music.”
DL Media is excited for these nominations and hopes that Recording Academy members will consider these releases in the voting process for the 63rd GRAMMY® Awards. Please let us know if you need materials for any of these projects.
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
John Beasley
MONK’estra Plays John Beasley
Best Arrangement,
Instrumental or A Cappella
“Donna Lee”
(MONK’estra Plays John Beasley)
Mack Avenue Records
Release Date: August 21, 2020
Web: JohnBeasleyMusic.com
“The intricate recasting of ‘Donna Lee’ contains several thrills,
but the motifs throughout are colored vividly, etched with fine yet robust lines
and graceful in their surprising twists. The large ensemble’s performance
seems flawless and the small group Beasley’s assembled for a
few tracks…is bonded in camaraderie.” — DownBeat
“His previous two MONK’estra recordings are both keepers and
this third one, MONK’estra Plays John Beasley (Mack Avenue Records)
concentrates on his own Thelonious-inspired compositions…Beasley arranges spectacularly. He produces with an ear for exquisite detail.” — Goldmine Magazine
Best Jazz Vocal Album
Kurt Elling feat. Danilo Pérez
Secrets Are The Best Stories
Edition Records
Release Date: April 3, 2020
Web: KurtElling.com | DaniloPerez.com
“Renowned for his singular combination of robust swing and poetic insight,
Elling has secured his place among the world’s foremost jazz vocalists…
His voice is instantly recognizable, embracing listeners with his warm,
rich baritone and navigating the full span of his four-octave range as a
virtuoso instrumentalist and a compelling storyteller.” — Glide Magazine
“On Secrets Are the Best Stories, Elling, in a new musical partnership
with pianist and composer Danilo Pérez and other musicians, approaches
a new frontier for exploring the implied, the hidden, the dark, and
the edgy in songs that elucidate a bold creative métier.” — All Music
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
Orrin Evans and the
Captain Black Big Band
The Intangible Between
Smoke Sessions Records
Release Date: May 1, 2020
Web: OrrinEvansMusic.com
“The fourth release by pianist Orrin Evans’ Captain Black Big Band has an
ineffable Philly-ness to it that’s hard to describe with any precision, but you can hear it. Evans is 100% a son of his city…this album has a churning, soulful energy that’s kind of a cross between the fierce drive of McCoy Tyner’s large-ensemble records and the
lush orchestrations of early ’70s Gamble & Huff.” — Stereogum
“This is anything but your father’s big band music. This stretches the
boundaries to wonderful places. It’s a provocative mix of the traditional and
free jazz and can be a transportive listen.” — Glide Magazine
Best Arrangement,
Instruments and Vocals:
Maria Mendes & John Beasley
“Asas Fechadas”
(Close To Me feat.
Metropole Orkest & John Beasley)
Justin Time Records
Release Date: November 1, 2019
Web: Maria-Mendes.com
“A great affection for fado music and its poetic lyrics, an appreciation for how a jazz palette can color the form, and a love of orchestral seasonings all influence this expansive outing from Maria Mendes. It’s an effort that’s far from the norm and right where the Portuguese vocalist lives and loves to be.” — All About Jazz
“Fado is not a genre that’s well-known to the average listener, but after hearing
vocalist Maria Mendes’ jazzy version of that melancholy Portuguese music style,
one is easily transported into its depths. On Close to Me, Mendes executes an eloquent love letter to her homeland of Portugal, but instead of using fado’s traditional
stringed instrumentation, she adds a symphonic touch.” — JazzTimes
Best Instrumental Composition
Christian Sands
“Be Water II”
(Be Water)
Mack Avenue Records
Release Date: July 17, 2020
“The jazz pianist says he was trying to be freer and more flexible on ‘Be Water,’
and it shows. The set’s 10 cuts explore a wide range of moods and instrumental combinations, with Sands’ trio at the core.” — Associated Press
“In their hands, the song is about questing itself: its loneliness and excitement,
the determination it requires, the way the final destination ultimately doesn’t matter.
Music is the best place to find yourself, getting lost.” — NPR Music
For media information, please contact:
DL Media · 267-541-2784
Don Lucoff · don@dlmediamusic.com
Maureen McFadden · maureen@dlmediamusic.com
For the Preferred Artist
Information and press materials (including album covers, promotional photos and bios)
on all DL Media artists can be found at our website: dlmediamusic.com